Charles Dawson topped the Bronze Test at the 2026 GT World Challenge (GTWC) Europe Endurance Cup finale in Portimão, placing the #222 2Seas Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO at the head of Thursday afternoon’s classification.
Dawson recorded a 1:43.433 around the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, finishing 0.372 seconds ahead of Paradine Competition’s Darren Leung. Kessel Racing’s Dustin Blattner completed the top three, just 0.036 seconds behind Leung, while High Class Racing and GetSpeed Team Dubai rounded out the leading five.
The session followed the opening official paid test, where Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed had set the overall benchmark ahead of Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing. However, the Bronze Test provided the category’s amateur drivers with dedicated track time before the final Endurance Cup round of the season.
Dawson establishes the benchmark for 2Seas Motorsport
Dawson emerged as the fastest competitor during Thursday’s one-hour Bronze Test, recording a 1:43.433 in the #222 Mercedes-AMG to give 2Seas Motorsport the early advantage among the Bronze Cup entries.
The performance continued an encouraging start to the Portimão weekend for Mercedes-AMG, which also occupied the leading two positions in the earlier paid test. However, Dawson’s lap placed the Bronze Cup entry at the top of a separate session featuring a different group of drivers and machinery.
The #222 Mercedes-AMG had finished 27th overall during the opening test, where Dawson shared the car with Kiern Jewiss and Reece Barr. Nevertheless, the trio’s experience throughout the season has demonstrated the team’s competitiveness, particularly in difficult conditions.
During the opening Barcelona Sprint Cup race, Jewiss briefly led overall after starting from Bronze Cup pole, while Dawson subsequently inherited second following the red flag. Although the pairing eventually lost ground as the faster Pro entries recovered, their performance highlighted 2Seas Motorsport’s ability to challenge beyond its class.
Dawson’s latest result provides another encouraging sign as the team prepares for Saturday’s three-hour Endurance Cup finale.
Leung edges Blattner in battle for second
Behind Dawson, Leung delivered a competitive performance for Paradine Competition, recording a 1:43.805 in the #991 BMW M4 GT3 EVO.
The British driver finished 0.372 seconds behind the leading Mercedes-AMG, securing second ahead of one of the category’s principal championship contenders. His result also made Paradine the fastest BMW entry in the Bronze Test, ahead of several other crews competing with the updated M4 GT3.
However, the gap to third proved considerably smaller. Blattner recorded a 1:43.841 aboard the #74 Kessel Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO, leaving him just 0.036 seconds behind Leung and 0.408 seconds away from Dawson.
The result provided Kessel Racing with another strong performance following a successful Endurance Cup campaign. The Ferrari squad has already secured the Bronze Cup Teams’ Championship, while Dennis Marschall leads the corresponding Drivers’ standings heading into the finale.
Although Marschall shares the #74 Ferrari with Blattner and Lorenzo Patrese, the dedicated session gave Blattner an opportunity to establish his own pace ahead of the weekend’s competitive running.
With Kessel Racing already celebrating one championship and retaining further title ambitions, the team’s third-place result offered an encouraging beginning to its Portimão preparations.
Moritz and Rindone complete leading five
High Class Racing secured fourth through Max Moritz, who recorded a 1:44.249 in the #269 Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo. The German finished 0.816 seconds behind Dawson, placing the team ahead of several other established Bronze Cup competitors.
Moritz shares the Porsche with Klaus Bachler and Raphael Rennhofer, bringing together a combination of amateur and professional experience for the Endurance Cup finale. The team’s strong result provided an encouraging indication of its potential before the weekend’s remaining practice sessions.
GetSpeed Team Dubai completed the top five, with Gabriel Rindone recording a 1:44.340 in the #12 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO. His lap placed the team 0.907 seconds behind the fastest time and only 0.091 seconds away from Moritz’s Porsche.
Rindone’s performance also reinforced Mercedes-AMG’s presence near the front, with two cars from the manufacturer occupying positions inside the leading five.
Meanwhile, Ziggo Sport Tempesta Racing finished sixth through Lucas Wolf, whose #93 Porsche recorded a 1:44.448. The result left the team 1.015 seconds behind Dawson, with the leading six competitors separated by just over one second.
Al Harthy leads close midfield battle
Oman Racing by Century Motorsport followed in seventh, with Ahmad Al Harthy recording a 1:44.465 in the #42 BMW M4 GT3 EVO.
The Omani driver finished just 0.017 seconds behind Wolf, keeping the BMW firmly involved in the close battle behind the leading five. Al Harthy shares the car with Calan Williams and Javier Sagrera, providing the team with a competitive combination for Saturday’s finale.
Herberth Motorsport secured eighth through Ralf Bohn, who recorded a 1:44.550 in the #91 Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo. The German finished only 0.085 seconds behind Al Harthy, while another Porsche followed almost immediately behind.
Lionspeed GP’s Bashar Mardini placed ninth with a 1:44.557, just 0.007 seconds behind Bohn. The narrow margin reflected the competitiveness of the midfield, where several teams recorded closely matched laps despite driving different GT3 machinery.
Winward Racing completed the Bronze Cup top ten through Rinat Salikhov, whose #87 Mercedes-AMG recorded a 1:44.558. Remarkably, only 0.001 seconds separated Salikhov from Mardini, leaving the three drivers occupying eighth through tenth within 0.008 seconds of one another.
The result represented a different outcome from the opening paid test, where the #87 Winward Mercedes-AMG had been the fastest Bronze Cup entry and placed 11th overall. Nevertheless, the team remains among the leading Bronze contenders heading into the finale.
GT2 competitors feature in combined classification
Although the Bronze Cup GT3 entries dominated the leading positions, the official Bronze Test classification also included cars from the GT2 European Series support programme.
LP Racing’s Philippe Prette led the GT2 competitors, recording a 1:44.780 aboard the #1 Maserati GT2. His lap placed him 11th in the combined classification, 1.347 seconds behind Dawson’s overall benchmark.
Dinamic Motorsport followed with its #7 Maserati GT2, shared by Roberto Pampanini and Mauro Calamia. The entry recorded a 1:44.836 to finish 13th overall, while I4Race’s Antoine Potty secured 15th in the #6 Maserati with a 1:45.245.
High Class Racing also featured among the GT2 competitors through Audunn Gudmundsson and Anders Fjordbach, whose #277 Ligier JS2 RS recorded a 1:45.329.
The combined session featured 34 entries, comprising 17 GTWC Europe Bronze Cup GT3 cars and 17 GT2 competitors. Their participation provided additional running ahead of a busy weekend in which both championships will contest their respective season finales.
Bronze Cup contenders prepare for final title battles
The dedicated test provided valuable preparation for the Bronze Cup competitors, particularly with several championship honours still at stake.
Kessel Racing enters Portimão having already secured the Endurance Cup Teams’ title following a successful campaign across the opening four rounds. The Ferrari squad has accumulated 102 points, establishing a commanding advantage over Paradine Competition and Winward Racing.
Meanwhile, the Drivers’ standings present another important storyline. Marschall leads with 102 points, while teammate Blattner follows on 87, leaving their performances at the season finale relevant to the final classification.
The Portimão Endurance Cup preview also highlights the combined Overall Bronze Cup Championship, where Marschall holds an advantage over Winward Racing’s Marvin Dienst and Salikhov.
Consequently, the strong testing performances from Kessel, Paradine and Winward provide an encouraging indication of the competitive battle ahead.
However, the Bronze Test remains only an early stage of the weekend. The full three-driver combinations will return for the remaining sessions, where changing track conditions and the addition of professional teammates could produce a different competitive order.
Portimão weekend continues with Friday practice
With Thursday’s testing complete, teams will now turn their attention towards Friday’s two free practice sessions and qualifying for the final Endurance Cup race of 2026.
The first practice session will begin at 08:45 local Portuguese time, followed by a second 90-minute session at 12:45. Qualifying will then start at 17:55, determining the grid for Saturday’s three-hour contest.
The race will begin at 17:00 local time on Saturday, 17 October, concluding the GTWC Europe season and deciding several outstanding championship battles.
For now, Dawson and 2Seas Motorsport hold the Bronze Test benchmark after an impressive performance, with Leung and Blattner completing the leading three. However, the close competition further down the order suggests that several teams could challenge for strong results once the full field returns to the circuit.
With Portimão’s demanding layout and an extensive GT3 field expected for the finale, the Bronze Cup competitors will face another challenging contest as they aim to conclude the 2026 campaign on a high.
