Samwise Sportscar & Endurance Newsletter
Thursday, July 9, 2026
Toyota Leads WEC Charge Into São Paulo as Cadillac, BMW, and Ferrari Bid for Interlagos Honours
The FIA World Endurance Championship arrives at Interlagos for the Rolex 6 Hours of São Paulo, Round 4 of the 2026 season, July 10–12. Toyota leads the Hypercar standings after Le Mans, with the #7 crew of Conway, Kobayashi, and de Vries ahead. Cadillac returns to the circuit where it claimed its first WEC victory in 2025, fielding Stevens and Nato in the #12 V-Series.R. BMW enters as the form challenger following its Le Mans runner-up result, while Ferrari has not finished higher than fifth at Interlagos and arrives needing a breakthrough. The six-hour race begins Sunday at 11:30 local (GMT-3).
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Lionspeed GP Wins CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa from Pit Lane as Winward Racing Leads GTWC Europe
Lionspeed GP claimed outright victory at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa with the #80 Porsche after starting from the pit lane at Spa-Francorchamps, winning GT World Challenge Europe Round 4 — which also served as the third round of the 2026 Endurance Cup. Winward Racing leads the Pro class championship following the result, while Garage 59, Team WRT, and Kessel Racing hold key class standings after the Belgian event. The #48 Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER also featured prominently at Spa. The updated Round 4 standings now set the championship landscape for the second half of the 2026 season.
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TF Sport Jumps to LMGT3 Lead and Rinaldi Controls LMP3 as ELMS Title Race Tightens After Imola
Round 3 of the 2026 European Le Mans Series at Imola reshuffled the championship across all four classes. United Autosports holds a six-point lead over Forestier Racing by Panis in LMP2, while Algarve Pro Racing and Vector Sport are tied on 43 points in LMP2 Pro/Am. Rinaldi Racing leads LMP3 with 49 points, and TF Sport jumped from fifth to first in LMGT3 with 44 points after taking victory with the #33 Corvette Z06 of Blake McDonald, Alec Udell, and Charlie Eastwood. The Series next visits Spa-Francorchamps for Round 4 on August 23.
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Paul Miller Racing BMW Seizes GTD PRO Lead as IMSA Championship Reshuffles Ahead of CTMP
Two IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship classes gained new leaders leaving the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen. Paul Miller Racing’s #1 BMW M4 GT3 EVO of Connor De Phillippi and Neil Verhagen converted an 18-point deficit into a 60-point lead in GTD PRO, jumping past Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports. In LMP2, the #04 CrowdStrike Racing ORECA of Kurtz, Quinn, and Sowery regained the class lead with a 55-point margin. In GTP, Jack Aitken extended the #31 Cadillac Whelen lead to 203 points — though the GTP class does not contest the Chevrolet Grand Prix at CTMP this weekend, resuming at Road America on July 30.
Pfaff Motorsports Targets Home Race Redemption at CTMP with Lamborghini Temerario GT3
Pfaff Motorsports heads into its home race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park with momentum after Andrea Caldarelli and Sandy Mitchell earned their first IMSA podium — second in GTD PRO — at the Detroit race. The Greater Toronto Area-based team is contesting its second year with Lamborghini, having debuted the new-for-2026 Temerario GT3 at Sebring. Caldarelli and Mitchell sit seventh in GTD PRO, within 210 points of championship leaders De Phillippi and Verhagen in the #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW. The #9 Lamborghini returns to its red and black plaid livery at CTMP. Race coverage begins at 2:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 12.
MissionH24 to Showcase H24EVO Hydrogen Technology in Fan Zone at WEC São Paulo
MissionH24, the collaboration between the Automobile Club de l’Ouest and H24Project, will display a scale model of the H24EVO hydrogen race car in the fan zone at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace during the 2026 WEC São Paulo round this weekend. The display continues the programme’s mission of promoting hydrogen technology as part of the FIA World Endurance Championship’s sustainability framework. MissionH24 has featured at multiple WEC venues in recent seasons as the series explores hydrogen’s potential role in future endurance racing. The São Paulo appearance gives Brazilian fans direct access to the hydrogen showcase alongside the Hypercar and LMGT3 competition at Interlagos on July 10–12.
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Goodyear Renews FIA Three-Star Environmental Accreditation Following LMGT3 Sustainability Progress
Goodyear has renewed its three-star rating in the FIA Environmental Accreditation Programme, securing the highest available recognition for the second time since first achieving the standard in 2024. The renewal reflects progress across tyre development, manufacturing, logistics, and trackside operations in Goodyear’s role as LMGT3 tyre supplier for the FIA World Endurance Championship. The company recently introduced its 2027-generation EAGLE racing tyres for LMGT3, built using 66 per cent sustainable materials. Goodyear Racing Vice-President Xavier Fraipont said the accreditation validates the company’s work embedding sustainability across its motorsport programme. The FIA praised the tyre supplier’s measurable, lasting progress in its environmental management systems.
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WEC Hypercar — Drivers (after Le Mans)
1. Conway / Kobayashi / de Vries (#7 Toyota) — 75 pts
2. Rast / Frijns / van der Linde (#20 BMW) — 71 pts
3. Hartley / Hirakawa / Buemi (#8 Toyota) — 56 pts
4. Pier Guidi / Giovinazzi / Calado (#51 Ferrari) — 39 pts
5. da Costa / Milesi / Habsburg (#35 Alpine) — 28 pts
6. Délétraz / Nato / Stevens (#12 Cadillac) — 26 pts
7. Magnussen / Marciello (#15 BMW) — 25 pts
8. Fuoco / Molina / Nielsen (#50 Ferrari) — 23 pts
9. Tincknell / Gamble (#007 Aston Martin) — 22 pts
10. Hanson / Kubica / Ye (#83 Ferrari) — 21 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
IMSA GTP — Drivers (after Watkins Glen)
1. Jack Aitken (#31 Cadillac Whelen) — leads by 203 pts
2. Laurin Heinrich (Porsche)
3. van der Zande / Yelloly (Acura MSR)
4. Nasr / Andlauer (Porsche Penske)
GTP does not race at CTMP — next round: Road America, July 30
IMSA GTP — Teams / Manufacturers
#31 Cadillac Whelen leads teams championship
Cadillac leads manufacturers by 80 pts over Porsche
GTD PRO: Paul Miller Racing BMW leads (+60 pts)
LMP2: CrowdStrike Racing leads (+55 pts)
Curated by JD · samwise.agency