• SRO GT Academy Prize offers graduation to GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup in 2027
• New Silver class to join existing Pro-Am and Am categories
• Series set for Nürburgring debut as provisional six-round calendar announced
The GT2 European Series powered by Pirelli has an exciting season in store for 2026, with the introduction of a new SRO GT Academy prize which guarantees the victor a drive in the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup.
The best-performing Silver driver competing in GT2 Europe’s Silver or Pro-Am classes with a Maserati or Mercedes-AMG will be placed with a Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing Team for the full five-round campaign, with no budget required except for repairs. Other manufacturers are welcome to support the Academy and make their drivers eligible.
In a further development, the SRO GT Academy prize offered in the FFSA French GT Championship will now provide the successful driver with a spot on the GT2 Europe grid. This will create a clear pathway from GT4 to GT2 and finally GT3, giving talented drivers the opportunity to progress to the highest levels of sportscar racing.
The series will also expand to include a Silver class, which will run alongside the continuing Pro-Am and Am classes. A three-hour endurance race during Spa Speedweek is also under consideration as part of a six-round calendar.
For the sixth year of the series, a world-class schedule has been assembled. Five of the six venues are modern grand prix circuits, offering an outstanding challenge to teams and drivers alike. The series will again feature 12 races and almost 30 hours of total track time, while live race action will continue to be aired on the GT World YouTube channel.
Once again, the majority of the GT2 European Series events will be run alongside GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS, offering the perfect platform for maximum exposure as well as providing the sort of unforgettable atmosphere that goes hand in hand with racing alongside the world’s biggest GT series.
The campaign begins with a visit to the legendary Monza in Italy in May before the field takes on the super-fast sweeps of Spa-Francorchamps, the GT2 European Series forming a key part of the celebrated SRO Speedweek event that precedes the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.
A return to the beachside venue of Misano on the Adriatic coast marks the halfway point. Then it’s time for the series’ debut at the Nürburgring in Germany for round four before the grid makes a second consecutive appearance at Zandvoort, the Dutch Grand Prix venue retaining its place on the schedule after a successful first event this year.
The GT2 European Series season finale takes place at Portimão alongside the GT World Challenge Europe seasonal showdown, guaranteeing a grandstand finish to the year.
The grid is set to expand next season following the announcement that Ginetta will add its own GT2 car in time for the 2026 campaign. The new model, which was launched at Spa-Francorchamps on Friday, will join world-class manufacturers such as Maserati, Porsche, Lamborghini, Audi, Mercedes-AMG and KTM on the GT2 European Series grid.
