April 8, 2025 | GT Winter Series
Estoril and Portimão: Tricky conditions and new challengers in Portugal
The season began at the famed Circuito Estoril, and for the second year in a row, it was GT3 Poland that immediately came to the fore. As was the case in 2024, it was a Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo Evo II from the Polish team that secured the race victory, this time with Seweryn Mazur at the helm.
This set the tone for a weekend that defied expectations.
Sunday morning’s second sprint race was held in wet conditions, and Cristiano Maciel rose to the occasion in his Cup 1-entered Ferrari 296 Challenge. From seventh on the grid, the Portuguese racer won his second-ever motor race in commanding fashion, astonishing everyone in the paddock and drawing a lot of attention. Some were even unsure if Maciel was at the wheel, suspecting that his experienced co-driver Rui Aguas was in the car; however, Aguas was watching on in the garage, albeit equally stunned by the performance of his driver.
The sweep of Cup class cars taking overall victories at Estoril was completed by Andreas Bogh Sorensen in the pitstop race. The Cup 1 racer claimed the top step of the podium with his Ferrari 296 Challenge, even though he suffered an accident in the race. In an almost ark-level deluge, Sorensen was one of several drivers to lose control just before the red flag; he was still classified as the winner on countback, ahead of Maciel and Aguas, who solidified their status as potential title contenders.
One advantage that the Portuguese AF Corse duo in the overall championship standings was the popularity of the Cup 1 class. Points in the GT Winter Series are scored within the entrant’s class, and those competing against greater levels of competition would receive more points for their successes.
Another GT racing debutant made waves at the second round in Portimão. Keanu Al Azhari made his first appearance in GT3 machinery, in a Porsche 992 GT3 R entered by SSR Performance.
In the first race, Al Azhari started from sixth on the grid after his fastest times were deleted in qualifying thanks to track limits violations. In the early stages of the race, Al Azhari dropped to eighth, but quickly moved up the field.
Ultimately, after a battle with the SR Motorsport Mercedes of Moritz Wiskirchen, Al Azhari won at his first attempt.
In race two, Al Azhari started from pole position, alongside the similar Razoon – more than racing Porsche 992 GT3 R of Simon Birch. The pair duelled throughout the race, but Birch never found a way past his adversary, as Al Azhari took a second victory. The SSR team did not start the pitstop race, leaving the floor open for another winner.
In wet conditions, the Cup 1 Ferrari 296 Challenge cars were the in-form vehicles. John Dhillon and Matt Griffin secured the race victory, in a close-fought end to the race. AF Corse’s Cup 1 entries took a full sweep of the overall podium, with racing debutant Rafael Duran and Sean Hudspeth in second, and Andreas Bogh Sorensen and Mikkel Mac in third.
Valencia and Aragon: The Spanish leg begins
A deluxe grid and a large crowd joined the GT Winter Series for the third round of the season.
New entries from teams such as Liqui Moly Team Engstler, Comtoyou Racing, Konrad Motorsport and Schubert Motorsport enriched the GT3 field, while no fewer than 15 Ferrari 296 Challenge cars entered the Cup 1 category.
For the defending GT Winter Series champions SR Motorsport and Kenneth Heyer, the season thus far had been consistent. As such, Heyer and Moritz Wiskirchen led the GT3 standings, and sat second in the overall points. However, Valencia was a troubled weekend for the Schnitzelalm-backed team.
In the first race, the team’s Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo suffered a right-front brake disc failure with Heyer at the wheel, and failed to reach the 75 per cent race distance required to score points. Schubert Motorsport’s Sandro and Juliano Holzem won the race overall, in the Invitational class BMW M4 GT3 Evo.
The second race of the weekend was even more of an ordeal for SR Motorsport. Comtoyou Racing’s #700 Aston Martin, driven by Rafael Suzuki. At the first corner, Suzuki and Wiskirchen collided, damaging both cars terminally. Suzuki was stranded on the racing line at the corner exit, and was collected by other cars including Joachim Bölting’s Porsche 992 GT3 Cup, and the AF Corse Ferrari of Rafael Duran.
After a lengthy Safety Car, the race resumed with pole-sitter Luca Engstler leading the way. The Liqui Moly Team Engstler Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo II stayed at the front of the order throughout the race. Engstler crossed the line as the race winner, in his return from racing after injuries sustained at Macau in November.
Engstler, along with teammate Jonas Karklys, also secured victory in the third race of the weekend, marking a successful start to the Spanish leg of the season for Team Engstler. AF Corse’s Cristiano Maciel and Rui Aguas performed well against stern competition, and held a 20-point advantage headed to the next round at Aragon.
The fourth round at Motorland Aragon featured a larger and more competitive than its inaugural appearance in the GT Winter Series in 2024.
The first race of the weekend marked the first overall victory of the season for SR Motorsport’s Moritz Wiskirchen. Meanwhile, the second race victory fell to Simon Birch of Razoon – more than racing. It was a dominant display from the young Dane, who had helped the team score victory at the 6H of Portimão since the team’s prior appearance in GT Winter Series.
The final race of the weekend was held in mixed conditions, and while many teams switched to wet tyres, Marcus Clutton remained on slicks. Remarkably, Clutton’s pace was comparable to those on treaded Pirellis, while the rest of the dry-shod drivers struggled. He scored victory for himself and Simon Orange, on Orange Racing by JMH’s first appearance in the GEDLICH paddock.
Barcelona: A high-note to end the 2025 season
With over 25 cars present, the season finale at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was another high-point of the 2025 GT Winter Series. Cristiano Maciel and Rui Aguas came into the final round with an advantage of just eight points, but their closest competition – Alessio Ruffini and Milos Pavlovic – was part of a Cup 4 class with just three cars entered. This meant fewer points were available for the Auto Sport Racing duo, and left them in a position where it was more likely to see the team fall back behind the likes of the SR Motorsport team and Wileco Motorsport’s Calle Bergman and Manz Thalin in Cup 2.
The first race of the weekend was controlled by Comtoyou Racing’s Kobe Pauwels, who secured the team’s first GT Winter Series victory. In second position, SR Motorsport’s Moritz Wiskirchen did exactly what he needed to do, securing 18 points. However, AF Corse’s Maciel and Aguas claimed second in Cup 1 for 18 points, and Alessio Ruffini finished second in Cup 4 for 12 points. Therefore, the points advantage for AF Corse and the Portuguese pair grew.
The second race was another showcase for Simon Birch of Razoon – more than racing, who held off Luca Engstler for the race victory. This continued into the final race of the season, which Birch and teammate Leo Pichler won by a stunning 22 seconds.
With fourth and second-place finishes on Sunday, Maciel and Aguas did enough to comfortably win the overall title. A spin at the start of race three for Kenneth Heyer helped make the path to the title easier for the AF Corse pair, but Heyer and Wiskirchen’s SR Motorsport still came second in the standings, winning the GT3 championship.
Third overall fell to the Cup 2 pairing of Calle Bergman and Manz Thalin, ahead of the Cup 4 champions Alessio Ruffini and Milos Pavlovic.
The 2025 GT Winter Series was the most exciting to date, with the highest average grid numbers since GT4 cars were split into their own category. The quality and international nature of the paddock continues to grow, and the GT Winter Series will thrill once again in 2026. The finalised 2026 calendar will be available too, as the GT Winter Series once again strives to provide the best experience for teams, drivers and fans alike.
