Samwise Sportscar & Endurance Newsletter
MONDAY, JULY 6, 2026
GetSpeed JR286 Overcomes Penalty and Rain to Win Inaugural 12H Nürburgring
GetSpeed Team JR286’s No. 286 Mercedes-AMG GT3 claimed victory in the inaugural 12 Hours of Nürburgring on Sunday, overcoming a 40-second time penalty and a treacherous rain-soaked finale. Steve Jans delivered a mammoth 2.5-hour stint in wet conditions that proved decisive, with co-drivers Ryan Harvey, John Hirshberg and Aidan Liddy all contributing across the full distance. Up2Race finished second, with Fabio Grosse holding off Viper Niza Racing’s Lamborghini by just 0.469 seconds at the line — marking the all-Malaysian crew’s first 24H European Series podium. Proton Competition took fourth after leading for much of the opening segment. The win moves GetSpeed to the top of the 24H European Series championship.
Sources: Sportscar365 Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Forestier Racing by Panis Dominates 4 Hours of Imola for Second ELMS Win
Forestier Racing by Panis claimed its second European Le Mans Series victory of 2026 with a commanding display at the 4 Hours of Imola, finishing over 52 seconds clear of United Autosports. Louis Rousset, Oliver Gray and Esteban Masson shared the No. 29 Oreca 07, with Masson’s blistering final stints proving the decisive factor. United Autosports retain the LMP2 drivers’ championship lead despite the defeat. TF Sport’s Corvette Z06 took LMGT3 honours. The result carries deep poignancy: Forestier Racing is the team formerly known as Marc VDS Racing, and the victory came on the very day that its founder, Marc van der Straten, passed away at the age of 78.
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Marc Van der Straten, Founder of Marc VDS Racing, Passes Away at 78
The motorsport community is mourning the loss of Marc van der Straten, the founder and driving force of Marc VDS Racing Team, who passed away on Sunday, July 5 at the age of 78. Van der Straten built Marc VDS into one of Belgium’s most admired motorsport operations over decades of endurance racing, with the team’s greatest triumph coming at the 24 Hours of Spa in 2015. In a moving coincidence, the team he founded — now racing as Forestier Racing by Panis — won the 4 Hours of Imola on the very same day, an unintended but deeply fitting tribute to a man who gave his life to the sport.
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Mühlner Crash Forces Red-Flag Halt as Up2Race Leads Overnight at 12H Nürburgring
The opening six-hour segment of the inaugural 12 Hours of Nürburgring ended under a red flag after a heavy crash involving the No. 921 Mühlner Motorsport Porsche, with approximately 40 minutes of running remaining. Driver Joshua Bednarski was able to exit the car unaided. The Up2Race No. 88 Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo of Fabio Grosse, Tim Heinemann and Oleksiy Kikireshko held the overnight lead, with Proton Competition second and Viper Niza Racing third. GetSpeed PCX — the pre-race championship favourite — tumbled down the order after an incident. All cars were placed in overnight parc fermé with refuelling prohibited before Sunday’s six-hour restart.
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Corvette and Huracán Receive Biggest Weight Breaks in CTMP Balance of Performance
IMSA has released Balance of Performance adjustments for next weekend’s Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, with the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R shedding 12 kg and the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 losing 13 kg — the two largest weight reductions — though both also carry power restrictions. The BMW M4 GT3 EVO drops 5 kg; the Lamborghini Temerario GT3 gains a 3 kg break with a substantial Stage 1 power increase. The Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo takes a 20 kg penalty but gains power at both stages. The Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo is the only car running at 100 percent declared power across both stages.
Sources: Sportscar365 Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
33-Car Field Set for IMSA CTMP Round, Robert Wickens Among Notable Returns
A 33-car entry list has been confirmed for the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on July 12, comprising ten LMP2, ten GTD PRO and thirteen GTD entries. Notable changes include Car Blanche/YRB Racing stepping up from GTD to GTD PRO with the No. 68 Aston Martin, Ricky Taylor replacing the injured Harry Tincknell in the No. 52 Bryan Herta Autosport/PR1 LMP2, and Ben Hanley filling in for Paul di Resta at United Autosports No. 22. Robert Wickens makes a welcome return to competition in the No. 36 DXDT Racing Corvette, adding a compelling storyline to an already stacked entry for the Mosport round.
LMP2 Takes Centre Stage as IMSA Heads to Mosport for High-Stakes CTMP Round
IMSA is highlighting the LMP2 class as a headline attraction at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park this season, with the prototype division running as a featured race at the storied Mosport circuit. The series notes a strong historical correlation between the CTMP winner and the eventual season champion, lending July 12 outsized importance in the title picture. With the GTP battle tight across several manufacturers and both GTD PRO and GTD classes offering compelling stories at the season’s midpoint, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park shapes up as one of the most consequential weekends of the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship.
Cadillac Hertz Jota Targets WEC Recovery at São Paulo With Stevens and Nato
Cadillac Hertz Team Jota approaches the Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo (July 10–12) with a two-driver lineup of Will Stevens and Norman Nato after confirming that regular third driver Alex Lynn remains sidelined following surgery. The team views Brazil as a pivotal opportunity to recover ground in the FIA WEC Hypercar standings after a difficult start to 2026. With Toyota holding the championship lead and BMW in close pursuit heading into Round 4 at Interlagos, São Paulo promises to be a defining chapter in the title fight, with unpredictable Brazilian conditions and high-speed sectors likely to separate the leading Hypercar contenders.
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WEC Hypercar — Drivers
1. Kobayashi / Conway / de Vries (Toyota #7) — 75 pts
2. Rast / Frijns (BMW #20) — 71 pts
3. van der Linde S. (BMW #20) — 61 pts
4. Hartley / Hirakawa / Buemi (Toyota #8) — 56 pts
5. Pier Guidi / Giovinazzi / Calado (Ferrari #51) — 39 pts
6. da Costa / Milesi / Habsburg (Alpine #35) — 28 pts
7. Delétraz / Nato / Stevens (Cadillac #12) — 26 pts
8. Magnussen / Marciello (BMW #15) — 25 pts
9. Fuoco / Molina / Nielsen (Ferrari #50) — 23 pts
10. Tincknell / Gamble (Aston Martin #007) — 22 pts
WEC Hypercar — Teams
1. Toyota — 132 pts
2. BMW — 96 pts
3. Ferrari — 62 pts
4. Alpine — 38 pts
5. Cadillac — 32 pts
6. Aston Martin — 26 pts
7. Peugeot — 15 pts
8. Genesis — 6 pts
After Round 3 (24 Hours of Le Mans) — Next: Rólex 6H São Paulo July 10–12
IMSA GTP — Drivers
1. Jack Aitken — 1,760 pts
2. Laurin Heinrich — 1,616 pts
3. Julien Andlauer / Felipe Nasr — 1,606 pts
4. Renger van der Zande / Nick Yelloly — 1,552 pts
5. Kevin Estre / Laurens Vanthoor — 1,501 pts
6. Earl Bamber — 1,412 pts
7. Tom Blomqvist / Colin Braun — 1,391 pts
8. Sheldon van der Linde / Dries Vanthoor — 1,385 pts
9. Philipp Eng / Marco Wittmann — 1,383 pts
10. Tijmen van der Helm — 1,379 pts
11. Louis Deletraz / Jordan Taylor — 1,335 pts
12. Filipe Albuquerque / Ricky Taylor — 1,235 pts
13. Roman de Angelis / Ross Gunn — 1,203 pts
Through Round 5 (Detroit) — Source: imsa.com — WGI update pending
Curated by JD · samwise.agency