Pit Debrief

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Pit Debrief

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2026 International GT Open | Round 5 – Paul Ricard | Emson and Lebbon rebound again to retain lead

Karishma Persad022 mins
Photo Credit: GT Sport | International GT Open
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The 2026 International GT Open season continued at Circuit Paul Ricard for Round 5, where extreme heat, an opening-lap pile-up and a regional electrical blackout shaped another dramatic championship weekend.

Elite Motorsport with Entire Race Engineering’s Tom Emson and Tom Lebbon arrived with a 13-point advantage. However, an engine problem removed their #17 Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO from Race 1 before ZRS Motorsport’s Pietro Armanni and Alex Fontana claimed their third victory of the campaign.

Nevertheless, Emson and Lebbon responded on Sunday. Lebbon inherited pole after officials deleted Axcil Jefferies’ fastest Qualifying lap, and the British pair controlled Race 2. Consequently, they left France with 102 points and retained the Overall Drivers’ Championship lead by six points over Team Motopark’s Christian Mansell and Maximilian Götz.

2026 International GT Open: Paul Ricard: Free Practice sessions

High temperatures greeted the 30-car field as Friday’s running began at Paul Ricard.

Blackthorn led Free Practice 1 as Charles Bateman and Jonny Adam produced a 2:03.476 in the #97 Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT3 EVO. Scuderia Villorba Corse’s Leonardo Moncini and Rodrigo Testa followed by 0.148 seconds, while Zac Meakin and International GT Open debutant Joseph Loake placed the #33 Greystone GT McLaren third.

However, Team Motopark established Friday’s outright benchmark during Free Practice 2. Mansell and Götz recorded a 2:03.383 in the #71 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO, beating teammates Marcelo Ramírez and Dominik Baumann by 0.068s.

Blackthorn followed in third, only 0.428s behind, as the first 17 cars finished within 1.091s of the leading Mercedes. Meanwhile, the track temperature reached 53.5°C during the second session.

Team ISR subsequently led the Bronze Test. Filip Salaquarda and Libor Milota set a 2:04.310 in the #75 Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II, finishing 0.724s ahead of Blackthorn. Adrian and Andrzej Lewandowski placed third overall and led the Am entries for Baron Motorsport Team.

Free Practice 1

  1. #97 Blackthorn — Charles Bateman/Jonny Adam — Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:03.476
  2. #63 Scuderia Villorba Corse — Leonardo Moncini/Rodrigo Testa — Lamborghini Huracán Evo 2 — PRO: 2:03.624
  3. #33 Greystone GT — Zac Meakin/Joseph Loake — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — PRO: 2:03.871
  4. #55 AF Corse — Laurent De Meeus/Vincent Abril — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:04.000
  5. #707 Al Manar by Dragon Racing — Al Faisal Al Zubair/Ben Tuck — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:04.043
  6. #54 CBRX by SPS — Dexter Müller/Yannick Mettler — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:04.141
  7. #96 AF Corse — Yaroslav Veselaho/Lorenzo Ferrari — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:04.213
  8. #17 Elite Motorsport with Entire Race Engineering — Tom Emson/Tom Lebbon — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:04.228
  9. #25 Into Africa Racing by Dragon Racing International — Xolile Letlaka/Axcil Jefferies — Ferrari 296 GT3 — PROAM: 2:04.270
  10. #777 Olimp Racing — Marcin Jedliński/Karol Basz — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:04.412
  11. #51 AF Corse — Rafael Durán/David Perel — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:04.636
  12. #117 Mikkel O. Pedersen Racing — Mikkel O. Pedersen/Lars Engelbrekt Pedersen — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — PROAM: 2:04.663
  13. #28 Team Motopark — Marcelo Ramírez/Dominik Baumann — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:04.678
  14. #11 Fach Auto Tech — Alexander Schwarzer/Alexander Fach — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — PROAM: 2:04.738
  15. #911 ZRS Motorsport — Pietro Armanni/Alex Fontana — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — PRO: 2:04.845
  16. #75 Team ISR — Filip Salaquarda/Libor Milota — Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II — PROAM: 2:04.885
  17. #15 Rinaldi Racing — Dylan Medler/Alessandro Balzan — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:04.974
  18. #71 Team Motopark — Christian Mansell/Maximilian Götz — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:04.995
  19. #24 Greystone GT — Andrey Borodin/Oliver Webb — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — PROAM: 2:05.257
  20. #16 AF Corse — Marcelo Hahn/Galid Osman — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — AM: 2:05.558
  21. #26 Saintéloc Racing — Michaël Blanchemain/Jim Pla — Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II — PROAM: 2:05.798
  22. #81 Norik Racing — Norikazu Shibata/Charles Fagg — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:06.434
  23. #7 4F PTT Racing Team — Hubert Darmetko/Fabian Dybionka — BMW M4 GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:06.467
  24. #79 Sendom Racing Team — Seweryn Mazur — Lamborghini Huracán Evo 2 — AM: 2:06.486
  25. #5 Olimp Racing — Stanislaw Jedliński/Krystian Korzeniowski — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — AM: 2:06.623
  26. #14 Good Speed Racing Team — Piotr Wira — Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT3 EVO — AM: 2:06.741
  27. #6 Baron Motorsport Team — Andrzej Lewandowski/Adrian Lewandowski — Ferrari 296 GT3 — AM: 2:06.798
  28. #12 Fach Auto Tech — Joel Monegro Reyes — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — AM: 2:07.276
  29. #88 Track Focused — Darren Kell — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — AM: 2:07.481
  30. #77 Grupo Prom Racing Team — Alfredo Hernández — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — AM: 2:08.734.

Free Practice 2

  1. #71 Team Motopark — Christian Mansell/Maximilian Götz — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:03.383
  2. #28 Team Motopark — Marcelo Ramírez/Dominik Baumann — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:03.451
  3. #97 Blackthorn — Charles Bateman/Jonny Adam — Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:03.811
  4. #24 Greystone GT — Andrey Borodin/Oliver Webb — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — PROAM: 2:03.813
  5. #33 Greystone GT — Zac Meakin/Joseph Loake — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — PRO: 2:03.891
  6. #55 AF Corse — Laurent De Meeus/Vincent Abril — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:03.931
  7. #777 Olimp Racing — Marcin Jedliński/Karol Basz — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:03.982
  8. #17 Elite Motorsport with Entire Race Engineering — Tom Emson/Tom Lebbon — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:04.014
  9. #25 Into Africa Racing by Dragon Racing International — Xolile Letlaka/Axcil Jefferies — Ferrari 296 GT3 — PROAM: 2:04.022
  10. #117 Mikkel O. Pedersen Racing — Mikkel O. Pedersen/Lars Engelbrekt Pedersen — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — PROAM: 2:04.060
  11. #911 ZRS Motorsport — Pietro Armanni/Alex Fontana — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — PRO: 2:04.150
  12. #11 Fach Auto Tech — Alexander Schwarzer/Alexander Fach — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — PROAM: 2:04.362
  13. #81 Norik Racing — Norikazu Shibata/Charles Fagg — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:04.373
  14. #15 Rinaldi Racing — Dylan Medler/Alessandro Balzan — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:04.385
  15. #707 Al Manar by Dragon Racing — Al Faisal Al Zubair/Ben Tuck — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:04.437
  16. #16 AF Corse — Marcelo Hahn/Galid Osman — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — AM: 2:04.440
  17. #63 Scuderia Villorba Corse — Leonardo Moncini/Rodrigo Testa — Lamborghini Huracán Evo 2 — PRO: 2:04.474
  18. #51 AF Corse — Rafael Durán/David Perel — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:04.525
  19. #54 CBRX by SPS — Dexter Müller/Yannick Mettler — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:04.625
  20. #96 AF Corse — Yaroslav Veselaho/Lorenzo Ferrari — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:04.821
  21. #75 Team ISR — Filip Salaquarda/Libor Milota — Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II — PROAM: 2:04.938
  22. #26 Saintéloc Racing — Michaël Blanchemain/Jim Pla — Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II — PROAM: 2:05.334
  23. #5 Olimp Racing — Stanislaw Jedliński/Krystian Korzeniowski — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — AM: 2:05.342
  24. #7 4F PTT Racing Team — Hubert Darmetko/Fabian Dybionka — BMW M4 GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:05.403
  25. #6 Baron Motorsport Team — Andrzej Lewandowski/Adrian Lewandowski — Ferrari 296 GT3 — AM: 2:05.746
  26. #14 Good Speed Racing Team — Piotr Wira — Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT3 EVO — AM: 2:06.022
  27. #79 Sendom Racing Team — Seweryn Mazur — Lamborghini Huracán Evo 2 — AM: 2:06.744
  28. #88 Track Focused — Darren Kell — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — AM: 2:06.993
  29. #77 Grupo Prom Racing Team — Alfredo Hernández — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — AM: 2:07.020
  30. #12 Fach Auto Tech — Joel Monegro Reyes — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — AM: 2:07.110.

Bronze Test

  1. #75 Team ISR — Filip Salaquarda/Libor Milota — Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II — PROAM: 2:04.310
  2. #97 Blackthorn — Charles Bateman/Jonny Adam — Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:05.034
  3. #6 Baron Motorsport Team — Andrzej Lewandowski/Adrian Lewandowski — Ferrari 296 GT3 — AM: 2:05.092
  4. #79 Sendom Racing Team — Seweryn Mazur — Lamborghini Huracán Evo 2 — AM: 2:05.353
  5. #16 AF Corse — Marcelo Hahn/Galid Osman — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — AM: 2:05.506
  6. #777 Olimp Racing — Marcin Jedliński/Karol Basz — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:05.561
  7. #54 CBRX by SPS — Dexter Müller/Yannick Mettler — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:05.606
  8. #88 Track Focused — Darren Kell — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — AM: 2:06.179
  9. #11 Fach Auto Tech — Alexander Schwarzer/Alexander Fach — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — PROAM: 2:06.319
  10. #55 AF Corse — Laurent De Meeus/Vincent Abril — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:06.508
  11. #14 Good Speed Racing Team — Piotr Wira — Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT3 EVO — AM: 2:06.541
  12. #5 Olimp Racing — Stanislaw Jedliński/Krystian Korzeniowski — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — AM: 2:06.576
  13. #12 Fach Auto Tech — Joel Monegro Reyes — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — AM: 2:06.592
  14. #26 Saintéloc Racing — Michaël Blanchemain/Jim Pla — Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II — PROAM: 2:06.815
  15. #25 Into Africa Racing by Dragon Racing International — Xolile Letlaka/Axcil Jefferies — Ferrari 296 GT3 — PROAM: 2:06.867
  16. #77 Grupo Prom Racing Team — Alfredo Hernández — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — AM: 2:07.414
  17. #81 Norik Racing — Norikazu Shibata/Charles Fagg — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:07.781
  18. #117 Mikkel O. Pedersen Racing — Mikkel O. Pedersen/Lars Engelbrekt Pedersen — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — PROAM: 2:08.043
  19. #24 Greystone GT — Andrey Borodin/Oliver Webb — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — PROAM: 2:13.784.

2026 International GT Open: Paul Ricard: Qualifying 1

Emson and Lebbon rebound with a Paul Ricard Race 2 win and retain the 2026 International GT Open lead by six points after Round 5.
Photo Credit: GT Sport | International GT Open

Blackthorn continued its strong weekend as Adam claimed the team’s maiden outright International GT Open pole.

The Scottish driver produced a 2:02.112 during the closing stages, placing the Pro-Am Aston Martin at the front of the entire field. Series debutant Tuck came within 0.041s in the Al Manar by Dragon Racing Ferrari, while fellow newcomer Loake finished only 0.073s behind Adam in third.

Emson placed the championship-leading Elite Motorsport Ferrari fourth. Meanwhile, Moncini and Baumann completed the top six for Scuderia Villorba Corse and Team Motopark respectively.

Armanni qualified ninth, one position ahead of Mansell. Therefore, all four leading championship crews faced work to do behind the pole-sitting Pro-Am entry.

Korzeniowski led Am Qualifying from 13th overall in the #5 Olimp Racing Ferrari.

Qualifying 1

  1. #97 Blackthorn — Charles Bateman/Jonny Adam — Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:02.112
  2. #707 Al Manar by Dragon Racing — Al Faisal Al Zubair/Ben Tuck — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:02.153
  3. #33 Greystone GT — Zac Meakin/Joseph Loake — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — PRO: 2:02.185
  4. #17 Elite Motorsport with Entire Race Engineering — Tom Emson/Tom Lebbon — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:02.423
  5. #63 Scuderia Villorba Corse — Leonardo Moncini/Rodrigo Testa — Lamborghini Huracán Evo 2 — PRO: 2:02.475
  6. #28 Team Motopark — Marcelo Ramírez/Dominik Baumann — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:02.488
  7. #11 Fach Auto Tech — Alexander Schwarzer/Alexander Fach — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — PROAM: 2:02.770
  8. #55 AF Corse — Laurent De Meeus/Vincent Abril — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:02.794
  9. #911 ZRS Motorsport — Pietro Armanni/Alex Fontana — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — PRO: 2:02.884
  10. #71 Team Motopark — Christian Mansell/Maximilian Götz — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:02.980
  11. #75 Team ISR — Filip Salaquarda/Libor Milota — Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II — PROAM: 2:03.193
  12. #15 Rinaldi Racing — Dylan Medler/Alessandro Balzan — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:03.440
  13. #5 Olimp Racing — Stanislaw Jedliński/Krystian Korzeniowski — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — AM: 2:03.595
  14. #51 AF Corse — Rafael Durán/David Perel — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:04.121
  15. #79 Sendom Racing Team — Seweryn Mazur — Lamborghini Huracán Evo 2 — AM: 2:04.284
  16. #6 Baron Motorsport Team — Andrzej Lewandowski/Adrian Lewandowski — Ferrari 296 GT3 — AM: 2:04.355
  17. #96 AF Corse — Yaroslav Veselaho/Lorenzo Ferrari — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:04.471
  18. #54 CBRX by SPS — Dexter Müller/Yannick Mettler — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:04.888
  19. #25 Into Africa Racing by Dragon Racing International — Xolile Letlaka/Axcil Jefferies — Ferrari 296 GT3 — PROAM: 2:05.031
  20. #7 4F PTT Racing Team — Hubert Darmetko/Fabian Dybionka — BMW M4 GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:05.042
  21. #777 Olimp Racing — Marcin Jedliński/Karol Basz — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:05.294
  22. #12 Fach Auto Tech — Joel Monegro Reyes — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — AM: 2:05.492
  23. #16 AF Corse — Marcelo Hahn/Galid Osman — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — AM: 2:05.590
  24. #26 Saintéloc Racing — Michaël Blanchemain/Jim Pla — Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II — PROAM: 2:05.884
  25. #14 Good Speed Racing Team — Piotr Wira — Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT3 EVO — AM: 2:05.936
  26. #88 Track Focused — Darren Kell — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — AM: 2:06.731
  27. #77 Grupo Prom Racing Team — Alfredo Hernández — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — AM: 2:07.188
  28. #81 Norik Racing — Norikazu Shibata/Charles Fagg — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:07.202
  29. #117 Mikkel O. Pedersen Racing — Mikkel O. Pedersen/Lars Engelbrekt Pedersen — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — PROAM: 2:07.513
  30. #24 Greystone GT — Andrey Borodin/Oliver Webb — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — PROAM: 2:09.407.

2026 International GT Open: Paul Ricard: Race 1

Emson and Lebbon rebound with a Paul Ricard Race 2 win and retain the 2026 International GT Open lead by six points after Round 5.
Photo Credit: GT Sport | International GT Open

Adam maintained the lead when Race 1 began, with Tuck, Loake, Baumann, Abril and Mansell following.

However, Müller spun in the middle of the field and triggered a multi-car collision during the opening lap. The incident involved Müller, Joel Monegro Reyes, Marcin Jedliński, Hahn and Blanchemain, while several cars sustained substantial damage.

At the same time, the #17 Elite Motorsport Ferrari encountered an engine problem and stopped on the circuit. Consequently, championship leaders Emson and Lebbon recorded their second consecutive Saturday retirement.

Race Control deployed the Safety Car for seven laps while marshals cleared the damaged cars. Adam retained the lead at the restart, ahead of Tuck, Baumann, Abril, Mansell and Moncini.

Loake had already dropped from the leading group. Contact with Tuck during their fight for second punctured the Greystone GT McLaren’s right-rear tyre, while the car sustained terminal damage as Loake attempted to return to the pits.

The driver-change window subsequently opened, and Al Zubair emerged with a two-second advantage over Fontana. Bateman followed in third, with Testa, Götz, Perel, Lorenzo Ferrari and Ramírez behind.

Fontana then closed on Al Zubair before passing the Omani driver on Lap 24. Meanwhile, Götz overtook Testa to claim third.

Fontana controlled the remaining laps and secured ZRS Motorsport’s third victory of the season alongside Armanni. Al Zubair and Tuck finished 1.069s behind in second, while Mansell and Götz completed the podium.

Bateman and Adam placed seventh overall but won Pro-Am for Blackthorn. Meanwhile, Andrzej and Adrian Lewandowski finished 18th overall and claimed their second Am victory of the season.

Emson and Lebbon retained the championship lead despite scoring no points. However, their advantage fell to three points over Mansell and Götz, while Armanni and Fontana moved to within 17 points.

Race 1

  1. #911 ZRS Motorsport — Pietro Armanni/Alex Fontana — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — PRO: 30 laps, 1:11:02.242
  2. #707 Al Manar by Dragon Racing — Al Faisal Al Zubair/Ben Tuck — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: +1.069s
  3. #71 Team Motopark — Christian Mansell/Maximilian Götz — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — PRO: +10.773s
  4. #63 Scuderia Villorba Corse — Leonardo Moncini/Rodrigo Testa — Lamborghini Huracán Evo 2 — PRO: +13.574s
  5. #96 AF Corse — Yaroslav Veselaho/Lorenzo Ferrari — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: +14.037s
  6. #51 AF Corse — Rafael Durán/David Perel — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: +14.486s
  7. #97 Blackthorn — Charles Bateman/Jonny Adam — Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT3 EVO — PROAM: +18.754s
  8. #15 Rinaldi Racing — Dylan Medler/Alessandro Balzan — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: +19.902s
  9. #28 Team Motopark — Marcelo Ramírez/Dominik Baumann — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — PRO: +19.905s
  10. #25 Into Africa Racing by Dragon Racing International — Xolile Letlaka/Axcil Jefferies — Ferrari 296 GT3 — PROAM: +32.568s
  11. #7 4F PTT Racing Team — Hubert Darmetko/Fabian Dybionka — BMW M4 GT3 EVO — PROAM: +36.595s
  12. #11 Fach Auto Tech — Alexander Schwarzer/Alexander Fach — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — PROAM: +40.827s
  13. #55 AF Corse — Laurent De Meeus/Vincent Abril — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PROAM: +45.185s
  14. #75 Team ISR — Filip Salaquarda/Libor Milota — Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II — PROAM: +51.872s
  15. #81 Norik Racing — Norikazu Shibata/Charles Fagg — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PROAM: +57.528s
  16. #117 Mikkel O. Pedersen Racing — Mikkel O. Pedersen/Lars Engelbrekt Pedersen — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — PROAM: +59.334s
  17. #24 Greystone GT — Andrey Borodin/Oliver Webb — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — PROAM: +1:00.374
  18. #6 Baron Motorsport Team — Andrzej Lewandowski/Adrian Lewandowski — Ferrari 296 GT3 — AM: +1:15.869
  19. #79 Sendom Racing Team — Seweryn Mazur — Lamborghini Huracán Evo 2 — AM: +1:16.750
  20. #77 Grupo Prom Racing Team — Alfredo Hernández — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — AM: one lap
  21. #88 Track Focused — Darren Kell — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — AM: one lap
  22. #5 Olimp Racing — Stanislaw Jedliński/Krystian Korzeniowski — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — AM: one lap

Not classified

  • #14 Good Speed Racing Team — Piotr Wira — Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT3 EVO — AM: 21 laps
  • #33 Greystone GT — Zac Meakin/Joseph Loake — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — PRO: eight laps
  • #17 Elite Motorsport with Entire Race Engineering — Tom Emson/Tom Lebbon — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO
  • #54 CBRX by SPS — Dexter Müller/Yannick Mettler — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — PROAM
  • #777 Olimp Racing — Marcin Jedliński/Karol Basz — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PROAM
  • #12 Fach Auto Tech — Joel Monegro Reyes — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — AM
  • #16 AF Corse — Marcelo Hahn/Galid Osman — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — AM
  • #26 Saintéloc Racing — Michaël Blanchemain/Jim Pla — Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II — PROAM.

Race 1 class winners

PRO: #911 ZRS Motorsport — Pietro Armanni/Alex Fontana
PROAM: #97 Blackthorn — Charles Bateman/Jonny Adam
AM: #6 Baron Motorsport Team — Andrzej Lewandowski/Adrian Lewandowski

Race 1 fastest lap

#117 Mikkel O. Pedersen Racing — 2:03.338

2026 International GT Open: Paul Ricard: Qualifying 2

Emson and Lebbon rebound with a Paul Ricard Race 2 win and retain the 2026 International GT Open lead by six points after Round 5.
Photo Credit: GT Sport | International GT Open

Sunday’s Qualifying session ended amid confusion after a regional electrical blackout interrupted electronic systems across the circuit.

Jefferies initially appeared to secure pole with a 2:01.530 in the #25 Into Africa Racing by Dragon Racing International Ferrari. However, officials later deleted the lap for a track-limits breach at Turn 8.

Consequently, Lebbon inherited his third pole of the season with a 2:01.554. Lorenzo Ferrari joined him on an all-Ferrari front row, 0.184s behind for AF Corse.

Fontana qualified third for ZRS Motorsport, while Götz placed fourth for Team Motopark. Perel and Basz completed the top six.

Meanwhile, Saintéloc Racing withdrew the #26 Audi after the team could not repair the damage sustained during Saturday’s opening-lap accident.

Qualifying 2

  1. #17 Elite Motorsport with Entire Race Engineering — Tom Emson/Tom Lebbon — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:01.554
  2. #96 AF Corse — Yaroslav Veselaho/Lorenzo Ferrari — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:01.738
  3. #911 ZRS Motorsport — Pietro Armanni/Alex Fontana — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — PRO: 2:01.831
  4. #71 Team Motopark — Christian Mansell/Maximilian Götz — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:01.959
  5. #51 AF Corse — Rafael Durán/David Perel — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:02.068
  6. #777 Olimp Racing — Marcin Jedliński/Karol Basz — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:02.079
  7. #54 CBRX by SPS — Dexter Müller/Yannick Mettler — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:02.214
  8. #24 Greystone GT — Andrey Borodin/Oliver Webb — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — PROAM: 2:02.335
  9. #33 Greystone GT — Zac Meakin/Joseph Loake — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — PRO: 2:02.342
  10. #25 Into Africa Racing by Dragon Racing International — Xolile Letlaka/Axcil Jefferies — Ferrari 296 GT3 — PROAM: 2:02.364
  11. #63 Scuderia Villorba Corse — Leonardo Moncini/Rodrigo Testa — Lamborghini Huracán Evo 2 — PRO: 2:02.379
  12. #707 Al Manar by Dragon Racing — Al Faisal Al Zubair/Ben Tuck — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:02.487
  13. #81 Norik Racing — Norikazu Shibata/Charles Fagg — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:02.522
  14. #15 Rinaldi Racing — Dylan Medler/Alessandro Balzan — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:02.577
  15. #117 Mikkel O. Pedersen Racing — Mikkel O. Pedersen/Lars Engelbrekt Pedersen — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — PROAM: 2:02.689
  16. #16 AF Corse — Marcelo Hahn/Galid Osman — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — AM: 2:03.112
  17. #97 Blackthorn — Charles Bateman/Jonny Adam — Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:03.179
  18. #7 4F PTT Racing Team — Hubert Darmetko/Fabian Dybionka — BMW M4 GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:03.422
  19. #6 Baron Motorsport Team — Andrzej Lewandowski/Adrian Lewandowski — Ferrari 296 GT3 — AM: 2:03.441
  20. #75 Team ISR — Filip Salaquarda/Libor Milota — Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II — PROAM: 2:03.506
  21. #14 Good Speed Racing Team — Piotr Wira — Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT3 EVO — AM: 2:03.857
  22. #79 Sendom Racing Team — Seweryn Mazur — Lamborghini Huracán Evo 2 — AM: 2:03.930
  23. #28 Team Motopark — Marcelo Ramírez/Dominik Baumann — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — PRO: 2:04.183
  24. #55 AF Corse — Laurent De Meeus/Vincent Abril — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PROAM: 2:05.177
  25. #11 Fach Auto Tech — Alexander Schwarzer/Alexander Fach — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — PROAM: 2:05.244
  26. #88 Track Focused — Darren Kell — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — AM: 2:05.428
  27. #12 Fach Auto Tech — Joel Monegro Reyes — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — AM: 2:05.479
  28. #77 Grupo Prom Racing Team — Alfredo Hernández — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — AM: 2:06.911
  29. #5 Olimp Racing — Stanislaw Jedliński/Krystian Korzeniowski — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — AM: 2:17.497.

2026 International GT Open: Paul Ricard: Race 2

Emson and Lebbon rebound with a Paul Ricard Race 2 win and retain the 2026 International GT Open lead by six points after Round 5.
Photo Credit: GT Sport | International GT Open

Lebbon maintained the lead when Race 2 began, while Lorenzo Ferrari and Fontana remained within 1.5s during the opening five laps.

Götz followed in fourth, ahead of Perel, Basz, Webb, Fagg, Jefferies and Meakin. Meanwhile, Osman led Am from Adrian Lewandowski and Wira.

Unlike Saturday, the field completed an orderly opening lap. The leading group then remained closely matched until the mandatory driver-change window opened on Lap 12.

Elite Motorsport completed its stop cleanly, allowing Emson to emerge six seconds ahead of Mansell. Veselaho initially held third, seven seconds behind the leader, although Fontana soon overtook the AF Corse Ferrari.

Testa, Tuck and Loake subsequently passed Veselaho. Meanwhile, Emson controlled the advantage at the front and prevented Mansell from applying meaningful pressure.

The #17 Ferrari ultimately completed 29 laps and took victory by 7.485s over Mansell and Götz. Armanni and Fontana followed in third, thereby adding another podium to their Race 1 win.

Blackthorn completed a perfect Pro-Am weekend. Adam overtook Jedliński during the penultimate lap and secured a second class victory alongside Bateman.

Hahn and Osman won Am for AF Corse, ahead of the Lewandowskis and Mazur. Therefore, the Brazilian pair claimed their third class success of the campaign.

Emson and Lebbon’s fourth victory restored their championship momentum. However, Mansell and Götz’s second-place finish limited the leaders’ advantage to six points.

Race 2

  1. #17 Elite Motorsport with Entire Race Engineering — Tom Emson/Tom Lebbon — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: 29 laps, 1:01:26.958
  2. #71 Team Motopark — Christian Mansell/Maximilian Götz — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — PRO: +7.485s
  3. #911 ZRS Motorsport — Pietro Armanni/Alex Fontana — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — PRO: +10.736s
  4. #63 Scuderia Villorba Corse — Leonardo Moncini/Rodrigo Testa — Lamborghini Huracán Evo 2 — PRO: +14.503s
  5. #707 Al Manar by Dragon Racing — Al Faisal Al Zubair/Ben Tuck — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: +16.875s
  6. #33 Greystone GT — Zac Meakin/Joseph Loake — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — PRO: +20.348s
  7. #96 AF Corse — Yaroslav Veselaho/Lorenzo Ferrari — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: +21.805s
  8. #15 Rinaldi Racing — Dylan Medler/Alessandro Balzan — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: +25.768s
  9. #51 AF Corse — Rafael Durán/David Perel — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PRO: +32.169s
  10. #28 Team Motopark — Marcelo Ramírez/Dominik Baumann — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — PRO: +35.933s
  11. #97 Blackthorn — Charles Bateman/Jonny Adam — Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT3 EVO — PROAM: +43.669s
  12. #777 Olimp Racing — Marcin Jedliński/Karol Basz — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PROAM: +45.596s
  13. #54 CBRX by SPS — Dexter Müller/Yannick Mettler — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — PROAM: +45.987s
  14. #55 AF Corse — Laurent De Meeus/Vincent Abril — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PROAM: +48.786s
  15. #75 Team ISR — Filip Salaquarda/Libor Milota — Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II — PROAM: +59.328s
  16. #11 Fach Auto Tech — Alexander Schwarzer/Alexander Fach — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — PROAM: +59.647s
  17. #25 Into Africa Racing by Dragon Racing International — Xolile Letlaka/Axcil Jefferies — Ferrari 296 GT3 — PROAM: +1:02.923
  18. #7 4F PTT Racing Team — Hubert Darmetko/Fabian Dybionka — BMW M4 GT3 EVO — PROAM: +1:09.542
  19. #16 AF Corse — Marcelo Hahn/Galid Osman — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — AM: +1:19.592
  20. #6 Baron Motorsport Team — Andrzej Lewandowski/Adrian Lewandowski — Ferrari 296 GT3 — AM: +1:23.983
  21. #81 Norik Racing — Norikazu Shibata/Charles Fagg — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — PROAM: +1:28.873
  22. #117 Mikkel O. Pedersen Racing — Mikkel O. Pedersen/Lars Engelbrekt Pedersen — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — PROAM: +1:36.836
  23. #79 Sendom Racing Team — Seweryn Mazur — Lamborghini Huracán Evo 2 — AM: +1:37.785
  24. #12 Fach Auto Tech — Joel Monegro Reyes — Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO — AM: +1:38.034
  25. #88 Track Focused — Darren Kell — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — AM: +1:46.126
  26. #77 Grupo Prom Racing Team — Alfredo Hernández — Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO — AM: one lap
  27. #5 Olimp Racing — Stanislaw Jedliński/Krystian Korzeniowski — Ferrari 296 GT3 EVO — AM: one lap
  28. #24 Greystone GT — Andrey Borodin/Oliver Webb — McLaren 720S GT3 Evo — PROAM: two laps

Not classified

  • #14 Good Speed Racing Team — Piotr Wira — Aston Martin AMR Vantage GT3 EVO — AM: 21 laps.

Race 2 class winners

PRO: #17 Elite Motorsport with Entire Race Engineering — Tom Emson/Tom Lebbon
PROAM: #97 Blackthorn — Charles Bateman/Jonny Adam
AM: #16 AF Corse — Marcelo Hahn/Galid Osman

Race 2 fastest lap

#33 Greystone GT — 2:02.847

Championship standings after Round 5

Emson and Lebbon rebound with a Paul Ricard Race 2 win and retain the 2026 International GT Open lead by six points after Round 5.
Photo Credit: GT Sport | International GT Open

Emson and Lebbon added 15 points through their Race 2 victory and reached 102. However, Mansell and Götz scored 22 points across the weekend, reducing the championship gap from 13 to six.

Armanni and Fontana emerged as the weekend’s biggest beneficiaries. Victory and third place added 25 points to their total, lifting them to 80 and within 22 points of the leaders.

Meakin collected five points alongside Loake in Race 2 and moved to 76. However, Dean Macdonald remained on 71 after missing the Paul Ricard round.

Meanwhile, Team Motopark overtook Elite Motorsport in the Teams’ Championship. Mansell and Götz’s two podiums helped the German team reach 68 points, two ahead of Elite Motorsport.

Bateman’s and Adam’s Pro-Am sweep also transformed their class campaign. Bateman reached 59 points and reduced Fach’s lead to five, while Adam climbed to sixth on 36.

Adrian Lewandowski retained the Am lead with 72 points. Andrzej Lewandowski moved to 62, while Hahn and Osman closed to within three points of second after their Race 2 victory.

Overall Drivers’ Championship

  1. Tom Emson / Tom Lebbon — 102 points
  2. Christian Mansell / Maximilian Götz — 96 points
  3. Pietro Armanni / Alex Fontana — 80 points
  4. Zac Meakin — 76 points
  5. Dean Macdonald — 71 points
  6. Rodrigo Testa / Leonardo Moncini — 49 points
  7. Rafael Durán — 33 points
  8. Alexander Fach — 32 points
  9. Yaroslav Veselaho — 31 points
  10. Al Faisal Al Zubair — 27 points
  11. Tommaso Mosca — 26 points
  12. Alexander Schwarzer — 21 points
  13. Charles Bateman — 20 points
  14. Dominik Baumann / Marcelo Ramírez — 19 points
  15. Thomas Neubauer — 19 points
  16. Ben Tuck — 18 points
  17. Filip Salaquarda / Libor Milota — 16 points
  18. Jonny Adam — 14 points
  19. Lorenzo Ferrari — 12 points
  20. Jayden Kelly / McKenzy Cresswell — 12 points
  21. Marcin Jedliński / Karol Basz — 11 points
  22. Lucas Wolf — 11 points
  23. Fabian Schiller / Anthony Bartone — 10 points
  24. David Fumanelli — 9 points
  25. Dexter Müller / Yannick Mettler — 9 points
  26. Jim Pla / Michaël Blanchemain — 9 points
  27. Laurent De Meeus / Vincent Abril — 8 points
  28. Morgan Tillbrook / Ben Barnicoat — 8 points
  29. David Perel — 7 points
  30. Henrique Chaves — 6 points
  31. Dylan Medler / Alessandro Balzan — 6 points
  32. Joseph Loake — 5 points
  33. Fabian Dybionka / Hubert Darmetko — 5 points
  34. Xolile Letlaka — 1 point
  35. Axcil Jefferies — 1 point
  36. Krystian Korzeniowski — 0 points
  37. James Kell — 0 points
  38. Kobe Pauwels — 0 points
  39. Joel Monegro Reyes — 0 points
  40. Christian Engelhart / Philipp Sager — 0 points
  41. Piotr Wira — 0 points
  42. Tomasz Magdziarz — 0 points
  43. Marcelo Hahn / Galid Osman — 0 points
  44. Huilin Han — 0 points
  45. Adrian Lewandowski — 0 points
  46. Andrzej Lewandowski — 0 points
  47. Charles Fagg / Norikazu Shibata — 0 points
  48. Seweryn Mazur — 0 points
  49. Theodor Jensen / Ameerh Naran — 0 points
  50. Mikkel O. Pedersen / Lars Engelbrekt Pedersen — 0 points
  51. Alfredo Hernández — 0 points
  52. Andrey Borodin / Oliver Webb — 0 points
  53. Stuart White — 0 points
  54. Antal Zsigo / Csaba Walter — 0 points
  55. Stanislaw Jedliński — 0 points
  56. Stéphane Tribaudini — 0 points
  57. Angelo Fontana / André Fernandes — 0 points
  58. Rey Acosta / Marco Bonanomi — 0 points
  59. Scott Noble / Jason Hart — 0 points
  60. Darren Kell — 0 points
  61. Yifei Ye — 0 points
  62. Norbert Siedler — 0 points.

Pro-Am Championship

  1. Alexander Fach — 64 points
  2. Charles Bateman — 59 points
  3. Karol Basz / Marcin Jedliński — 49 points
  4. Alexander Schwarzer — 44 points
  5. Filip Salaquarda / Libor Milota — 43 points
  6. Jonny Adam — 36 points
  7. Yannick Mettler / Dexter Müller — 34 points
  8. Vincent Abril / Laurent De Meeus — 29 points
  9. Michaël Blanchemain / Jim Pla — 28 points
  10. Hubert Darmetko / Fabian Dybionka — 21 points
  11. Lucas Wolf — 20 points
  12. Xolile Letlaka — 20 points
  13. Axcil Jefferies — 20 points
  14. Henrique Chaves — 15 points
  15. Ben Barnicoat / Morgan Tillbrook — 12 points
  16. Norikazu Shibata / Charles Fagg — 9 points
  17. James Kell / Darren Kell — 9 points
  18. Kobe Pauwels — 8 points
  19. Philipp Sager / Christian Engelhart — 3 points
  20. Ameerh Naran / Theodor Jensen — 2 points
  21. Lars Engelbrekt Pedersen / Mikkel O. Pedersen — 1 point
  22. Oliver Webb / Andrey Borodin — 0 points
  23. Stuart White — 0 points.

Am Championship

  1. Adrian Lewandowski — 72 points
  2. Andrzej Lewandowski — 62 points
  3. Galid Osman / Marcelo Hahn — 59 points
  4. Joel Monegro Reyes — 56 points
  5. Piotr Wira — 37 points
  6. Tomasz Magdziarz — 27 points
  7. Seweryn Mazur — 26 points
  8. Krystian Korzeniowski — 22 points
  9. Lucas Wolf — 20 points
  10. Alfredo Hernández — 19 points
  11. Stanislaw Jedliński — 12 points
  12. Huilin Han — 11 points
  13. André Fernandes / Angelo Fontana — 9 points
  14. Antal Zsigo / Csaba Walter — 8 points
  15. Stéphane Tribaudini — 8 points
  16. Darren Kell — 7 points
  17. Rey Acosta / Marco Bonanomi — 0 points
  18. Scott Noble / Jason Hart — 0 points.

Teams’ Championship

  1. Team Motopark — 68 points
  2. Elite Motorsport with Entire Race Engineering — 66 points
  3. Greystone GT — 54 points
  4. ZRS Motorsport — 49 points
  5. AF Corse — 27 points
  6. Scuderia Villorba Corse — 23 points
  7. Fach Auto Tech — 14 points
  8. Al Manar by Dragon Racing — 13 points
  9. GetSpeed — 6 points
  10. Blackthorn — 6 points
  11. Team ISR — 4 points
  12. Good Speed Racing Team — 0 points
  13. Gamota Racing — 0 points
  14. Sendom Racing Team — 0 points
  15. Target Racing — 0 points
  16. Track Focused — 0 points
  17. CBRX by SPS — 0 points
  18. Dinamic GT — 0 points
  19. Baron Motorsport Team — 0 points
  20. AF Motorsport — 0 points
  21. 2 Seas Motorsport — 0 points
  22. 4F PTT Racing Team — 0 points
  23. Grupo Prom Racing Team — 0 points
  24. Into Africa Racing by Dragon Racing International — 0 points
  25. Iron Lynx — 0 points
  26. Mikkel O. Pedersen Racing — 0 points
  27. Norik Racing — 0 points
  28. Olimp Racing — 0 points
  29. Optimum Motorsport — 0 points
  30. PTT Racing — 0 points
  31. Rinaldi Racing — 0 points
  32. Saintéloc Racing — 0 points.

Conclusion: Elite Motorsport responds as title rivals close in

Paul Ricard delivered almost the same challenge that Elite Motorsport faced at the Hungaroring. Emson and Lebbon recorded another Race 1 retirement, while their closest rivals capitalised through podium finishes and victory.

However, the British pair again answered with pole and victory on Sunday. Their response protected the championship lead, although Mansell and Götz moved six points behind and propelled Team Motopark to the top of the Teams’ Championship.

Meanwhile, Armanni and Fontana strengthened their status as genuine title contenders by combining victory with third place. Therefore, with three rounds remaining, Elite Motorsport retains control, but the championship battle continues to tighten.

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