Up2Race claimed its maiden Michelin 24H SERIES victory with a commanding performance in the season-ending Michelin 24H Barcelona, as the No.88 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) EVO completed 741 laps to finish one lap clear of HAAS RT at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Tim Heinemann, Oleksiy Kikireshko, Fabio Grosse and Alfred Renauer combined pace, clean running and a decisive fuel strategy to win in only the German team’s second appearance in the championship.
Behind the race winners, HAAS RT secured second overall and GT3-AM victory with its BMW M4 GT3 EVO, while defending Barcelona winner HOFOR Racing completed the overall podium. However, fourth proved enough for Saintéloc Junior Team to secure GT3 PRO-AM victory and, more importantly, the overall 2026 Michelin 24H SERIES European Series championship.
The finale also settled the remaining class championships. Mühlner Motorsport won the 992 race and championship after late drama for RPM Racing, HRT Performance secured the 992-AM crown, CP Motorsport completed a GT4 and TCE-TCX race double, Not Only Motorsport recovered from significant problems to take the TCE-TCX title, and Vortex completed its championship-winning GTX campaign with another victory.
Ajith RedAnt Racing takes early lead as six-car battle develops
Pole-sitter Maxime Martin started the No.28 GetSpeed Team PCX Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO alongside Mikaël Grenier in the No.93 Ajith RedAnt Racing Mercedes-AMG, but Grenier immediately attacked. Martin protected the inside into Turn 1, yet Grenier remained alongside around the outside and gained the preferred line for Turn 2, allowing the Canadian to take the lead on the opening lap.
Behind them, Jesse Krohn produced an excellent start in the Gamota Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO and moved from fourth to third ahead of Pierre Kaffer’s Saintéloc Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II. Heinemann and Era Motorsport’s Jake Hill soon joined the group, creating a six-car contest at the front despite the 24-hour distance still stretching ahead.
Grenier established Ajith RedAnt at the head of the field through the opening phase, but the complexion of the race began changing when the first Code 60 arrived after approximately 75 minutes. A fire aboard the No.114 Not Only Motorsport Ligier JS2 R triggered the neutralisation, and different approaches to fuel immediately began reshuffling the GT3 order.
Code 60 strategy brings HOFOR and Viper Niza into contention
The repeated early Code 60 periods particularly benefited the GT3-AM teams. Under neutralisation, Am crews could take on a larger proportion of their fuel allocation than the PRO and PRO-AM entries, allowing HOFOR Racing and Viper Niza Racing to gain positions while several faster rivals needed additional green-flag stops.
HOFOR used that advantage particularly effectively. Alexander Prinz passed Viper Niza’s Douglas Khoo on the main straight shortly before another Code 60 and moved the No.11 Mercedes-AMG into the lead battle. Both teams then stopped during the caution and retained their positions, allowing the GT3-AM runners to remain at the front when racing resumed.
By six hours, Michael Kroll led overall for HOFOR ahead of Viper Niza, while HAAS RT had climbed into third after Storm Gjerdrum delivered an impressive stint in the No.21 BMW. Up2Race sat fourth after already leading three times, while E2P Racing held the GT3 PRO-AM advantage further back. Pole-sitter GetSpeed Team PCX had slipped to eighth through the strategy cycles.
Up2Race nevertheless remained the notable exception among the PRO entries. Its Porsche combined outright speed with fuel saving and clean running, allowing it to complete one fewer pit stop than many of its rivals and replicate some of the strategic advantages enjoyed by the GT3-AM runners.
Viper Niza leads after 10 hours as GetSpeed suffers double setback
The lead continued to rotate as darkness arrived. Viper Niza emerged at the front by the 10-hour mark, with Khoo, Dominic Ang, Melvin Moh and Aaron Lim Say Joon producing a largely faultless run in the No.65 Mercedes-AMG. Up2Race remained close behind, however, and Heinemann had already set the fastest lap as the Porsche began closing on the Malaysian squad.
HAAS RT remained third and on the lead lap, while the 992 battle featured Red Camel-Jordans.nl at the front ahead of HRT Performance’s 992-AM entry. CP Motorsport also led TCE-TCX, while Team Sorg Rennsport held the GT4 advantage during this phase.
Meanwhile, GetSpeed’s championship hopes suffered a devastating double blow. The No.286 Team JR286 Mercedes-AMG had entered Barcelona leading the overall GT3 standings, but a gearbox problem forced the team into the garage while it ran fifth. The repair required a complete gearbox replacement and cost more than an hour.
Only minutes later, GetSpeed Team PCX Racing encountered its own mechanical problem. Martin reported a left-front wheel-bearing issue, forcing the No.28 Mercedes into the garage from a competitive position. Although the repair cost less time than JR286’s gearbox change, the delay still dropped the PRO-AM championship leader well down the order and severely damaged its own title hopes.
Up2Race takes control at halfway
As GetSpeed’s challenge unravelled, Up2Race increasingly emerged as the strongest overall package. Heinemann completed a long and rapid night stint before handing the Porsche to Renauer, and the No.88 reached the 12-hour mark with an advantage of more than one minute over Viper Niza.
The halfway lead also earned Up2Race 20 championship points. More importantly for the race itself, the Porsche had reached mid-distance without penalties or significant mechanical delays while maintaining one fewer stop than many of its rivals. That combination of speed and efficiency gave the team greater control as the race entered its second half.
HAAS RT held third at halfway, while Saintéloc occupied fourth and led GT3 PRO-AM. HOFOR followed in fifth, ahead of Ajith RedAnt Racing, Era Motorsport and Gamota Racing. GetSpeed Team PCX had fallen to 15th after its wheel-bearing repair, while Team JR286 had dropped out of realistic contention following its lengthy gearbox replacement.
Up2Race stretches advantage through the night
The overnight hours strengthened Up2Race’s position rather than creating the dramatic reset its rivals needed. The No.88 Porsche led for more than 200 laps during the night and only relinquished first during its pit stops, eventually increasing its advantage to more than two laps by daybreak.
HOFOR moved into second overall and continued leading GT3-AM, with HAAS RT directly behind. Saintéloc remained the leading GT3 PRO-AM contender, while Stéphane Tribaudini strengthened the Audi’s position by passing Ajith Kumar for fourth overall. The French squad increasingly focused on the championship as the outright victory moved further towards Up2Race.
GetSpeed Team PCX mounted an impressive recovery after its earlier delay and returned to eighth during the closing hours, but Team JR286 remained well outside the leading group after its gearbox change. The latter eventually finished 17th overall, ending the championship-leading crew’s hopes of converting its pre-race advantage into the title.
Late strategy scare fails to deny Up2Race
Up2Race appeared to have the race firmly under control with three hours remaining, when Heinemann held an advantage of almost four minutes over HOFOR. However, a late Code 60 for a stopped Juta Racing Audi created one final strategic threat to the leader.
HOFOR and HAAS RT could once again exploit their GT3-AM fuel allowance under the neutralisation, while Up2Race faced the prospect of needing a longer stop under green. Rather than wait for the situation to turn against them, the No.88 crew stopped early for fuel and fresh tyres. Grosse then returned to the circuit with just under a minute in hand and committed to an aggressive fuel-saving programme.
That strategy created the option for only a short splash of fuel before the finish rather than another full service. Grosse made the final stop with around 50 minutes remaining and rejoined with a full lap over the HAAS RT BMW. From there, Up2Race controlled the remaining distance and completed 741 laps to secure its first Michelin 24H SERIES victory.
The victory completed an extraordinary introduction to the championship for the German squad. Up2Race had finished second on its series debut at the Nürburgring before winning the 24H Barcelona at only its second attempt, with the Porsche also recording the race’s fastest lap through Heinemann.
HAAS RT wins GT3-AM as HOFOR completes overall podium
The fight behind Up2Race remained open until the final pit sequence. HAAS RT and HOFOR both stopped late, and the BMW squad completed its final service marginally faster to emerge ahead of the No.11 Mercedes-AMG.
HAAS RT therefore finished second overall and secured GT3-AM victory with Storm Gjerdrum, Manel Lao Cornago and Peter and Nicolas Guelinckx. The result came in only the team’s second event since switching to BMW machinery and completed a strong Barcelona performance after it spent much of the race inside the leading group.
HOFOR followed 34.358 seconds behind the BMW to take third overall. Although the Swiss team could not repeat its 2025 Barcelona victory, Chantal and Alexander Prinz, Michael Kroll, Torsten Kratz and Maximilian Partl ended the season with an outright podium, while HOFOR also secured the GT3-AM championship.
Saintéloc seals European Series and GT3 PRO-AM titles
Saintéloc Junior Team did not possess the outright pace to challenge Up2Race during the second half, but the No.18 Audi remained consistently inside the leading group and delivered the result required to settle the championship.
Pierre Kaffer, Stéphane Tribaudini, Elia Erhart, Célia Martin and Michael Doppelmayr brought the Audi home fourth overall and first in GT3 PRO-AM. That class victory secured both the PRO-AM championship and the overall Michelin 24H SERIES European Series title for Saintéloc.
The French team ended the five-round campaign 14 points ahead of HOFOR Racing in the overall standings. Saintéloc had opened its season with victory at Mugello, returned from missing Spa with a podium at Paul Ricard and remained in championship contention after finishing sixth at the Nürburgring. Its Barcelona points haul then completed the title campaign.
Ajith RedAnt Racing finished fifth overall and second in GT3 PRO-AM, while Viper Niza completed its strong race in sixth and third in GT3-AM. GetSpeed Team PCX recovered to seventh ahead of Gamota Racing and E2P Racing, while Team JR286 eventually crossed the line 17th after completing 687 laps.
Mühlner Motorsport wins dramatic 992 decider
The 992 contest changed repeatedly throughout the 24 hours. Championship leader Red Camel-Jordans.nl started from class pole, but QMMF by HRT Performance quickly moved forward before Mühlner Motorsport and HRT Performance joined the fight through the opening pit sequence.
Red Camel’s championship challenge ended shortly before midnight. A throttle alarm appeared on the No.909 Porsche, and although Ivo Breukers attempted a reset, the team soon discovered a terminal problem. HRT Performance then appeared to have taken control, building a three-lap advantage before its No.928 Porsche required an engine change in hour 17 and subsequently suffered a gearbox issue.
RPM Racing inherited the advantage and entered the final two hours fighting Mühlner Motorsport. Conrad Tox Leveau eventually passed Patrick Huisman and built a 35-second margin, but the contest changed decisively with only around 40 minutes remaining when RPM suffered a driveshaft failure.
Mühlner therefore secured its third 992 victory of the season with Martin Rump, Joshua Bednarski and Conrad Tox Leveau and, with Red Camel out of the race, also clinched the class championship. Van Berlo Motorsport by CP Motorsport finished second in 992, while the No.888 Seblajoux Racing Porsche took third and won 992-AM. HRT Performance nevertheless secured the season-long 992-AM championship.
CP Motorsport completes GT4 and TCE-TCX double
TCE-TCX produced immediate drama when pole-sitter Not Only Motorsport suffered an engine-bay fire after only an hour. Gino Rocchio stopped the Ligier JS2 R at Turn 3, triggering the race’s first Code 60 and beginning a difficult event for the championship contender. Further problems required additional unscheduled stops and cost the car a significant number of laps.
That opened the door for CP Motorsport and Stanco&Tanner Motorsport to contest the class victory with their Cupra TCR DSGs. The pair remained closely matched during the early hours, although a puncture for Stanco&Tanner in hour six allowed CP Motorsport to strengthen its position. Peter and Matthijs Terlouw, Robbin Heijerman and Karel Neleman ultimately converted that advantage into the TCE-TCX race win.
Not Only Motorsport nevertheless recovered sufficiently to finish inside the class top three and secure the TCE-TCX championship by six points over asBest Racing. The result rewarded a recovery drive after the early fire and subsequent technical delays threatened to end the team’s title bid.
CP Motorsport also celebrated victory in GT4. Its BMW M4 GT4 initially fought Team Sorg Rennsport’s Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, but the BMW crew of Johan de Rouw, Semo Keric, Daaf Steentjes, Patrick Grootscholten and Pieter-Jan Lefevere eventually took control and won comfortably. The maximum points also secured CP Motorsport the GT4 championship.
Vortex closes championship season with fourth GTX victory
Vortex entered Barcelona as the sole GTX competitor and completed another successful weekend with its No.701 Vortex 2.0. Philippe Bonnel, Julien Boillot, Marc Girard, Thierry Chkondali and Michel Sallenbach brought the car home inside the overall top 20 despite a late stoppage in the pit lane.
The victory represented Vortex’s fourth class win of the campaign. The French team had already mathematically secured the GTX championship after winning the opening three rounds, and Barcelona provided a final successful conclusion to its European Series season.
Saintéloc leaves Barcelona as champion after dramatic finale
The Michelin 24H Barcelona brought the 2026 European Series to a fitting conclusion. Up2Race transformed an impressive Nürburgring debut into a commanding maiden victory, leading virtually throughout the second half of the race and overcoming one final strategic threat during the closing hour.
However, the larger championship prize belonged to Saintéloc Junior Team. While GetSpeed Team JR286 and Team PCX both suffered costly mechanical problems, the French Audi squad kept its car near the front, secured GT3 PRO-AM victory and collected enough points to take both the class and overall European Series crowns.
HOFOR completed its final full European campaign with an overall podium and the GT3-AM championship, while Mühlner Motorsport, HRT Performance, CP Motorsport, Not Only Motorsport and Vortex also left Barcelona with class titles. After five rounds across Mugello, Spa-Francorchamps, Paul Ricard, the Nürburgring and Barcelona, the 24-hour finale settled the last remaining battles and closed the 2026 Michelin 24H SERIES European Series season.
