Alex Aka set the early benchmark as the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Cup field began its Zandvoort weekend with Free Practice 1, putting the Gold Cup-entered #99 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi at the head of a tightly packed order.
Aka produced a 1:34.458 to finish 0.133 seconds clear of Emil Frey Racing’s Thierry Vermeulen, while Matteo Cairoli placed the sister Ferrari only 0.001s further back. Marvin Kirchhöfer followed in fourth for Garage 59 before four Porsche 911 GT3 R entries filled positions five through eight.
Aka sets early pace for Tresor Attempto
Aka gave Tresor Attempto Racing an ideal start to the penultimate Sprint Cup round, taking the #99 Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II he shares with Dylan Pereira to the top of both the overall and Gold Cup classifications.
His 1:34.458 remained enough to fend off a strong challenge from the two Emil Frey Racing Ferraris. Vermeulen put the #69 Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO he shares with Ben Green second overall on a 1:34.591, while Cairoli followed just one thousandth of a second behind in the #14 machine alongside Konsta Lappalainen.
The result continued Aka’s strong Sprint Cup practice form after he also led the Gold Cup order during FP1 at Brands Hatch, where the #99 Tresor Attempto Audi finished 10th overall.
Kirchhöfer was the closest non-Ferrari challenger at Zandvoort, producing a 1:34.694 in the #59 Garage 59 McLaren he shares with Dean Macdonald. The lap left the McLaren 0.236s behind Aka and completed a top four covered by less than a quarter of a second.
Porsche quartet fills positions five to eight
Porsche enjoyed a particularly strong opening session, with four 911 GT3 R entries occupying consecutive positions immediately behind the leading McLaren.
Simon Birch placed the #914 Razoon – more than racing Porsche fifth overall with a 1:34.926. Sprint Cup debutant Flynt Schuring set an identical time in the #89 Lionspeed GP entry and took sixth, with Birch classified ahead.
Schuring’s lap also put him at the head of the Silver Cup during an impressive first official GTWC Europe Sprint Cup session. He finished 0.039s ahead of Pure Rxcing’s Riccardo Pera, who placed eighth overall in the #9 Porsche alongside Aliaksandr Malykhin.
Between the two Silver Cup cars sat Bastian Buus in seventh for Lionspeed GP. Buus and Ricardo Feller entered Zandvoort only 2.5 points behind Sprint Cup leaders Charles Weerts and Kelvin van der Linde after their victory at Magny-Cours, and the #80 Porsche opened the weekend 0.505s from Aka’s benchmark.
Nicki Thiim put the #7 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin ninth, while Christopher Haase and Simon Reicher completed the overall top 10 for Eastalent Racing in the second Audi among the leading group.
Schuring and Blattner lead Silver and Bronze Cups
Behind Schuring and Pera, Tresor Attempto also secured third in the Silver Cup through Andrea Frassineti and Ariel Levi. The #66 Audi finished 11th overall with a 1:35.054, placing it only 0.596s away from its Gold Cup-entered sister car at the top of the session.
Team WRT followed in fourth in Silver and 12th overall with the #30 BMW of Matisse Lismont and Ignacio Montenegro. The pairing has already been among the class frontrunners throughout the Sprint Cup campaign, including victory at Brands Hatch earlier in the season.
The Bronze Cup benchmark came from the returning Dustin Blattner in the #74 Kessel Racing Ferrari. The American placed 19th overall with a 1:35.776 in the Ferrari he shares with Dennis Marschall.
Tresor Attempto added another strong class result as the #88 Audi of Sebastian Øgaard and Carrie Schreiner finished second in Bronze and 23rd overall. Ziggo Sport Tempesta Racing’s #93 Porsche of Eddie Cheever and Peter Dempsey completed the class top three from 25th overall.
Championship leaders outside the top 10
The opening session produced a more subdued result for several of the leading Pro Cup championship contenders.
Dani Juncadella and Chris Lulham placed the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing entry 13th, immediately ahead of Sprint Cup leaders Weerts and Van der Linde in the #32 Team WRT BMW. The reigning champions finished 0.832s from the outright pace as they began a weekend where their narrow points advantage is under significant pressure.
Winward Racing’s Lucas Auer and Maro Engel followed in 17th, with Boutsen VDS’s Morris Schuring and Dorian Boccolacci 18th. Valentino Rossi and Max Hesse were 21st in the #46 Team WRT BMW, while Arthur Leclerc and Thomas Neubauer ended FP1 26th for AF Corse.
Despite the spread further down the classification, the battle at the front remained extremely close. Only 0.578s covered the top 10, while four manufacturers — Audi, Ferrari, McLaren and Porsche — occupied those positions.
The closely matched order gives teams little room for error as preparations continue at the 4.259-kilometre Dutch circuit. A second 80-minute Free Practice session follows at 13:50 local time before the weekend moves towards qualifying and the two Sprint Cup races.
