• Lionspeed GP’s strong performance goes unrewarded
• Double DNF for Lionspeed GP in six-hour Endurance Cup opener at Paul Ricard
• Tim Mol and Jose Garcia complete GT3 Revival Series debut
• Nordschleife Permit-A for Adam Adelson, Bruno Spengler, Joel Monegro and Jake Hill

Enormous potential, tremendous heartbreak: Lionspeed GP was left empty-handed in the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup season opener at Paul Ricard after a double DNF. Across a busy weekend for the team, it also competed in both the new GT3 Revival Series and NLS3.

The six-hour race at the Le Castellet circuit marked a significant new chapter for the team, as it brought the debut of its Pro effort with the No. 80 Porsche 911 GT3 R. With a world-class driver lineup of Bastian Buus (DEN), Ricardo Feller (CHE) and Thomas Preining (AUT) and with the support of partner Potentia, a North American-based developer of next-generation industrial and AI infrastructure, the team was ready to take on its biggest challenge to date.

Across the other side of the garage, the team’s well-established Bronze Cup effort showcased Lionspeed’s trademark red and white ‘Simba’ livery, supported by long-time partners Manorhaven, Abacus Global Management, Staloc and Beyond Capital Partners. 2026 marks Lionspeed’s third season in Bronze Cup, with Bashar Mardini (CAN) making his Endurance Cup debut, joined by team principal Patrick Kolb (GER) and team newcomer Alex Fontana (CHE).

GTWC Europe has been the home for Lionspeed across the previous two seasons, with the team regularly proving that it belongs on the highest level of European GT3 racing with consistently strong performances and convincing results.

The two crews worked through both the Prologue and Free Practice sessions diligently, with the mint-coloured No. 80 topping the Prologue timings, finishing fastest overall. Qualifying on Saturday morning resulted in a strong fifth place overall for the No. 80 car. The sister No. 89 machine, meanwhile, lined up eighth in Bronze Cup. The six-hour race got underway at 18:00 on Saturday evening and a chaotic opening lap immediately brought a swift and undeserving end to the No. 89 car’s run. After he was taken out wide by a Pro car, Mardini hit the wall on the exit of Turn 7, with the damage proving too significant to repair.

Out in front, the No. 80 Porsche ran solidly in the top ten early on, with Buus taking the start, remaining in touch with the leading pack and moving up to sixth before handing over to Preining. The Austrian pushed further towards the front, capturing second place with a spectacular, five-wide overtake on Paul Ricard’s iconic Mistral straight.

Once in second place, the Porsche set its sight on the lead of the race and began to chip away at the deficit to first place. A battle for first place appeared to be shaping up when a sudden and unexpected power steering issue brought an end to the race for the No. 80 car.

Despite the disappointing result, the team displayed strong pace and proved itself worthy of racing in the top class of one of the world’s most competitive GT3 racing championships.

Across the rest of the weekend, Lionspeed was active in two other championships as part of a busy weekend for the team. On the Paul Ricard support bill, the team was on the grid for the debuting GT3 Revival Series. Tim Mol (NED) and Jose Garcia (USA) drove the No. 80 Porsche 997 GT3 R, which was a new experience for both drivers after primarily competing in older historic machinery in previous years. The two drivers enjoyed a clean weekend, finishing 23rd in both races.

Some 1000 kilometers to the north, Lionspeed’s ongoing Nordschleife Permit-A program continued with a two-car entry into NLS3 as Adam Adelson (USA), Bruno Spengler (CAN) and Joel Monegro (DR) obtained the much sought-after permit during the four-hour Adenauer ADAC Rundstrecken-Trophy.

Thomas Preining: “All in all a good start to the season, maybe not in terms of result, but I was positively impressed by the Potentia x Lionspeed Porsche’s performance and the showing we did. Fighting for a podium and overall win in the teams’ debut in the Pro class is a good base to build on.”

“Lionspeed’s operation has grown significantly since its inception in 2024, and this season marks another major milestone, with two cars competing in GTWC Endurance alongside a total of three parallel programmes,” said team principal Patrick Kolb. “This progress has only been possible thanks to the unwavering commitment of every single team member and the longstanding support of our sponsors and partners, which makes us incredibly proud. While it was heartbreaking to see our GTWC opener slip away unrewarded this weekend, we know we have the pace to fight for victories in one of the world’s most competitive racing series.”