Samwise Sportscar & Endurance
July 8, 2026
WEC São Paulo Preview
Interlagos Braced for Post-Le Mans Championship Showdown
The 2026 WEC field descends on São Paulo for Round 4 this weekend, with Toyota leading the championship following their sixth Le Mans victory. Mike Conway reaches a milestone at Interlagos — becoming only the third driver to achieve 90 FIA WEC starts, alongside Sébastien Buemi and Richard Lietz. Cadillac, victors here in 2025, seeks its first podium of the 2026 campaign despite strong pace across all three rounds so far. BMW arrives buoyed by its Spa-Francorchamps breakthrough win and Le Mans runner-up spot, while Ferrari aims to reverse a four-race podium drought. Thirty-five cars — 17 Hypercars, 18 LMGT3 — contest the Rolex 6 Hours from 10–12 July.
Source: Pit Debrief ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
FIA Preview: History and Milestones Await at Interlagos as WEC Flies to Brazil
The FIA has published its official Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo preview, highlighting the circuit’s unique challenges. Interlagos’ 4.309km anti-clockwise layout — the shortest WEC venue of the season — sees Hypercars reach 305km/h with half the lap at full throttle. Racing at nearly 800 metres altitude adds mechanical stress. Mike Conway will become only the third driver to reach 90 FIA WEC starts this weekend, joining Buemi and Richard Lietz. The last four São Paulo races have each been won by a different manufacturer; no circuit has ever produced five consecutive different winners. Toyota, Cadillac, BMW, and Ferrari all arrive with varying championship motivations for Sunday’s race.
FIAWEC: Qualifying Key at Interlagos as Lexus Defends LMGT3 Title
The official FIAWEC preview ahead of the Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo reveals a statistical quirk that makes Saturday’s qualifying unusually important: no race at Interlagos has ever been won from beyond the front row, and no class victory has come from lower than fifth on the grid. Defending LMGT3 champions Akkodis ASP Team’s Lexus RC F — winner of the first-ever LMGT3 race at Interlagos in 2025 — return having rebuilt confidence with a Le Mans runner-up finish. Aston Martin leads LMGT3 historical record-holders at the circuit with eight podiums, while Porsche’s 911 GT3 R has not won outside Europe since its 2024 São Paulo success.
Race Reports
Forestier Racing by Panis Champions at ELMS Imola as Teen Claims LMP3 Crown
Forestier Racing by Panis delivered a near-flawless performance at the 4 Hours of Imola, the #29 LMP2 of Louis Rousset, Oliver Gray, and Esteban Masson winning overall by close to a minute. Vector Sport claimed their first ELMS class win in LMP2 Pro/Am. The biggest story came in LMP3 where 18-year-old CLX Motorsport debutant Louis Iglesias converted his debut pole position into victory in his first ELMS start — a remarkable achievement for the teenager. LMGT3 honours went to TF Sport’s Corvette Z06 crew of McDonald, Udell, and Eastwood. The result reinforces Forestier’s championship credentials as the European Le Mans Series heads to its next round.
GetSpeed JR286 Triumphs in Inaugural Michelin 12H Nürburgring
The 24H Series European Series delivered its most prestigious German event yet as GetSpeed Team JR286’s Mercedes-AMG of Harvey, Liddy, Hirshberg, and Jans won the inaugural Michelin 12 Hours of Nürburgring by a full lap from the Up2Race Porsche in second and Viper Niza Racing’s Mercedes-AMG in third. Proton Competition won the PRO-AM class, while Red Camel-Jordans.nl took honours in the Porsche 992 category. The result marks a landmark for the 24H Series European calendar, which will now look ahead to its season finale at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on 18–20 September for the conclusion of the 2026 championship.
Source: Pit Debrief ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Emson and Lebbon Keep GT Open Points Lead at Hungaroring Despite Race 1 Setback
Josh Emson and James Lebbon maintained their International GT Open championship lead at the Hungaroring despite a Race 1 DNF, their Elite Motorsport Ferrari recovering to take Race 2 victory for an 87-point total. ZRS Motorsport’s Armanni and Fontana won Race 1 in the #911 Porsche, while second-placed overall duo Mansell and Götz (Motopark Mercedes, 74 points) and Greystone GT (71 points) remain within striking distance. Race 2 ended under red flags, making the Emson/Lebbon victory all the more valuable for consolidating the lead. The championship continues to simmer heading into the second half of the season.
Source: Pit Debrief ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
GT World Challenge Asia
Absolute Racing Arrives at Fuji With 25-Car Field for GTWC Asia Season Climax
GT World Challenge Asia heads to Fuji’s iconic circuit for Rounds 5 and 6 this weekend, with Absolute Racing’s Porsche-mounted duo of Huang and Ghiretti defending a 20-point championship lead. Porsche has won three of the last four GTWC Asia races at Fuji, giving the title leaders track-specific momentum. Anthony Liu and Matthieu Boccolacci sit second in the standings, 20 points back, while the Audi pairing are a further 13 points adrift in third. A season-high entry of 25 cars makes this the biggest field of 2026, with Japan Cup honours also on the card alongside the main championship battle.
Source: Pit Debrief ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Paddock Notes
Goodyear Renews FIA Three-Star Environmental Rating Ahead of WEC São Paulo Round
Goodyear has secured its renewed FIA three-star environmental accreditation, announced ahead of the Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo. The renewal builds on the rating the tyre manufacturer first achieved in 2024 as WEC’s LMGT3 tyre supplier. A central element of the renewed accreditation is the forthcoming 2027 EAGLE competition tyre, which will incorporate 66 per cent sustainable materials — a significant step towards Goodyear’s long-term sustainability targets. WEC LMGT3 Tyre Development Vice President Xavier Fraipont highlighted the achievement alongside FIA’s Nawarecki and ACO President Pierre Fillon, underscoring the growing focus on environmental responsibility across the world endurance racing landscape.
Source: Pit Debrief ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
WEC Hypercar Standings — After Le Mans
Drivers Championship
| 1 | Kobayashi / Conway / de Vries | Toyota | 75 |
| 2 | Rast / Frijns / van der Linde | BMW | 71 |
| 3 | Hartley / Hirakawa / Buemi | Toyota | 56 |
| 4 | Pier Guidi / Giovinazzi / Calado | Ferrari | 39 |
| 5 | da Costa / Milesi / Habsburg | — | 28 |
| 6 | Delétraz / Nato / Stevens | Cadillac | 26 |
| 7 | Magnussen / Marciello | — | 25 |
| 8 | Fuoco / Molina / Nielsen | Ferrari | 23 |
| 9 | Tincknell / Gamble | Aston Martin | 22 |
Manufacturers
| 1 | Toyota | Leading (+36 pts) | |
| 2 | BMW | ||
| 3 | Ferrari |
IMSA GTP Standings — Current
Drivers Championship
| 1 | Aitken | Cadillac | 1,760 |
| 2 | Heinrich | — | 1,616 |
| 3 | Andlauer / Nasr | — | 1,606 |
Manufacturers
| 1 | Cadillac | 1,797 | |
| 2 | Porsche | 1,772 | |
| 3 | Acura | 1,676 |