Samwise Sportscar & Endurance Newsletter
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Winward Mercedes Claims 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours as Verstappen Suffers Cruel Late Retirement
Winward Racing’s #80 Mercedes-AMG GT3 clinched the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours, with Maro Engel, Luca Stolz, Fabian Schiller and Maxime Martin crossing the line before 352,000 spectators — Mercedes’ first Nordschleife triumph since 2016. The race’s dominant subplot belonged to the sister #3 entry driven by four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen alongside Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella. Team Verstappen led comfortably through the night, with Verstappen earning widespread praise for his night stints, before a driveshaft failure struck with four hours remaining. The crew elected to repair the car and complete symbolic final laps in front of the watching crowd.
Sources: DailySportsCar
Délétraz Confirmed at JOTA for Le Mans as Lynn Surgery Rules Out Title Contender
Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA has confirmed that British driver Alex Lynn will miss the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans after his surgical procedure was moved to June. Lynn had already been absent from the opening two WEC rounds at Imola and Spa-Francorchamps with a neck complaint, and the revised medical timeline rules him out of Le Mans entirely. Swiss driver Louis Délétraz will replace him in the #12 Cadillac V-Series.R at the pre-event Silverstone test and the race itself. No return date has been confirmed, but the team has expressed hope of welcoming Lynn back into the car later in the season.
Sources: DailySportsCar
James Allen Gets Le Mans Call-Up at AO by TF as Délétraz Departure Triggers Driver Cascade
The departure of Louis Délétraz to Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA has triggered a further Le Mans driver change, with British endurance racer James Allen confirmed at AO by TF. Délétraz had been part of the AO by TF LMGT3 line-up before being elevated to the Hypercar class as Alex Lynn’s replacement at JOTA. Allen, experienced across LMP2 and GT endurance competitions, steps into the LMGT3 entry for the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans. The cascade of moves stemming from Lynn’s neck surgery illustrates how a single enforced absence can reconfigure multiple driver line-ups across the entry list weeks before the biggest race of the year.
Sources: DailySportsCar
BMW M3 Touring 24H Stuns at Nürburgring with Fifth Overall and SP-X Class Victory
Among the most compelling subplots from the 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours was the performance of the #81 Schubert Motorsport BMW M3 Touring 24H, which finished fifth overall and claimed the SP-X experimental class win. Jens Klingmann, Ugo de Wilde, Connor de Phillippi and Neil Verhagen delivered a near-flawless run with the estate-bodied touring car, regularly trading positions with pure GT3 machinery in the SP9 class. The team’s original ambitions had not included a podium challenge, but as the race developed it became clear the M3 Touring could match the frontrunners on pace. The result marks the most prominent overall finish to date for BMW’s unconventional touring-car-turned-endurance-racer.
Sources: DailySportsCar
Motopark Takes Back-to-Back GT Open 500 Victory at Spa in Changeable Conditions
Team Motopark claimed back-to-back victories at the GT Open 500 at Spa-Francorchamps, with Maximilian Götz and Christian Mansell sharing the #71 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo to win in damp, changeable conditions. Götz built a 28-second gap before the safety car emerged following Laurent De Meeus’s crash at Raidillon, with the gap reset before Mansell took over for the final stint to take the flag. It was Mansell’s first significant GT3 endurance victory. Elite Motorsport’s Ferrari of Tom Lebbon held second after a hard-fought defence against Leonardo Moncini’s Lamborghini, though Moncini received a five-second time penalty. Porsche’s Fach Auto Tech swept both Pro-Am and Am class honours.
Sources: DailySportsCar
CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa Prologue Opens Today as GT3 Field Assembles at Spa
Teams competing in the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa arrived at Spa-Francorchamps today for the official prologue test sessions running May 19–20 ahead of the race on June 24–28. The prologue gives all GT3 crews extended track time before GTWCE’s flagship endurance event. The full field includes Valentino Rossi returning for his second consecutive campaign with Team WRT in the #46 BMW, alongside defending champions Kelvin van der Linde and Charles Weerts. Teams will use the sessions to refine setups and build driver confidence before race week begins next month.
Sources: GT World Challenge Europe
2022 British GT Champion Loggie Rejoins 2 Seas Motorsport for Remainder of 2026 Season
Ian Loggie will rejoin 2 Seas Motorsport for the remaining rounds of the 2026 British GT Championship, partnering Aaron Walker in the team’s #15 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. The 2022 champion fills the seat vacated by Kenzie Beecroft, who departed just before the Silverstone round where Andrew Gilbert made a one-off stand-in appearance. Loggie first drove with 2 Seas in 2023 following his title-winning season with RAM Racing and has accumulated significant mileage with both the team and its machinery since. His confirmed return strengthens 2 Seas Motorsport’s Pro class campaign through the remainder of the season.
Sources: DailySportsCar
AO Racing Reveals ‘Rockie the Pegasus’ Character Livery for 2026 Le Mans 24 Hours
AO Racing has unveiled a new livery for its 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans LMGT3 entry, built around a mascot named Rockie the Pegasus — a winged horse depicted across the car’s bodywork in the team’s colour scheme. The design departs from conventional corporate sportscar liveries, blending character art and racing aesthetics for the world’s biggest endurance event. The Rockie livery will be on track at Circuit de la Sarthe when the 94th edition of the race begins in June. The reveal joins a growing wave of pre-Le Mans team announcements as the paddock builds momentum toward the season highlight.
Sources: DailySportsCar
WEC Hypercar — Drivers
1. R. Rast / R. Frijns — 35 pts
2. S. Buemi / B. Hartley / R. Hirakawa — 26 pts
3. S. van der Linde — 25 pts
4. K. Kobayashi / M. Conway / N. de Vries — 25 pts
5. K. Magnussen / R. Marciello — 24 pts
After Round 2 — Spa-Francorchamps
WEC Hypercar — Manufacturers
1. BMW — 59 pts
2. Toyota — 52 pts
3. Ferrari — 42 pts
4. Aston Martin — 14 pts
5. Alpine — 14 pts
6. Peugeot — 9 pts
7. Cadillac — 8 pts
8. Genesis — 6 pts
IMSA GTP — Drivers
1. L. Heinrich / T. van der Helm — GTP leader
2. J. Aitken — -21 pts
3. E. Bamber — consistent top-3
4. F. Nasr / J. Andlauer — -146 pts
After Round 3 — Laguna Seca (May 3)
IMSA GTP — Teams
1. JDC-Miller Motorsports (#5 Porsche)
2. Porsche Penske Motorsport (#7)
3. Cadillac Whelen (#31)
Full standings: imsa.com/weathertech/standings
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Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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