Samwise Sportscar & Endurance Newsletter
Saturday, July 18, 2026
BMW Takes Second WEC Win of 2026 at São Paulo
The No. 15 BMW M Team WRT of Kevin Magnussen, Dries Vanthoor and Raffaele Marciello won the Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo on July 12 at Interlagos, taking BMW’s second FIA World Endurance Championship victory of 2026. The crew crossed the line 2.254 seconds ahead of the No. 51 Ferrari 499P of Antonio Giovinazzi, Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado. Cadillac Hertz Team Jota’s No. 12 car finished third but suffered a costly pit stop after a jammed front-right wheel nut cost approximately 15 seconds and effectively handed Magnussen the lead. The No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota and No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari completed the top five.
Sources: Motorsport.com Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
WEC Title Fight Blown Wide Open as BMW Ties Toyota at the Top
BMW’s victory at São Paulo has blown the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship wide open. The No. 20 BMW of René Rast and Robin Frijns is now level on 75 points with the No. 7 Toyota of Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Nyck de Vries at the top of the Hypercar drivers’ standings. Toyota suffered its first scoreless weekend of the season at Interlagos — the No. 7 car incurred multiple penalties while the No. 8 machine lost 12 laps to tie rod damage. In the manufacturers’ championship, Toyota leads BMW by just five points, 132 to 127, with Ferrari on 88 still in contention.
WEC to End Season in Europe as Barcelona and Monza Set to Replace Qatar and Bahrain
The FIA World Endurance Championship is set to revise its 2026 calendar, replacing the season-ending rounds in Qatar and Bahrain with races at Barcelona and Monza. Le Mans Endurance Management activated a Plan B in response to ongoing geopolitical instability in the region, with ratification expected after the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting on July 23. Barcelona would take the October 18 slot — one week before the original Qatar date — while Monza would host on November 7, the weekend reserved for the Bahrain finale. Both replacement events are six-hour races, awarding standard 25-point victories rather than the points-and-a-half scale of the longer rounds they replace.
Sources: Motorsport Week Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Ford WEC Hypercar Fires Up Its Coyote V8 for the First Time at ORECA
Ford Racing’s WEC Hypercar chassis fired up its 5.4-litre Coyote-based V8 engine for the first time on July 16, with the hybrid system installed within the car at ORECA’s facility in southern France. The first combined start brought together ORECA’s chassis with Ford’s powertrain outside of the Dearborn, Michigan dyno programme. The naturally aspirated V8 was designed, developed and built entirely in-house by Ford Racing, retaining a direct connection to the company’s road-car Coyote engine architecture. Track testing is scheduled to begin in August at circuits across Europe, covering performance, reliability and hybrid system integration. The car is targeting its FIA WEC debut in 2027.
GT World Challenge Europe Brings Record 44-Car Grid to Misano This Weekend
The GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup is in action this weekend at Misano World Circuit for Round 3 of the 2026 season, with 44 cars entered across the Pro, Gold, Silver and Bronze Cup classes. Ricardo Feller and Bastian Buus lead the Sprint Cup standings ahead of Arthur Leclerc and Thomas Neubauer, with Maro Engel and Lucas Auer third in the championship. Friday practice saw Christopher Haase set the quickest time in the Eastalent Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3, posting a 1m32.347s lap. Race 1 runs under the floodlights on Saturday evening at 20:30, while Race 2 is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at 14:30.
Dillmann and Clarke Win IMSA Overall at CTMP as Lexus Claims GTD Pro
Tom Dillmann and Jeremy Clarke won the overall victory at the IMSA Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on July 12, driving the No. 43 Inter Europol Competition ORECA LMP2 07. The LMP2 class headlined proceedings as the GTP class took a scheduled break from the WeatherTech schedule. It was Inter Europol’s first IMSA win since the 2025 12 Hours of Sebring. In the GTD Pro class, Jack Hawksworth and Ben Barnicoat won for Vasser Sullivan Racing in the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3, leading 78 of the final 118 laps and crossing the line 1.993 seconds ahead of the AO Racing Porsche.
Cadillac Whelen Leads IMSA GTP by 245 Points Heading to Road America
The No. 31 Cadillac Whelen V-Series.R holds a commanding position in the 2026 IMSA GTP class standings, leading the Teams’ Championship by 245 points over the No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing ARX-06. The crew of Jack Aitken, Earl Bamber and Frederik Vesti secured their second GTP victory of the season with a dominant run at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen on June 28, leading 143 of 182 laps. Aitken’s individual lead in the drivers’ standings has grown to 203 points over rival Laurin Heinrich. With three GTP rounds remaining, the next full-class event is the Motul SportsCar Grand Prix at Road America on August 2.
IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Returns to Full Endurance Format in 2027
IMSA has confirmed that the VP Racing SportsCar Challenge will return to an all-endurance racing format for 2027, with a seven-event schedule featuring races ranging from 90 minutes to three hours. All competitors will be required to use third-generation homologated LMP3 cars powered by Toyota’s V35A 3.5-litre engine. The announcement follows the series’ return to the IMSA WeatherTech calendar as a co-headliner at select events. Toney Driver Development has confirmed a multi-car LMP3 programme for the 2027 championship, becoming one of the first teams to formally commit to the revised series structure.
WEC Hypercar — Drivers
1. René Rast / Robin Frijns (#20 BMW WRT) — 75 pts
2. Kamui Kobayashi / Mike Conway / Nyck de Vries (#7 Toyota) — 75 pts
3. Sheldon van der Linde (#20 BMW WRT) — 65 pts
4. Alessandro Pier Guidi / James Calado / A. Giovinazzi (#51 Ferrari) — 57 pts
After Round 4 — 6 Hours of São Paulo
WEC Hypercar — Manufacturers
1. Toyota — 132 pts
2. BMW — 127 pts
3. Ferrari — 88 pts
IMSA GTP — Drivers
1. Jack Aitken / Earl Bamber / Frederik Vesti (#31 Cadillac Whelen)
2. Laurin Heinrich / Tijmen van der Helm (#5 JDC-Miller Porsche) — −203 pts
3. Renger van der Zande / Nick Yelloly (#93 Acura MSR)
4. Felipe Nasr / Julien Andlauer (#6 Porsche Penske)
After 6 Hours of the Glen (June 28) — GTP did not race at CTMP
IMSA GTP — Teams
1. #31 Cadillac Whelen (Action Express Racing)
2. #93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing — −245 pts
3. #5 JDC-Miller MotorSports (Porsche)
4. #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport
Curated by JD · samwise.agency