- Charlie Thornton
- Jun 11, 2025
- 11 min read
GT World Challenge Europe (Sprint Cup) - Round 2 - Rutronik and Team WRT conquer the Dutch dunes, while Buus steals bronze pole!
Rutronik Racing and Team WRT steal the spotlight in Zandvoort, while Porsche talent Bastian Buus secures a thrilling Bronze class pole position on the fast and flowing curves of the Dutch dunes during the second round of the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup.
QUALIFYING 1
The first qualifying session for race one began with a quiet and somewhat puzzling start, as the green light signalled the beginning of the session, the clock ticked down with no cars heading out on track. For nearly three minutes, the circuit remained dormant, with anticipation increasing before the first car ventured out. It was finally Thierry Vermeulen in the #69 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 who broke the silence on track, and set the tone for some fast-paced qualifying action. As the momentum quickly built up, the lap times started falling rapidly, with Sandy Mitchell in the #78 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2 laying down the provisional pole with a 1:33.617, however, his time at the top was short-lived when Thomas Neubauer in the #50 AF Corse - Francorchamps Motors Ferrari bettered it.
The lap times continued to tumble as Gilles Magnus in the #25 Sainteloc Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II surged to the top, only to be beaten by Luca Engstler in the #63 Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini, but the session was still far from over. Alessio Rovera managed to set a 1:33.095 in the #51 Ferrari, but was immediately overtaken by Patric Niederhauser in the #96 Rutronik Racing Porsche 992 GT3 R with a 1:33.048. In the final minute of group A qualifying, Magnus struck again, and reclaimed the top spot, with the gold-rated driver setting the fastest time, but a dramatic moment came with just ten-seconds left when Lucas Auer ran through the gravel trap at the final chicane in the #48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, compromising his lap and only managing to qualify in fifth position.
Once group B qualifying commenced, we saw immediate action from the Bronze and Silver ranked cars, with Eddie Cheever in the #93 Ziggo Sport Tempesta Ferrari climbing to first in the session, just before Bastian Buus in the #89 Lionspeed GP Porsche smashed the previous best with a blistering 1:32.812, even quicker than the Pro and Gold rated cars in the first session. Later on in the session, Dennis Marschall in the #74 Kessel Racing Ferrari delivered a strong lap to move into third position, but as the sand settled, it was the Lionspeed GP Bronze Porsche that emerged victorious, securing a stunning and unexpected pole position for race one, thanks to the rapid Danish youngster.
RACE 1
The first race burst into life with immediate action, with chaos striking the #14 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 of Konsta Lappalainen, putting the car out of the race early on. As the opening lap continued, the high-adrenaline pace of the Zandvoort circuit continued, and Dennis Marschall, who had qualified well, experienced a loss of control after contact just after turn one, spinning dramatically. Only moments later, the #24 Steller Motorsport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R of Matisse Lismont and the #64 HRT Ford Performance Ford Mustang GT3, piloted by Jusuf Owega were sent off into the gravel at turn two, quickly prompting a safety car to be deployed.
Unfortunately, another early retirement came from the #30 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 Evo of Gustav Bergström, who had been involved in a couple skirmishes throughout the opening lap, but didn’t have enough to continue the race from there. By the end of lap one, there was four retirements including the #14 Ferrari, #24 Corvette, #64 Ford Mustang and the #30 BMW.
Once the track was cleared, and the green flag returned, the battle for supremacy was on, with Bastian Buus in the #89 Lionspeed GP Porsche holding command of the race in the lead, closely trailed by the #96 Rutronik Racing Porsche of Niederhauser and the #25 Sainteloc Racing Audi of Magnus. The contest in the top escalated further just moments later when more contact occurred, this time between the #51 Ferrari of Alessio Rovera and the #80 Lionspeed GP Porsche of Ricardo Feller at the Hugenholzbocht, resulting in the Porsche crashing against the tyre barrier, and ending up pointing in the wrong direction.
The drama continued as Henrique Chaves in the #35 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo was forced to come into the pits after sustaining damage during the first-lap melee, but by the thirty-five minute mark the order on track began to even out with Niederhauser, Magnus, Luca Engstler in the #63 Lamborghini, Auer, Luca Stolz in the #9 Boutsen VDS Mercedes and Charles Weerts in the #32 Team WRT BMW started to make good progress while the drama unfolded elsewhere.
As the teams sought any possible advantage, the pit window opened and the pit lane became a battleground in its own right, with Maro Engel in the #48 Mercedes surprising many by jumping ahead of Jordan Pepper in the #63 Lamborghini during his visit to the pits. More action continued when Hugo Cook in the #78 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini executed a bold move by overtaking Benjamin Goethe in the #59 Garage59 McLaren 720s GT3 Evo in the pits, but the pursuit of speed for Engel came at a cost, when he incurred a five-second time penalty for an unsafe release in the pits, and making contact with Pepper’s Lamborghini, which would relegate the Mercedes from his net third position at the time.
Shifting fortunes saw Buus pit with just twenty-five minutes to go in the pole-sitting #89 Porsche, handing over to his Bronze driver Bashar Mardini. Due to this, Sven Müller in the #96 Rutronik Racing Porsche swiftly inherited the lead, while Paul Evrard and Maro Engel were hot on his trail in the #25 Audi and #48 Mercedes.
In the closing stages of the race, more intense duels and positional changes occurred, especially when a gripping battle for fifth position overall between Goethe and Cook took place when Cook managed to hold his advantage over the McLaren, as yellow flags signalled more caution around the track. The #93 Ziggo Sport Tempesta Ferrari collided with the wall at the Hugenholzbocht hairpin, but remarkably continued on with little damage, and as the laps dwindled, the field shuffled once more when Pepper passed Engel while attempting to lap the slower #27 QMMF by Sainteloc Racing Audi. A few laps later, Pepper managed to pass the rapid gold-rated Evrard in the #25 Audi.
The battle raged until the very end, with fourteen minutes, Kelvin van der Linde managed to lead up into fifth position, overtaking Hugo Cook. Minutes later, Goethe reclaimed the ground he lost earlier on, and passed Cook for sixth overall. Maro Engel also regained third position from Evrard, making an assertive pass on the Audi driver, setting the stage for a tense final lap.
In the end, the race produced an unforgettable finish, with Müller, who worked in harmony with Niederhauser, taking the win, whilst the pairing of Pepper and Engstler clinched a hard-fought second place, while Auer and Engel managed to hold onto the last step on the podium with their five-second penalty.
RACE 1 PODIUMS IN EACH CLASS
PRO: #96 - Rutronik Racing, Porsche 992 GT3 R - Sven Müller & Patric Niederhauser
GOLD: #25 - Sainteloc Racing, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II - Paul Evrard & Gilles Magnus
SILVER: #99 - Tresor Attempto Racing, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II - Alex Aka & Ezequiel Pérez Companc
BRONZE: #89 - Lionspeed GP, Porsche 992 GT3 R - Bastian Buus, Bashar Mardini
QUALIFYING 2
During the second qualifying session, the session began with a steady build-up, taking even longer than the previous day to get representative and competitive times on the sheets. With around ninety seconds of the session to go, the first quick laps came through, with Arthur Leclerc in the #50 AF Corse - Francorchamps Motors Ferrari 296 GT3 setting the pace with a 1:33.472, although Jordan Pepper was on a charge and later made his mark, closely followed by Chris Lulham in the #69 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari. However, in a late moment with just less than a minute to go, Ben Green sprung to the top of the timing sheets with a 1:33.144 in the #14 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari.
As the clock was reset for group B, the narrative took a different stance, where drivers in the Silver and Bronze cars entered the scene, each determined to make the best lap times, and slot themselves in the mix of the Pro and Gold classes. Ibrahim Al-Abdulghani opened off the session with a 1:39.804 in the #27 QMMF by Sainteloc Racing Audi, managing to slot into seventeenth position overall. Multiple other Bronze entered cars started to filter through, but it was the Silver cars that improved even further, firstly with Gilles Stadsbader in the #30 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 Evo who managed to set a 1:34.926, but was quickly beaten by Jesse Salmenautio in the #24 Steller Motorsport Corvette who surged into ninth position overall.
With a minute left in the final qualifying session of the weekend, Lorens Lecertua in the #26 Sainteloc Racing Audi surged up to fourth position overall with a stunning 1:33.482, claiming pole-position in the Silver class also. Despite the barrage of competitive Silver and Bronze performances, no-one could match the precision of Ben Green’s lap from group A, with his 1:33.144 standing as the benchmark and claimed pole position for race two.
RACE 2
In the opening moments of race two, as the green lights showed, the challenging circuit immediately caused chaos, with Louis Prette in the #58 Garage59 McLaren sliding into the gravel, but fought through it and rejoined at the rear of the pack. Just a few minutes later, Arthur Leclerc suffered a sudden puncture, and had nowhere else to go but into the gravel in the penultimate corner, and came into the pits and eventually retired the car on the spot.
The most defining moment of the race happened when the pole-sitting, and race leading #14 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 of Ben Green was handed a ten-second time penalty for a jump start, which would affect his pace and rhythm for the remainder of the race. Not long after this, the order on track began to shuffle, especially when Kelvin van der Linde in the #32 Team WRT BMW made a decisive pass on Sven Müller in the #96 Rutronik Racing Porsche to claim sixth place overall. The competitiveness didn’t let up, and more penalties came in to the sister #69 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari of Lulham, and the #24 Steller Motorsport Corvette of Salmenautio, who both received ten-second time penalties for jump starts.
Some uncertainty appeared with just over thirty-five minutes remaining when smoke was seen billowing from Maro Engel’s #48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, fortunately though, the haze cleared quickly, and just in time for the opening of the pit window, allowing the drivers to switch their focus to the strategic elements of the race. Minutes later, the pit lane exploded into action, seeing the #26 Sainteloc Racing Audi of Lorens Lecertua pit after he had built a comfortable lead in the Silver class, and fourth position overall. He was also joined by a host of Silver entries including the #99 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi, #992 Paradine Competition BMW, #24 Steller Motorsport Corvette, #21 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin, #52 AF Corse Ferrari, and the #30 Team WRT BMW. Each of these pit callers were seeking to capitalise on the race by pitting early and getting their second driver at the wheel.
When the majority of the Pro class cars pitted, the shuffle saw Charles Weerts in the #32 Team WRT BMW emerge ahead as he surged from the pits, beating his rivals such as Luca Engstler in the #63 Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2 and Marvin Kirchhöfer in the #59 Garage59 McLaren, and secured the temporary race lead. Pit stop ballet continued when Lulham and Müller pitted on the next lap, soon followed by Jens Klingmann in the #777 AlManar Racing by WRT BMW and Sandy Mitchell in the #78 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini.
Another pivotal turning point unfolded near the end of the pit window when Vincent Abril pitted from the lead of the race in the #51 Ferrari, and passed the torch to Weerts soon after. Weerts was able to build a solid foundation at the front of the pack, trailed by the #26 Sainteloc Racing Audi of Ivan Klymenko from the Silver class, and Engstler. More action intensified when the #48 Winward Racing Mercedes was given a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane, a second penalty in the weekend, and a harsh reminder that the smallest infraction can have lasting repercussions on overall positioning, and eventually the championship fights.
In the dying embers of the race, Al Faisal Al Zubair orchestrated a clever pass on Magnus for eighteenth position overall, but more importantly third in the Gold class, when Magnus made a crucial mistake and entered the gravel trap, ending his run for a podium position. However, in the final minute of the race, Dylan Pereira in the #66 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi slid into the gravel at turn eleven, defining the race by its unexpected moments.
The race stayed green despite Pereira’s incident, and Charles Weerts and Kelvin van der Linde emerged victorious in the second race at Zandvoort, while the Silver entered #26 Sainteloc Racing Audi of Klymenko and Lecertua claimed the overall podium, and the class win, although twelve seconds behind the winning car, and having to fight from the charging Lamborghini of Engstler and Pepper.
RACE 2 PODIUMS IN EACH CLASS
PRO: #32 - Team WRT, BMW M4 GT3 Evo - Kelvin van der Linde & Charles Weerts
GOLD: #69 - Emil Frey Racing, Ferrari 296 GT3 - Chris Lulham & Thierry Vermeulen
SILVER: #26 - Sainteloc Racing, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II - Ivan Klymenko & Lorens Lecertua
BRONZE: #74 - Kessel Racing, Ferrari 296 GT3 - Dustin Blattner & Dennis Marschall
CHAMPIONSHIP IMPLICATIONS
With four GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup races in the books at Brands Hatch and Zandvoort, and after a dominating victory for the #32 Team WRT BMW crew of Kelvin van der Linde and Charles Weerts, they lead the championship with 37.5 points, while the race one winning #96 Rutronik Racing Porsche crew of Sven Müller and Patric Niederhauser sit with 33 points in second, just half-a-point ahead of the #48 Winward Racing Mercedes crew of Lucas Auer and Maro Engel.
Chris Lulham and Thierry Vermeulen continue to lead the Gold Cup in their #69 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 with 60 points, 18.5 points ahead of the #777 AlManar Racing by WRT BMW of Al Faisal Al Zubair and Jens Klingmann. Prette and Smalley have fallen to fifth in the championship after a few disappointing races at Zandvoort, and the #25 Sainteloc Racing Audi crew of Paul Evrard and Gilles Magnus jump to third in the championship with 38.5 points.
César Gazeau and Aurélien Panis stay in control in the Silver Cup with 45 points, but Alex Aka and Ezequiel Pérez Companc close the gap to just half-a-point, and Ivan Klymenko and Lorens Lecertua sit third with 43.5 points.
The Bronze Cup made their debut in the championship at Zandvoort, and Dustin Blattner and Dennis Marschall lead the championship in their #74 Kessel Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 with 27 points. Pole-sitting Bastian Buus and Bashar Mardini sit second with 23.5 points, and Augusto Farfus and Darren Leung in the #991 Paradine Competition BMW M4 GT3 Evo sit tied-third with 19.5 points alongside the #112 CSA Racing McLaren 720s GT3 Evo of Arthur Rougier & Isaac Tutumlu.
MISANO AWAITS
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup will resume on the 19th - 20th July at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli on the Adriatic Coast in Italy, where all four classes will continue their battle in the Sprint Cup.
Images © SRO/JEP
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