+ 21-car field ready for a return to Italy for round three
+ Action guaranteed at stunning coastal circuit
+ Live music and dinner with a view headline the fan experiences
+ Provisional entry list, Misano
The GT2 European Series powered by Pirelli will hit its midway point at Misano next weekend (July 17-19), with the Italian seaside circuit staging what promises to be an action-packed third round.
The 4.2km track on the stunning Adriatic Coast is a real fan and driver favourite, mixing red-hot action on track with a festival-like atmosphere, golden beaches and even a padel court for good measure. The track itself features multiple heavy braking zones and fast straights, which should play to the strengths of the speed-hungry GT2 machines.
A 21-car field will descend on Misano, with the fight for all three class championships warming up nicely. The GT2 European Series will again join forces with the GT World family, racing alongside the GT4 European Series, McLaren Trophy Europe and TopJet F2000 in support of the headline GT World Sprint Cup races on both Saturday and Sunday.
MISANO COMES ALIVE, DAY AND NIGHT
Entertainment will not just be limited to on-track activities, with Misano following the example set by the recent record-breaking CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa and staging its own live music festival on Saturday.
The accompanying Elektronfest will feature acts such as Planet Funk, Dj Ralf, L3UM4S and more, with access to the concert included in all multi-day passes, Saturday tickets or evening tickets (redeemable from 18:00 Saturday).
As well as open paddocks allowing fans to get up close to the cars and drivers, some will also be able to enjoy a dining experience like no other thanks to Dinner in the Sky, which will hoist guests 50 metres above the track to enjoy a meal with a view.
FOUR DIFFERENT WINNERS SO FAR
Across the opening four races, we have yet to have a repeat winner, showing the open competition of this year’s GT2 Europe field.
At Monza, Maserati and Mercedes-AMG ruled, before Ginetta and KTM shared the glories at Spa-Francorchamps. That has led to a championship where consistency is key, and victories are far from guaranteed.
Pro-Am is again the largest class, with nine cars. SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm drivers David Thilenius and Jay Mo Härtling sit top of the standings after a clean sweep of class wins in Italy, but a tough weekend in Belgium has closed things up. Nil Montserrat and Alberto de Martin sit just 17 points behind in their NM Racing Team Mercedes-AMG. They could be ones to watch, having taken a pole and a podium at Misano last year.
Lawrence Tomlinson and Mike Simpson (above) hit form at Spa with a class win and an outright pole elevating them to third, with the CMR Ginetta just a point further behind. After missing the last round, class frontrunners Mauro Calamia and Roberto Pampanini return in their DINAMIC Maserati, while Iron Dames duo Sarah Bovy and Laura van den Hengel continue aboard their own SP Racing Maserati.
The resurgence of Ginetta at Spa also shook things up in Silver, with Ethan Gialdini and Mikkel Njor jumping to the points lead ahead of a tie for second place. Antoine Potty has taken two class wins so far but a retirement at Monza set him back. The Belgian is level with NM Racing Team Mercedes-AMG driver Adrián Ferrer, who will be without his usual team-mate Branden Oxley for the remainder of the season.
While Philippe Prette has enjoyed a dominant spell in the Masters class, he was finally beaten at Spa. The LP Racing Maserati driver holds a comfortable 34-point lead and kick-started his incredible eight-race winning streak with a double at Misano last season. However, that run came to an end at Spa thanks to both ART-Line Lamborghini driver Shota Abkhazava and RTR Projects KTM pair Viktor Mraz and Lennart Marioneck. While Abkhazava will not race at Misano, Mraz and Marioneck will aim to continue their momentum, while RTR’s Mercedes-AMG crew of Ondrej Rokos and Petr Lisa will be determined to bounce back from a bruising in Belgium. A new entry also comes from Stéphane Ratel and Célia Martin in an LP Racing Maserati.
GIALDINI SHAKES UP THE ACADEMY ORDER
This weekend also features the third round of the SRO GT Academy, where seven drivers across six cars will fight for the career-changing prize of a fully funded seat in the 2027 GT World Endurance Cup with a Mercedes-AMG Customer Team.
After a perfect start in Monza, Jay Mo Härtling saw his points lead cut by the charging Ethan Gialdini, whose pole position performance and outright race win at Spa has moved him within striking distance of the German. Antoine Potty has been scoring solidly to hold third place ahead of the now-absent Oxley and Gialdini’s team-mate Mikkel Njor.
Adrián Ferrer also endured a difficult Spa and now runs sixth ahead of Moritz Wiskirchen and the so-far luckless Niccolò Pirri, who will be hoping for a change in fortune aboard his #8 LP Racing Maserati. However, with scores allocated across range of criteria including qualifying performance, fastest laps and race stint averages, any one of the drivers could make some big moves before the end of the weekend.
