Samwise Sportscar & Endurance Newsletter
Thursday, April 30, 2026
DXDT Racing Transporter Destroyed by Fire on I-5 En Route to Laguna Seca
DXDT Racing faces a critical test ahead of the Monterey SportsCar Championship after the team’s transporter was destroyed by fire on Interstate 5 north of Bakersfield, California, while en route to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The blaze consumed the vehicle carrying the team’s No. 36 Corvette Z06 GT3.R, shared by Robert Wickens and Mason Filippi. No injuries were reported. The fire leaves DXDT’s participation in the May 1–3 event in serious doubt, with limited time to source replacement equipment before the fourth round of the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship gets underway. The sportscar community rallied in support of the team following the news.
Sources: Daily Sportscar
Record 161-Car Entry for 2026 Nürburgring 24 Hours Draws Max Verstappen for GT3 Debut
The 2026 ADAC Ravenol 24 Hours Nürburgring, scheduled for May 14–17, has attracted a record 161-car entry—the largest field since 2014’s 165-car event. Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen headlines the entry in his first appearance at the race, sharing a Mercedes-AMG GT3 run under the Verstappen Racing banner with Lucas Auer, Jules Gounon and Daniel Juncadella. The field spans the full class structure from SP9 GT3 machinery down to production-based entries. Organiser ADAC described the turnout as evidence of enduring global appetite for the Green Hell’s iconic test. The race also forms part of the Intercontinental GT Challenge calendar for 2026.
Sources: Daily Sportscar
ZRS Motorsport Delivers Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo Its Maiden European Victory at GT Open Portimão
ZRS Motorsport has given the updated Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo its first European race victory, with Alex Fontana and Pietro Armanni driving the No. 911 entry to triumph at the International GT Open season opener in Portimão. The 992.2-specification machine features revised aerodynamics and refined mechanical grip over its predecessor, and completed a commanding weekend for the Swiss-based team. The result arrives early in the European GT3 season and validates the new Evo specification ahead of a packed 2026 calendar. ZRS enters the rest of the GT Open season with momentum and a manufacturer eager to demonstrate the updated car’s competitive credentials across Europe.
Sources: Daily Sportscar
McLaren Junior Meakin Becomes GT Open’s 200th Different Race Winner at Portimão
McLaren junior driver Zac Meakin claimed a landmark moment in the International GT Open opener at Portimão, becoming the 200th different race winner in the series’ history. Meakin shared the No. 33 Greystone GT McLaren 720S GT3 Evo with Dean Macdonald to take victory across the Portuguese weekend. The milestone underscores the GT Open’s competitive breadth and its track record of nurturing talent across its long history. For Meakin, a McLaren Driver Development programme member targeting a breakout 2026 campaign, the win signals rapid progression through the GT3 ranks and strengthens his position within the McLaren junior structure ahead of the remainder of the season.
Sources: Daily Sportscar
Lionspeed Confirms Buus and Feller for GT World Challenge Europe Pro Sprint Cup
Lionspeed has confirmed Bastian Buus and Ricardo Feller as its driver pairing for the 2026 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Pro class. The duo will share the No. 80 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) for the series’ sprint campaign, which opens at Brands Hatch on May 2–3. Gold-rated Buus returns to GT World Challenge Europe competition, while Silver-rated Feller joins the team after a productive recent run in the GT3 ranks. The pairing brings complementary pace and experience to the Lionspeed effort, with the opening Brands Hatch rounds providing an early benchmark for the team’s Pro-class ambitions in 2026.
Sources: Daily Sportscar
Iron Dames Enter GT2 European Series with Bovy and Van den Hengel in Porsche Cup
The Iron Dames programme is expanding into the GT2 European Series for the first time in 2026, fielding Sarah Bovy and Laura van den Hengel in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992.1 specification) in the Pro/Am class. Silver-rated Belgian Bovy brings extensive SRO experience from GT World Challenge Europe appearances, while Bronze-rated Van den Hengel steps up after winning last year’s GT Cup Open Europe Pro/Am title alongside Paul Meijer. The team plans to upgrade to a 992.2 Cup car mid-season. The 2026 GT2 European Series gets underway at Monza from May 29–31.
Sources: Daily Sportscar
GTD Championship Leaders Telitz and Pedersen Preview Laguna Seca as Season’s Form Test
Aaron Telitz and Benjamin Pedersen head into the Monterey SportsCar Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca as leaders of the IMSA WeatherTech GTD class, sharing the No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus RC F GT3.R. Telitz, speaking ahead of the May 1–3 event, highlighted the parallels between Pedersen’s transition from single-seater racing and his own development path into GT machinery. The Danish Pedersen has adapted quickly to the demanding GT3 environment, and Telitz credits his co-driver’s natural racecraft and work ethic as key factors behind their championship position heading into Round 4 of the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Ginetta Seeks Team Partner to Revive LMP3 Programme as Ligier Holds Class Monopoly
Ginetta is actively seeking a team partner to resurrect its LMP3 programme following a difficult market landscape that has left the British manufacturer with six available chassis and no active campaign. CEO Mike Simpson confirmed the search in an interview, noting that the departure of key customer DKR Engineering—which switched to a Ligier JS P320—exposed how comprehensively Ligier has come to dominate the class. Simpson acknowledged that convincing teams to back a rival platform requires the right technical and commercial alignment. Ginetta remains open to a return in 2027 but conceded that Ligier’s established supplier relationships and class monopoly make any comeback a significant challenge.
Sources: Daily Sportscar
WEC Hypercar — Drivers
1. B. Hartley / R. Hirakawa / S. Buemi — 25 pts
2. A. Pier Guidi / A. Giovinazzi / J. Calado — 19 pts
3. K. Kobayashi / M. Conway / N. de Vries — 15 pts
4. A. Félix da Costa / C. Milesi / F. Habsburg — 12 pts
5. R. Rast / R. Frijns — 10 pts
6. A. Fuoco / M. Molina / N. Nielsen — 8 pts
7. K. Magnussen / R. Marciello — 6 pts
8. E. Bamber / S. Bourdais — 4 pts
9. H. Tincknell / T. Gamble — 2 pts
10. P. Hanson / R. Kubica / Y. Ye — 1 pt
WEC Hypercar — Manufacturers
1. Toyota — 40 pts
2. Ferrari — 27 pts
3. BMW — 16 pts
4. Alpine — 13 pts
5. Cadillac — 4 pts
6. Aston Martin — 2 pts
IMSA GTP — Drivers (after Rd. 3)
1. F. Nasr / J. Andlauer — 1,061 pts
2. L. Heinrich — 1,026 pts
3. J. Aitken / F. Vesti — 1,023 pts
4. K. Estre / L. Vanthoor — 977 pts
5. R. van der Zande / N. Yelloly — 952 pts
6. S. van der Linde / D. Vanthoor — 891 pts
7. T. Blomqvist / C. Braun — 820 pts
8. L. Deletraz / J. Taylor — 808 pts
9. T. van der Helm — 789 pts
10. R. De Angelis / R. Gunn — 716 pts
IMSA GTP — Teams (after Rd. 3)
1. Porsche Penske Motorsport (#7) — 1,061 pts
2. Cadillac Whelen Racing (#31) — 1,023 pts
3. Porsche Penske Motorsport (#6) — 977 pts
4. Acura Meyer Shank Racing (#93) — 952 pts
5. BMW M Team WRT (#24) — 891 pts
6. Acura Meyer Shank Racing (#60) — 820 pts
7. Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing (#40) — 808 pts
8. JDC-Miller MotorSports (#5) — 789 pts
9. Aston Martin THOR Team (#23) — 716 pts
10. BMW M Team WRT (#25) — 714 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency