The GT Winter Series enters the race weekend in Jerez with a record field of entrants – no fewer than 47 GT cars have been entered for the third race weekend in Spain and will compete in spring-like weather conditions.

They are all chasing Dustin Blattner. After the two GT Winter Series race weekends in Portugal, the Manthey Racing driver travels to Jerez as the leader of the standings. The Porsche driver has scored 54.31 points so far. In second championship position is CV Performance driver Simon Connor Primm from the GT4 class. After a difficult race weekend in Estoril, the youngster is 11.8 points behind Blattner. Huber Racing driver Johannes Kapfinger completes the top 3 in the overall standings ahead of the third weekend.
At the race weekend in Jerez, Blattner, who competes under a US licence, can take another big step in the title fight.

Last year, the winding track in southern Spain already delivered exciting races in the GT Winter Series. At the penultimate race weekend of the 2021/2022 season, Michael Joos took his first overall victory in the GT Winter Series, and in the current season the Joos Sportwagentechnik team boss has already scored two more triumphs.

In Jerez, the GT Winter Series will once again feature an exciting line-up of drivers consisting of hungry young drivers, gentleman drivers and professional drivers who will be on duty as coaches. This colourful mix creates the special and relaxed atmosphere in the GT Winter Series, which is very much appreciated by the participants.

Exciting GT3 grid in Jerez

A total of ten GT3 cars will be on the grid in Jerez. Particularly exciting is the GT3 comeback of Liqui Moly Team Engstler, which will field an Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II. Audi Sport customer racing driver Luca Engstler will pilot the car. But Engstler will face top-class competition, with Mercedes ace Kenneth Heyer and DTM Trophy race winner Colin Caresani among the starters in Schnitzelalm Racing’s AMG GT3. Michael Joos and Klaus Horn will start in the Porsche 911 GT3 R from Joos Sportwagentechnik. The two drivers have good memories of the track in the south of Spain after their victory last year and they want to repeat their top results. Last year, Uwe Lauer and Francesco Lopez narrowly missed out on victory in the Endurance race in the Ferrari 488 GT3 from Die Biermacher Racing, with the Ferrari duo missing out on triumph by just over three seconds. With correspondingly good memories, the beer entrepreneur travels to Andalusia with his driver coach.

Porsche 911 GT3 Cup promises spectacular motorsport

The class of the current Cup Porsches provided for highly exciting motorsport in the six rounds so far. On the GP circuit in Jerez, southern Spain, no less than eleven vehicles will be on the grid in this class and will ensure excitement. For example, championship leader Dustin Blattner will start in the “Porsche Racing Experience” car entered by Manthey Racing. In addition to Blattner, the traditional team from Meuspath is fielding two other cars for Tareq Mansour and Fuad Sawaya. Also competing in the Carrera Cup class is youngster Johannes Kapfinger. The young driver, who competes for the successful Huber Racing team, is in third position in the overall standings. In the six rounds of the season so far, Kapfinger has continued to improve and it is to be expected that he will be able to put Blattner under even more pressure. Excitement in the Cup 2 class is therefore guaranteed ahead of the GT Winter Series’ guest appearance in Jerez!
And the other teams are also bringing exciting and top-class drivers to the grid in the class. For example, Matteo Ferrer, who became champion in the FIA Masters Historic Formula One in 2019, will start for Phoenix Racing from Meuspath. And PTT Racing will also be worth watching out for: at the season opener in Portimao, the two Poles Igor Klaja and his coach Mateusz Lisowski won the Endurance race. A result that the two drivers would like to build on in Jerez!

Top-class GT4 grid in Jerez

The GT4 grid for the GT Winter Series in Jerez reads like a Who’s Who of German GT4 racing teams. With the CV Performance Group, BWT Mücke Motorsport, PROsport Racing and Schnitzelalm Racing, some of the most successful GT4 teams of recent years will start in the class. While CV Performance Group is fielding one Mercedes-AMG GT4, Schnitzelalm Racing is bringing two AMG cars to the start. Two Mercedes will also be entered by Peter Mücke’s team, which will also be using the predecessor model of the Aston Martin Vantage GT4. Chris Esser’s ADAC GT4 Germany championship team is fielding several current Vantage GT4s. Gabriela Jilkova, who became GT Winter Series champion in 2021, will also form an all-women duo with Celia Martin at PROsport Racing. Reigning German GT4 champion Mike David Ortmann will also start for the experienced Aston Martin team from Meuspath.
Auto Lounge Racing from Sweden, which will enter two Audi cars, and the Bulgarian Porsche team Overdrive Racing complete the category, which is strong in terms of quality and quantity with twelve cars and thus gives rise to anticipation for the upcoming races.

Other Cup Classes promise exciting Motorsport

The other Cup classes also promise exciting motorsport in Jerez. In addition to the GT3 Audi, the Liqui Moly Team Engstler will also field a Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo. None other than team owner and touring car legend Franz Engstler will be driving the Italian one-make cup racer. The JvO team of former DTM driver Jörg van Ommen will field three Ferraris in the Cup 1 class. The line-up of Ferrari 488 Challenge cars will be completed by Rossocorsa.

The Cup 3 class is for Porsche Cayman. Last year, the Caymans delivered thrilling and tough duels and multi-discipline battles on the circuit in Andalusia, which made the spectators in the well-filled grandstand jump up! Four Cayman will start in the class in Jerez. MS Racing will be competing with the two GT Winter Series perennials Andreas Greiling and Jens Richter. KKrämer Racing will also enter a Cayman. Karsten Krämer’s team was involved in last year’s tough and spectacular battles, which were, however, fought fairly at all times. Other cars will come from the Swedish WILECO team and the debutants from the 78Racing team. The Austrian team will also start with two Lamborghini in the Cup X category. All the conditions are thus in place for the exciting Cayman battles to be repeated this year.

Challenging course

The Jerez de la Fontera circuit hosted seven Formula 1 races between 1986 and 1997. In a memorable season finale in 1997, Michael Schumacher lost the title here and after ramming into his rival Jacques Villeneuve, the German was stripped of all his points for the season!
The track also became famous for the motorbike world championship. The MotoGP races on the circuit, which opened in 1985, have meanwhile acquired cult status.
The circuit is characterised above all by its large number of bends. The 4.428-kilometre race track is peppered with 13 bends, many of which are named after famous motorbike riders. The longest straight is just 600 metres long. This makes it all the more important for the pilots and teams that the vehicles are positioned correctly in the bends and do not lose any time there.

Already last year, numerous fans visited the GT Winter Series event in Jerez. In sunny weather, they enjoyed the spectacular races on the GP circuit. This year, too, perfect motorsport weather beckons, with up to 21 degrees and sunshine forecast for the two days of the event. This, combined with the largest grid in the history of the race series, is sure to attract many motorsport enthusiasts to the venue once again, especially as interested fans do not have to pay admission.

Three races in Jerez

“The rounds in Jerez are always special for us,” says GTWS Project Manager Robin Selbach. “Last year we experienced hard-fought and exciting races, which were nevertheless conducted fairly at every moment – this is what distinguishes the GT Winter Series! This year we are completely booked out with 47 entries. We are sure that we will again experience three races that we will be talking about for a long time.”

The debut of the Formula Winter Series, GEDLICH Racing’s newly founded racing series, which will be staging its first race weekend, will provide particular excitement in Jerez. International young talents and top-class teams promise exciting sport. More information about the formula racing series can be found on its website.

As usual, the GT Winter Series will complete three championship rounds on race Sunday. At 11:05 and at 14:00, the two sprint heats over 25 minutes will be recorded. At 16:55, the grand finale of the race event will start, the one-hour Endurance race, where the teams will have the opportunity to change drivers. Race day will open in the morning with a two-part qualifying session. On Saturday, the teams and drivers will have the opportunity to get to know the circuit in Jerez perfectly during extensive test drives.

The GT4 class of the GT Winter Series gets top-class newcomers. BWT Mücke Motorsport will enter three cars in Jerez.

Mücke Motorsport from Berlin is one of the well-known teams in German motorsport. The team, founded by Peter Mücke, has won championship titles in the Formula BMW ADAC and in the ADAC Formula Masters, as well as countless race victories in other racing series, such as Formula 3. In addition, the team has participated in the DTM since 2005. In Jerez, the team will celebrate its debut in the GT Winter Series, in which the team will enter three GT4 cars.

The team will be fielding two Mercedes-AMG GT4s in the GT4 category and is relying entirely on up-and-coming drivers. Czech Josef Knopp will share a car with DTM Trophy race winner Rodrigo Almeida from Mozambique. The team’s second AMG GT4 will be driven by 15-year-old Norwegian Emil Gjerdrum. It is not yet clear with whom the Scandinavian, who is moving up from the Touring Car Junior Cup into GT racing, will share the car.

Aston Martin Vantage GT4

The team from Berlin will also be fielding an Aston Martin Vantage GT4. Thilo Goos will drive the British sports coupé at the race in Jerez. Mücke Motorsport thus proves that the GT Winter Series is the perfect scope for up-and-coming drivers and gentleman drivers.

“We think that the GT Winter Series is a perfect platform for our up-and-coming drivers to gain important racing experience and for them to prepare themselves so well for the steps ahead,” says team boss Peter Mücke ahead of the GT Winter Series debut in Jerez.

At the GT Winter Series race weekend in Jerez, Liqui Moly Team Engstler celebrates its comeback in GT3 racing – Audi Sport customer racing driver Luca Engstler pilots the Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II.

After winning four championships in a row in the ADAC TCR Germany, Liqui Moly Team Engstler is returning to GT3 racing. The last time the racing team competed in the category was in 2013. In 2011, the Allgäu-based team won the championship title in the ADAC GT Masters with its popular Alpina B6 GT3. In 2023, the team will rely on the Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II, which the team will field for the first time at the GT Winter Series in Jerez.

Luca Engstler, the son of team owner and touring car legend Franz Engstler, will take the steering wheel of the Audi. The 22-year-old has already been active as an official Audi Sport customer racing driver since 2022 and has competed in the International German GT Championship, among others. The team also fields a Ferrari 488 Challenge in the Cup 1 class, driven by Franz Engstler himself.

Professional support

The team from Wiggensbach receives professional support. The project manager of the GT3 programme will be 1996 ITC champion Manuel Reuter. The 61-year-old was last active in a similar capacity at the Grasser Racing Team last year, after accompanying Rutronik Racing to the title in the ADAC GT Masters in 2019. Liqui Moly is also continuing its cooperation with the racing team, which has existed for over 20 years.

“After enjoyable and very successful years in touring car racing, I’m looking forward to starting the new challenge with one of the best manufacturers in GT3 racing. Audi has shown with its successes in the past what a strong car they have developed. Now it’s up to us to understand it quickly and drive it successfully,” explains team owner Franz Engstler.

PROsport Racing will enter up to five cars in the remaining four race weekends of the GT Winter Series.

In its planning for the 2023 racing year, PROsport Racing is shifting up a gear and will contest the remaining four race weekends of the GT Winter Series. In the race series organised by GEDLICH Racing, the team from Wiesemscheidt will field four vehicles – and even five cars at the penultimate race weekend on the northern Spanish circuit in Navarra.

The familiar GT3 and GT4 versions of the Aston Martin Vantage will be used, as well as the near-production Porsche Cayman familiar from the Nürburgring Endurance Series, which will be used as a “driving school car” for youngsters.

Driver mix

A colourful mix of drivers will take their seats in the cockpits. Some of the drivers on the grid will be very young, who will be getting their racing licence with PROsport Racing in the GT Winter Series. In addition, some drivers will prepare for their upcoming GT4 programmes with the team from Wiesemscheid in Spain with PROsport Racing. Finally, most of the drivers competing with PROsport Racing in the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie will compete in the GT Winter Series in preparation for the season. PROsport Racing will announce the complete driver line-up on the social media platforms shortly before the race weekends.

“We still want to battle for the championship despite missing out on the races”, says team boss Chris Esser, looking forward to the racing programme at the four Spanish circuits in Jerez, Valencia, Navarra and Barcelona, where PROsport Racing will face top-class competition.

The GT Winter Series entered its second round of the season on 14-15 January 2023 in Estoril. The legendary ex-Formula 1 circuit near Lisbon had a lot of action in store and provided one or two surprises. With 44 entries, the field was not only large, but also high-class, with established racing greats such as Kenneth Heyer and Marcel Marchewicz making an appearance. A capricious weather, at least at the beginning, added salt to the soup of the contested championship.

Qualy from wet to clammy

The Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Estoril was literally pounding the night before the 2023 GTWS opener, with waves up to 7m high and plenty of rain along the coast. So the morning qualifying session was to take place wet, but looking increasingly friendly as the clouds visibly cleared. So the secret of the fast times seemed to lie in the right timing, as the Portuguese sun slowly ate up the drops.

At the front, Krystian Korzeniowski in the Olimp Audi R8 GT3 immediately set a time that no one else could match – pole for race 1. In GT4, an old acquaintance – the AMG GT4 from CV Performance with Simon Primm – was back at the front. In Qualy two, however, he had to prove himself inferior to Daniel Schwerfeld, who in the Lemmerz-Audi GT4 left no doubt about his rain class.

Also worthy of mention is the Andreas Greiling / Jens Richter combo, who put their MS Racing-prepared 718 Cayman GT4 on class pole. The Porsche Sports Cup Switzerland champion seems to know how to turn the steering wheel nimbly even in the rain.

An impressive scent mark was set by Dustin Blattner, who in his Manthey Porsche 992 Cup roughed up the class of thoroughbred GT3s struggling for grip on the still damp tarmac. Blattner knew how to make the most of his tyres and easily distanced all his “classmates” in the Cup Porsche category, which was packed with 13 cars. In the end, he was only about a quarter of a second slower than the pole setter in the overall standings.

What Korzeniowski did in Q1, Marcel Marchewicz did in Q2, as he drove a solid but blazingly fast 1:48.834 and thus never threatened to take pole for the afternoon race with his Schnitzelalm-AMG GT3.

Sprint 1 shorter than expected

After the track gradually became drier in the course of the morning, all the drivers had decided to start on slicks. However, as the track still showed changing conditions, the experienced race director Werner Aichinger decided to increase the number of introductory laps to two so that the drivers could familiarise themselves with the conditions. This sightseeing didn’t seem to work for everyone, as CV’s AMG GT4 caught Jens Richter’s Cayman on lap 1 and spun it into the Cup Porsche of Leandro Martins (LMR Racar Motorsport), which was driving next to it.  The race was barely reopened after two laps of clean-up when the Ligier JS2R of Julien Lemoine rolled out and caused the next safety car phase. This was quickly lifted, but the drivers were now under pressure to decide about victory or defeat within only 4 remaining laps. Kenneth Heyer and Michael Joos in particular had a thrilling duel at the start, which Heyer won at first, but had to give up the position to Michael Joos and his Porsche GT3-R again. Both, however, lost out to the overall winner Krystian Korzeniowski, who had his Olimp Racing Audi R8 GT3 just as well under control as the race lead and the resulting victory.

In GT4, Schnitzelalm celebrated two successes at once, namely 1st place (Hartling/Walsdorf) and 2nd place (Hahne/Mesch). Lemmerz, as a racing rookie, came third with his Audi R8 GT4.

In the Cup 1 class, which was exclusively occupied by Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo, Thomas Fleming won ahead of James Owen and the teammate of racing ace Dominik Schwager, Mutlu Tasev.

Sprint 2 with real performers and an absurd interlude

The number two seemed to be a permanent fixture in safety car operations this weekend. At least the safety car was deployed twice in the second sprint, but this time only for a good lap each, so that it did not detract from the exciting racing action.

Strangely, the start-finish winner Marchewicz often saw a rear-view mirror full of Blattner in his Schnitzelalm-AMG GT3. The USA Yankee on the Manthey Cup 992 was dazzling and followed Marchewicz like a shadow before the GT3 gradually pulled away. Behind Blattner, the Carrera Cup-experienced Sebastian Glaser kept up valiantly and secured Cup position 2 ahead of another Mathey driver, Tareq Mansour. Incidentally, the Manthey drivers had several duels with the two Huber Racing drivers (Michael and Johannes Kapfinger) that were well worth seeing, and they did so without exchanging any paint. Chapeau!

Meanwhile, Thomas Fleming in his FF Corse Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo made his way to third place overall with surgical precision – great! Unfortunately, he lost out on the fruits of his labour, albeit by the skin of his teeth, as he overtook under safety car conditions and was given a 25-second penalty for it. It was only a matter of a few centimetres, but the rule is the rule. However, he had built up such a superior lead that he was still able to celebrate the class victory.

The most absurd performance of the day was undoubtedly delivered by Andreas Greiling. Loosely leading his class, he gave away the victory because he thought the race was over after crossing the start/finish line, but this was not to be the case until one lap later. By the time his pit crew radioed him about this, one or the other car had already passed him. He can count himself lucky that he still managed to finish second in the Cayman GT4 class.

Endurance with many battles

The starting grid for the 60-minute Endurance is determined by the addition of the two sprint results. Therefore, it was not the Schnitzelalm-AMG that was at the front, but Blattner on the Manthey-Porsche. Not surprisingly, he could only hold the lead for a short time, Marchewicz passed and took off, Joos chased after him, albeit with a respectable distance, but had to pit with a puncture. Once again Thomas Fleming showed his class. Efficient in his driving style, fast as an arrow in his lap time, he blithely drives to P3 in the overall standings and holds it until the finish.

Endurance also seemed to suit ANS Motorsport very well. Team boss Nicholas Schatz looked very pleased with his pilot Jonathan Bossard, who drove consistently – and consistently fast. The lone driver stormed to a great P2 overall before spinning around while overtaking colleague Wira, bending the car in the process and Dustin Blattner in the Manthey Porsche inherited second overall. Bossard dropped out.

Speaking of alone – Piotr Wira looked particularly concentrated and quite obviously in top shape on the long haul, but could not reap the fruits of his flawless drive as he dropped out due to the tussle with Bossard. The same fate befell the Olimp Audi with Jedlinski at the wheel, it spun with the assistance of a competitor.

The field was mixed up unnaturally by the fact that no less than four drivers did not find their way to the grid in time before the pit lights turned red and thus had to start from the pits. However, 60 minutes was enough for most of them to return to the solid midfield in a good team performance, including Thomas Röpke, himself a race series coordinator in Germany, and his teammate Martin Heidrich on their Cayman GT4.

Overall winners are Marcel Marchewicz and Kenneth Heyer. They were not threatened at any time and together with their team Schnitzelalm Racing gave a perfect team performance. The squad also took second and third place in the GT4 class.

Next stop: Jerez

The next race in Jerez will take place on 11 and 12 February. “We are practically fully booked and have therefore reached the capacity limit of the maximum number of cars prescribed by the FIA,” said GTWS project manager Robin Selbach. “We are very pleased that the GTWS concept is so well received. Jerez as the heart of Spanish motorsport is a special highlight that we are really looking forward to.”

Marcel Marchewicz, the reigning GT Winter Series champion, will pilot the Schnitzelalm Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Kenneth Heyer at the second race weekend in Estoril.

In the 2021/2022 season, Marcel Marchewicz was crowned GT Winter Series champion together with Michael Sander. The duo piloted a BMW M2 CS Racing entered by Schnitzelalm Racing. Marchewicz has established himself as a regular driver for Thomas Angerer’s team in recent years and raced for the team in 2022 in the ADAC GT4 Germany and with a Mercedes-AMG GT3 on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife, among other events.

At the event in Estoril, Portugal, Marchewicz will tackle his first overall victories in the GT Winter Series. The 26-year-old will take his place at the wheel of a Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the top-class starting field.

Pairing with Kenneth Heyer

Marchewicz will share the AMG GT3 car with GT3 veteran Kenneth Heyer, who has scored countless successes with the Swabian cars in GT3 races around the world over the past decade. The car will be entered by Schnitzelalm Racing, who also run two GT4 cars from Mercedes-AMG just outside Lisbon.

“I’m looking forward to my GT3 debut in the GT Winter Series!” said the reigning champion. “Last year I was able to gain experience with the Mercedes-AMG GT3. Our goal is to win the races, but I also know that our competition will give us a tough fight!”

Touring Car Junior Cup race winner Linus Hahne will start for Schnitzelalm Racing in the GT Winter Series. The racing series thus once again proves to be the perfect training platform for up-and-coming talent.

In the past two years, Linus Hahne competed in the Touring Car Junior Cup, which is run with standard VW up! GTI Cup cars. In 2022, the 18-year-old finished the season in third position. At the season opener in Oschersleben and at the guest round in Assen in the Netherlands, he was able to score one victory each.

At the GT Winter Series guest round in Estoril, Hahne will complete a race weekend in GT racing for the first time. Together with Jay Mo Härtling, the youngster will drive a Mercedes-AMG GT4 entered by Schnitzelalm Racing.

Two GT4s from Schnitzelalm Racing

The second GT4 of Thomas Angerer’s team will be driven by Philipp Walsdorf and Joel Mesch. For the team, the start in the GT Winter Series is the perfect opportunity to screen young drivers and let them develop. In addition, the racing team plans to enter a Mercedes-AMG GT3 in selected races.

“We are very pleased that our racing series is being used so diligently by teams to train up-and-coming talent. With Linus Hahne, a promising young talent will be competing for Schnitzelalm Racing. But other teams such as the CV Performance Group or Huber Racing are also successfully using this strategy with us in the GT Winter Series and are allowing their talents to develop with us without much pressure,” explains GTWS project manager Robin Selbach with satisfaction.

After two wins at the season opener in Portimao, Team Joos Sportwagentechnik will also compete at the second GT Winter Series event in Estoril.

Team Joos Sportwagentechnik will also compete in the second GT Winter Series event in Estoril. The team of team boss and driver Michael Joos will also enter a Porsche 911 GT3 R on the former Formula 1 circuit just outside Lisbon. Alongside Joos, gentleman driver Klaus Horn will steer the vehicle.

At the event in Estoril, Horn and Joos will each contest a sprint race. At the season opener in the south of Portugal, Joos contested both sprint races and was able to win both of them in a superior manner.

Horn and Joos share car in Endurance race

In the one-hour Endurance race at the end of the race day, Klaus Horn will share the car with Michael Joos. The duo finished the race in Portimao in fourth position. Klaus Horn had to start the race from the pit lane because he had not left it in time before the start. In addition, after a miscommunication behind the safety car, the car came into the pit lane one lap before the pit stop window opened, as there is no radio system installed in the car. After another pit stop one lap later, Joos took over the car and showed a strong recovery from the back of the field.

“I am delighted that we are competing again in the GT Winter Series after the season opener in Portimao. There will be more GT3 cars joining the field at the event, so the races should be even more entertaining,” said the Porsche team boss.