Leipert Motorsport will return to the International GT Open at the 2026 Monza GT Open 500, fielding a Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 for Brendon Leitch and Nicolas Stati in the Pro class.
The German squad, led by Marcel Leipert, last competed in the championship in 2024 and will make a selected return for the penultimate round of the 2026 season. Leitch and Stati will share the #70 Lamborghini at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, adding another Pro entry to a field preparing for the championship’s second 500km endurance race of the year after Spa-Francorchamps.
The pair already have experience working together within Leipert’s Lamborghini programme. Leitch and Stati swept both Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe races at Misano last year before sharing machinery again at the 6 Hours of Abu Dhabi earlier this season, giving the team an established combination for its GT Open comeback.
Leipert returns after two-year GT Open absence
Leipert Motorsport has maintained a long-standing interest in the International GT Open and has made selected appearances when its wider racing programme has allowed. Its latest entry brings the team back to the championship for the first time since 2024.
The return comes at one of the season’s largest events. The Monza GT Open 500 uses a single 500km endurance race rather than the usual two-race format and awards double championship points. With Barcelona the only round remaining afterwards, the event also carries significant implications for the championship contenders.
Leipert enters without championship considerations of its own, allowing Leitch and Stati to focus on an outright result against a Pro field featuring several crews involved in the title fight.
Leitch brings extensive Lamborghini experience
Leitch provides the experienced half of the #70 combination. The 30-year-old New Zealander has competed extensively with Lamborghini machinery and has previous International GT Open experience, giving Leipert a driver familiar with both the car and championship environment.
His Lamborghini record includes winning the 2023 Super Trofeo Europe Pro title, while he has continued racing across different GT programmes since then. That familiarity should be particularly valuable at Monza, where long straights, heavy braking zones and the extended race distance place additional demands on traffic management and consistency.
Leitch will also arrive already familiar with his young teammate following their successful appearances together during 2025.
Stati continues rapid transition into GT racing
Stati, meanwhile, continues a rapid transition from single-seaters into GT competition. The 17-year-old Australian made his GT racing debut during 2025 after building an impressive Formula 4 record that included runner-up finishes in both the Australian and United States championships.
His 2024 F4 U.S. campaign included three victories and 10 podiums, with Stati ultimately finishing only 4.5 points away from the championship. He also finished second in Australian F4 during the same year before moving into Formula Regional-level competition and making his European GB3 debut in 2025.
That single-seater experience quickly translated into success with Lamborghini. Stati and Leitch were paired in the #70 Leipert Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2 at Misano last year and won both races outright, giving the Australian an early demonstration of his potential in GT machinery.
Misano double provides strong foundation
The Misano weekend represented the clearest example of what the Leitch-Stati partnership can produce.
They won the opening Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe race in the #70 Leipert entry before repeating the result in Race 2, where they finished more than 15 seconds ahead of their nearest challenger. The pair therefore completed a clean sweep across the weekend despite entering as guest competitors rather than championship regulars.
Their existing understanding should reduce one of the usual challenges associated with a one-off endurance entry. Rather than needing to establish communication and setup preferences immediately before Monza, Leitch and Stati already know how each other approaches the car and how Leipert operates around them.
The pair also reunited at the 6 Hours of Abu Dhabi earlier this year, adding further endurance experience together before their GT Open appearance.
Monza presents major step for Stati
Despite that shared experience, the GT Open 500 represents another significant step for Stati. Moving from the Super Trofeo version of the Huracán into the GT3 EVO2 introduces a more sophisticated package and places him against an established field of professional GT drivers.
His arrival comes during a season in which the International GT Open Pro class has been particularly competitive. Tom Emson and Tom Lebbon extended their championship advantage with a wet victory at Hockenheim, while Christian Mansell and Maximilian Götz, Zac Meakin, Dean Macdonald, Alex Fontana and Pietro Armanni remain closely grouped behind.
Leipert’s programme carries no need to manage championship points, creating an opportunity for the #70 crew to attack the weekend as a standalone event.
Lamborghini representation strengthened
Leipert’s return also expands Lamborghini’s presence in the Pro category.
Scuderia Villorba Corse has led the manufacturer’s full-season challenge with Leonardo Moncini and Rodrigo Testa in the #63 Huracán GT3 EVO2. The young pairing claimed its breakthrough victory at Hockenheim after converting Moncini’s maiden pole into a controlled Race 1 success.
Monza therefore gives Lamborghini two Pro crews with contrasting objectives. Villorba arrives with momentum from its first victory and remains sixth in the Drivers’ standings, while Leipert adds a fresh line-up built around two drivers already familiar with each other and the manufacturer.
The circuit’s long full-throttle sections also make the weekend an important test of the Huracán package against Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche machinery.
Leipert doubles up with GT Cup Europe entry
GT Open will form only one half of Leipert Motorsport’s Monza programme. The team is also entering the GT Cup Europe during the same weekend, increasing its presence across the GT Sport-organised paddock.
The GT Cup Europe entry pairs Axel Bengtsson with Patrick Wolfe, giving Leipert parallel programmes with Lamborghini machinery across the two championships.
For the German squad, Monza therefore represents a particularly significant weekend as it returns to one familiar championship while expanding into another.
Monza adds another opportunity for one-off contenders
Leipert is one of several additional teams strengthening the field for the 500km race. The endurance format has traditionally attracted entries beyond the regular championship grid, and the 2026 edition again brings additional teams into the Pro category.
That makes the race more unpredictable for the championship contenders. One-off entries can take major points positions without having to consider the title implications, while the longer format introduces additional pit stops, driver management and strategic variables.
Leitch and Stati fit squarely into that group. They arrive without a season-long points target but with proven success together, extensive Lamborghini knowledge and a team experienced in operating the Huracán platform.
Leipert targets strong return at Temple of Speed
The Monza appearance brings together several different stages of Leipert Motorsport’s development. The team returns to a championship it has repeatedly supported through selected outings, Leitch brings extensive GT knowledge, and Stati continues a transition that has taken him from Formula 4 frontrunner to international GT racing in a relatively short period.
Their previous Misano success gives the #70 crew a proven foundation, but the GT Open 500 represents a considerably larger challenge. A longer race, a 34-car field and a highly competitive Pro category will place greater demands on both drivers than their Super Trofeo outings together.
For Leipert, however, the ingredients are familiar: Lamborghini machinery, an endurance-focused event and two drivers who already know how to win together. The team now returns to the International GT Open looking to translate that combination into a competitive result at the Temple of Speed.
