The 2026 International GT Open season resumes at Hockenheim in mid-September with the championship battles finely poised across all three classes and 27 cars preparing for the sixth round of the 2026 campaign.
Hockenheim begins the decisive final stretch of the season, with only Monza and Barcelona remaining after the German event. The Pro title fight features four teams and four manufacturers, while Pro-Am has developed into a similarly close four-way contest. Am offers a slightly clearer picture, although several combinations remain firmly capable of challenging championship leader Adrian Lewandowski.
The 27-car entry also brings several additions, including former F1 driver Nikita Mazepin and Lin Hodenius with Team Motopark, while Förch Racing by Atlas Ward begins a three-round programme ahead of its planned full-season GT Open campaign in 2027.
Hockenheim begins decisive phase of GT Open season
The Hockenheimring provides the first challenge after the summer break as GT Open enters the final three rounds of the year. Its mixture of long straights, heavy braking zones and the distinctive Motodrom should offer opportunities for both overtaking and strategic variation across the weekend.
The championship picture adds further significance to the German round. Only 26 points cover the leading four Pro contenders, while Pro-Am features four different manufacturers among its top four and an even tighter battle at the head of the standings.
Hockenheim therefore represents more than simply the resumption of racing. Any major swing in Germany could shape the title fights before the championship moves to Monza and ultimately reaches its Barcelona finale.
Emson and Lebbon lead four-way Pro battle
Elite Motorsport’s Tom Emson and Tom Lebbon arrive at Hockenheim at the head of the overall standings after establishing themselves as the most successful pairing of the season so far.
The British duo have claimed four victories in their Ferrari 296 GT3 and hold a six-point advantage over Team Motopark’s Christian Mansell and Maxi Götz. The Mercedes-AMG pairing have won only once, although that success came in the double-points race at Spa, while four second-place finishes have helped maintain their consistent championship challenge.
ZRS Motorsport’s Pietro Armanni and Alex Fontana remain firmly involved in third. Their Porsche has scored three victories and sits 22 points behind the Elite Ferrari, making another strong weekend essential if they want to carry a realistic title challenge into Monza.
A further four points back sits Greystone GT’s Zac Meakin, who shares the McLaren with Dean Macdonald. Their single victory has kept them within range, leaving four manufacturers represented among the championship’s leading four combinations.
Villorba Corse searches for first Pro victory
The Pro category is the largest class at Hockenheim with 11 entries, giving the championship contenders plenty of competition beyond their direct title rivals.
Villorba Corse’s Leonardo Moncini and Rodrigo Testa sit fifth in the standings after producing several competitive performances without yet converting them into victory. The young Lamborghini pairing will again target that breakthrough as they attempt to strengthen their position behind the championship-leading quartet.
AF Corse brings two Ferrari 296 GT3s into the class. Rafael Durán shares one with Tommaso Mosca, while Yaroslav Veselaho and Lorenzo Ferrari continue together in the second car, giving the Italian squad multiple opportunities to challenge near the front.
Team Motopark also expands its presence to three Pro Mercedes-AMGs. Marcelo Ramírez and Dominik Baumann continue their regular programme, while Mazepin and Hodenius make their GT Open debuts in the additional entry.
New combinations add depth to Pro field
Greystone GT adds another McLaren alongside its championship-contending entry, with McKenzy Cresswell returning to the championship alongside Spain’s Alejandro Geppert.
Cresswell already has GT Open experience from last season, while Geppert joins him as the British team increases its representation during the closing part of the campaign. The additional car gives Greystone another opportunity to gather information while Meakin and Macdonald continue their title push.
Double TT Racing provides another new addition with a Ferrari 296 GT3 for Leonardo Colavita and Gilles Renmans. Their arrival further increases Ferrari’s presence in a class already containing Elite Motorsport and AF Corse machinery.
With 11 Pro cars representing Ferrari, Mercedes-AMG, Porsche, McLaren and Lamborghini, Hockenheim offers one of the deepest outright fields of the season.
Fach carries narrow Pro-Am advantage
The Pro-Am championship closely mirrors the overall fight, with four manufacturers occupying the first four positions and only 21 points separating the leading quartet.
Alexander Fach leads for Fach Auto Tech after taking four class victories in the Porsche. Alexander Schwarzer again joins him for the final three rounds, with the pair carrying a five-point advantage into Hockenheim.
Blackthorn’s Charles Bateman provides the nearest challenge and will again share the Aston Martin Vantage with Jonny Adam. Bateman transformed the championship picture with a double victory at Paul Ricard, significantly reducing Fach’s advantage ahead of the summer break.
The results in France have therefore ensured that Hockenheim begins with the leading two separated by only five points, leaving little margin for error as the season approaches its conclusion.
Olimp Racing and ISR remain in Pro-Am contention
Marcin Jedlinski and Karol Basz sit third in the Pro-Am standings for Olimp Racing, 15 points away from the championship lead. Their Ferrari has built its challenge through consistent scoring, keeping the Polish pairing within realistic striking distance despite the stronger victory totals of Fach and Bateman.
ISR Racing follows another six points behind with Libor Milota and Filip Salaquarda in the Audi R8 LMS GT3. The Czech combination has also relied heavily on consistency and remains capable of benefiting if the leading two encounter problems.
Several other combinations add further depth to the class. Dexter Müller and Yannick Mettler continue with SPS in the Mercedes-AMG, while Michaël Blanchemain and Jim Pla represent Saintéloc Racing in another Audi.
Greystone GT fields Andrey Borodin and Ollie Webb in its Pro-Am McLaren, while Track Focused continues with James and Dean Kell. Into Africa Racing by Dragon completes the class with its Ferrari for Xolile Letlaka and Axcil Jefferies.
Adrian Lewandowski controls Am standings
The Am championship arrives at Hockenheim with a somewhat clearer hierarchy, although the title remains far from settled.
Adrian Lewandowski leads in the Baron Motorsport Ferrari with a 10-point advantage over his father and teammate Andrzej Lewandowski. The gap reflects Andrzej having missed one round, leaving the two Baron drivers on different totals despite sharing the same programme.
The greater external threat comes from AF Corse’s Marcelo Hahn and Allam Khodair, who sit 13 points behind Adrian Lewandowski. The Brazilian pairing have scored three class victories, more than anyone else in Am, giving them a strong foundation for the final three rounds.
Joel Monegro also remains in contention for Fach Auto Tech. The Dominican driver will share the Porsche with Lukas Wolf through the remainder of the campaign as he attempts to maintain his championship challenge.
Förch Racing begins three-round GT Open programme
The Am field gains another notable entry at Hockenheim as Förch Racing by Atlas Ward begins its programme for the final three rounds of 2026.
The Polish squad will field a Porsche 911 GT3 R for Jakub Dwernicki and Tomasz Magdziarz, using Hockenheim, Monza and Barcelona as preparation for a planned full GT Open campaign in 2027. The programme marks a return to the championship for the team after its previous appearance at Monza in 2017.
Olimp Racing’s Stanislaw Jedlinski and Kristian Korzeniowski continue in their Ferrari, while Alfredo Hernández remains a solo entrant with Grupo Prom Racing’s Mercedes-AMG. Seweryn Mazur likewise continues alone in the Sendom Racing Lamborghini.
The additional Porsche increases the Am field while giving Förch Racing an opportunity to benchmark itself against established GT Open opposition before committing to a complete season next year.
Four-way battles set tone for Hockenheim
Few rounds this season have carried as much potential to reshape the championship picture as Hockenheim. The overall standings feature four different manufacturers within 26 points, while only 21 separate the leading four Pro-Am contenders.
Emson and Lebbon arrive with the advantage in Pro, but Mansell and Götz remain within six points after building their campaign around consistency. Armanni and Fontana have already demonstrated race-winning pace with ZRS Motorsport, while Meakin and Macdonald remain close enough to capitalise on any problems ahead.
Pro-Am presents an equally delicate balance between Fach, Bateman, Jedlinski and Milota, while Adrian Lewandowski enters Germany trying to protect a more substantial but far from secure advantage in Am.
With only Monza and Barcelona to follow, Hockenheim marks the point at which every dropped result becomes increasingly difficult to recover. The summer break is over, and the final phase of the 2026 GT Open title fights is ready to begin.
