Paul Ricard Test Day Recap - GT World Challenge Europe
- therookiereporters
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
GT World Challenge Europe test days will take place at Circuit Paul Ricard on the 8th and 9th of April ahead of their upcoming first race of the season on April 11, but who came out on top?
The test days saw 58 drivers and 46 teams take part, but what teams could be early championship contenders and which manufacturer looks capable of winning the manufacturer title? Let’s find out!
Day 1
Session 1
Session 1 saw Danish driver Bastian Buus (car no. 80) for Lionspeed GP lead the way in the Pro Cup with a lap time of 1:54.682. In the Silver Cup, Briton - Aliaksandr Malyskin driving for Pure Rxcing emerged quickest. The Bronze Cup was led by Huub van Eijndhoven driving for Herberth Motorsport. At the end of the session the top five were Buus (#80), Winkelhock (#84), Rougier (#111), Gounon (#3) and, van Eijndhoven (#91).
The session also provided an early indication of pace across the field, with Pro Cup entries dominating the top of the overall classification. Lionspeed GP’s performance suggested strong pace from the outset, while the presence of Bronze Cup runner van Eijndhoven inside the overall top five highlighted the mixed nature of running during the session. The most consistent teams throughout this session seemed to be Team WRT and Lionspeed GP, with Porsche and BMW M the manufacturers to look out for.
Session 2
The second session saw Briton Horatio Fitz-Simon (car no. 23) for Team RJN take first in the Silver Cup with a lap time of 1:54.762, while in the Pro Cup, Belgian driver Maxime Martin driving for Mercedes-AMG Team Get Speed emerged quickest. The Bronze Cup was headed by Antares Au driving for Rutronik Racing. Overall standings for this session saw a top five of Fitz-Simon (#23), Au (#97), Martin (#17), Feller (#80) and Juncadella (#3).
This session showed an early indication of pace across the field, with McLaren the manufacturer performing well. There was similar performance between different classes with Bronze Cup and Pro Cup drivers.
However, at the end of day 1, Porsche appears to be the manufacturer on top with 5 of their cars in the top 10 throughout both sessions.
Day 2
Session 1
The only testing session for GT World Challenge Europe at Circuit Paul Ricard on 9th April saw Austrian driver Simon Reicher for Eastalent Racing (car no. 84) lead the session for the Pro Cup. While in the Silver Cup - Briton Aliaksandr Malyskin for Pure Rxcing emerged quickest. The Bronze Cup was led by German driver Ralf Bohn for Herberth Motorsport. The overall standings for this session saw a top five of Reicher (#84), Schuring (#2), Preining (#80), Bohn (#91) and Götz (#17).
This session showed strong pace, especially from the Porsche manufacturer followed by Audi and Mercedes-AMG.
Overall, the test days at Circuit Paul Ricard provided a valuable early picture of the competitive order. With the first race approaching taking place on April 11th, the GT World Challenge Europe grid looks closely matched, setting the stage for an exciting 2026 campaign!
Article written by Ria Wiktor ©️Ria Wiktor 2026
