Samwise Sportscar & Endurance Newsletter
Thursday, July 2, 2026
Aston Martin Fields Two-Driver Valkyrie Crews for São Paulo as WEC Entry List Released
The FIA World Endurance Championship has confirmed a 35-car entry for the Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo on July 12, with Heart of Racing Team’s Aston Martin Valkyrie pair adopting two-driver configurations for Round Four. Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble will share the No. 007 Valkyrie, while Alex Riberas and Marco Sørensen will drive the No. 009, reverting to the lineups previously used at Imola and Spa. The 35-car field comprises 17 Hypercars and 18 LMGT3s, with adjustments across both classes caused in part by conflicts with the concurrent IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship round at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on the same weekend.
Lynn’s Neck Recovery Continues as Cadillac Fields Two-Driver Crew for Interlagos Defense
Will Stevens and Norman Nato will defend Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA’s Interlagos title as a two-driver pairing in the No. 12 V-Series.R after Alex Lynn confirmed he remains sidelined following neck and shoulder surgery to address a problem he had been managing since the end of 2024. Lynn has been absent for the entire 2026 FIA WEC season. Stevens and Nato won at Interlagos in 2025 alongside Lynn, delivering Cadillac’s maiden FIA WEC victory. Despite front-running pace throughout 2026, Cadillac is still searching for its first podium of the current campaign, the No. 12 crew having finished fourth at Le Mans.
Sources: Sportscar365 Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Varrone Steps Into Le Mans-Winning TF Sport Corvette as Catsburg Misses São Paulo
Argentinian driver Nico Varrone will join TF Sport’s No. 33 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R for the Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo after Nicky Catsburg was ruled out by a clash with his IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship commitments. Varrone will share the car with full-season drivers Jonny Edgar and Ben Keating aboard the same Corvette that claimed the LMGT3 class victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Varrone has a long association with Keating and the Corvette brand, having won the LMGTE Am World Endurance title with Keating in 2023, and retains Corvette factory driver status alongside his 2026 Formula 2 campaign with Van Amersfoort Racing.
Sources: Pit Debrief Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Toyota Leads WEC Championship into São Paulo Following Back-to-Back Victories
Toyota Gazoo Racing heads to the Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo as FIA World Endurance Championship leader after Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway, and Nyck de Vries won at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, adding to the team’s season-opening victory at Imola. Toyota has won two of the five previous WEC races held at Interlagos, more than any other manufacturer. BMW M Team WRT and Ferrari remain firmly in contention, with BMW’s René Rast and Robin Frijns only four championship points behind the leading Toyota crew after finishing second at Le Mans. Cadillac, winner at Interlagos in 2025, returns seeking its first podium of the 2026 campaign.
Sources: Pit Debrief Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
LMP2 Takes Headline Class Honours as IMSA Files 33-Car Entry for Canadian Tire Motorsport Park
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship has filed a 33-car entry for the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on July 12, with the LMP2 class taking on headline status due to the absence of GTP cars, whose drivers are committed to the concurrent WEC 6 Hours of São Paulo. Ten LMP2 entries will contest overall honours, joined by 10 GTD PRO and 13 GTD cars in what marks LMP2’s first sprint event of the 2026 season. Five Canadian drivers feature in the LMP2 field, including Phil Fayer, John Farano, Tobi Lutke, and Chris Cumming, providing a strong national presence for the event at Mosport.
Sources: Daily Sportscar Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
GTP Regular Ricky Taylor Joins Bryan Herta Autosport LMP2 Entry for Mosport Sprint
Ricky Taylor, a regular in Wayne Taylor Racing’s Cadillac in the GTP class, has joined Bryan Herta Autosport with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports for the Chevrolet Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, substituting for Harry Tincknell in the No. 52 Oreca 07 Gibson. Tincknell is absent due to his concurrent FIA WEC commitments at São Paulo. The only other driver change in LMP2 resulting from the WEC clash sees Ben Hanley replace Paul di Resta in the No. 22 United Autosports Oreca, with the concurrent São Paulo and Mosport events on July 12 creating lineup adjustments across half of the LMP2 entries.
Car Blanche Steps Up to GTD PRO at Mosport One Race After IMSA Debut at Watkins Glen
Car Blanche, the new IMSA team launched by YRB Racing following its acquisition of van der Steur Racing, will compete in the GTD PRO class at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park just one race after its series debut at Watkins Glen International. Valentin Hasse Clot and Scott Andrews will share the renumbered No. 68 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo in the higher class, having finished third in GTD on debut at the Glen. The team ran under a blank white livery at Watkins Glen to mark a fresh start under new ownership, with the immediate class promotion underscoring its ambitions for the 2026 IMSA campaign.
GT3 Revival Series Opens at Le Mans Classic Legend with 41-Car Grid Celebrating Racing History
The inaugural season of the GT3 Revival Series begins at Le Mans Classic Legend from July 3 to 5, with a 41-car field of GT3 machinery built between 2006 and 2013 racing on the full Le Mans circuit. Developed jointly by Peter Auto and SRO Motorsports Group to mark the 20th anniversary of GT3 racing, the series divides its grid into Generation I cars from 2006 to 2009 and Generation II machines from 2010 to 2013. Among the high-profile entrants are IMSA president John Doonan and SRO founder Stéphane Ratel, who will race a Barwell Motorsport-run Aston Martin DBRS9 alongside Robert Hissom in the Gen I Am class.
Sources: Daily Sportscar Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
WEC Hypercar — Drivers
1. Kobayashi / Conway / de Vries — 75 pts
2. Rast / Frijns — 71 pts
3. van der Linde — 61 pts
4. Hartley / Hirakawa / Buemi — 56 pts
5. Ferrari #51 crew — 5th
WEC Hypercar — Manufacturers
1. Toyota — leads
2. BMW — close behind
3. Ferrari — in contention
After Round 3 — 24 Hours of Le Mans
IMSA GTP — Drivers
1. Aitken — 2,145 pts
2. Heinrich — 1,942 pts
3. Andlauer / Nasr — see imsa.com
IMSA GTP — Manufacturers
1. Cadillac — 1,797 pts
2. Porsche — 1,772 pts
3. Acura — 1,676 pts
After Round 6 — Watkins Glen
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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