Morris Schuring claimed his maiden GT World Challenge (GTWC) Europe powered by AWS pole position on home soil during Qualifying 1 at Zandvoort in 2026, putting the #2 Boutsen VDS Porsche at the front of the grid for Race 1.
The Dutchman produced a 1:33.730 to beat Garage 59’s Thomas Fleming by just 0.101s, continuing the impressive form that had already seen him top Free Practice 2 at Zandvoort. Fleming secured Gold Cup pole from second overall, while Tommaso Mosca completed the top three for AF Corse.
Meanwhile, Eddie Cheever topped the second qualifying group and secured Bronze Cup honours with the fourth-fastest time overall. Matisse Lismont led the Silver Cup from 14th on the combined grid.
Schuring converts Friday pace into home pole
Schuring entered Saturday morning as one of the favourites after producing the fastest lap of Friday practice. He had taken the #2 Boutsen VDS Porsche he shares with Dorian Boccolacci to a 1:34.450 during FP2, narrowly improving on the benchmark that Alex Aka had established during the opening practice session.
However, the Dutchman found considerably more time when Qualifying 1 began. His 1:33.730 placed him more than seven tenths beneath his Friday benchmark and ultimately secured his first GTWC Europe pole position.
Fleming emerged as his closest challenger in the #58 Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3 EVO. The British driver stopped the clock at 1:33.831, just 0.101s behind Schuring, and claimed Gold Cup pole in the process.
AF Corse’s Mosca also remained firmly in contention. He put the #51 Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO third overall with a 1:33.877, leaving him only 0.046s behind Fleming and 0.147s away from outright pole.
Cheever strikes late to lead Bronze Cup runners
While Schuring controlled the Pro and Gold Cup group, Cheever delivered the standout performance among the Bronze and Silver Cup entries.
The Ziggo Sport Tempesta Racing driver produced a 1:33.971 on his final lap to put the #93 Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO at the top of Group B. That effort also promoted Cheever to fourth in the combined Qualifying 1 classification, only 0.241s away from Schuring’s pole time.
Augusto Farfus had looked set to take the Bronze Cup benchmark before Cheever’s late improvement. Instead, the Paradine Competition BMW driver settled for second in class and fifth overall with a 1:34.041, just 0.070s behind Cheever.
Marvin Dienst followed in the #87 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG, ahead of Fabian Schiller’s GetSpeed Team Dubai entry and Kiern Jewiss in the #222 2Seas Motorsport Mercedes-AMG. Their performances put five Bronze Cup cars inside the combined top 13.
Porsche remains strong as title contenders face contrasting fortunes
Behind the leading trio from Group A, Dean Macdonald placed the second Garage 59 McLaren sixth overall with a 1:34.053. Klaus Bachler followed only 0.023s further back for Razoon – more than racing, while Bastian Buus put the championship-chasing #80 Lionspeed GP Porsche eighth.
Buus and Ricardo Feller arrived at Zandvoort just 2.5 points behind defending Sprint Cup champions Charles Weerts and Kelvin van der Linde following their Magny-Cours victory. Therefore, eighth on the Race 1 grid gives the Lionspeed pair an opportunity to put further pressure on their title rivals. The championship had entered Zandvoort with five crews separated by fewer than 10 points.
Thierry Vermeulen put the #69 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari ninth, while Thomas Neubauer completed the top 10 for AF Corse. Just 0.370s separated Schuring from Neubauer, underlining how closely matched the leading cars remained around the Dutch circuit.
In contrast, Weerts struggled to match the leading pace in the #32 Team WRT BMW. His 1:34.745 placed the championship leader 17th in Group A and 33rd in the combined classification, more than one second away from pole. Valentino Rossi also endured a difficult session in the sister #46 BMW and qualified 35th overall.
Lismont secures Silver Cup pole for Team WRT
Although Team WRT struggled among the Pro Cup entries, Lismont delivered another strong Silver Cup performance in the #30 BMW M4 GT3 EVO.
The Belgian produced a 1:34.184 to place sixth in Group B and 14th overall, securing class pole ahead of Tresor Attempto Racing’s Ariel Levi. Riccardo Pera followed for Pure Rxcing, only 0.003s behind Levi, while Guilherme Oliveira put Optimum Motorsport fourth in class.
Lismont’s result continued the #30 Team WRT crew’s strong Sprint Cup campaign and placed the team in a favourable position to strengthen its advantage in the Silver Cup standings.
At the front, however, Schuring will lead Fleming away from the front row for Race 1, with Mosca and Cheever sharing row two. The combination of different classes throughout the opening rows leaves a mixed grid for the first Sprint Cup race at Zandvoort, while several championship contenders must fight forward from deeper in the pack.
The full GTWC Europe Zandvoort Qualifying 1 results are available through the championship’s official website.
