Preview: GTWC 6hrs of Paul Ricard

Text: Rick Kiewiet

Images: SRO

The 2025 season of GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS kicks off this weekend (April 11–13) with the return of the six-hour Endurance Cup race at Circuit Paul Ricard. The southern French circuit plays host to a record-matching 59-car grid, setting the stage for another ultra-competitive campaign featuring 10 manufacturers and a four-class structure. The green flag flies Saturday at 18:00 CEST (17:00 GMT), and as always, you can follow every lap live on the GT World YouTube channel.

10 Manufacturers, 59 Cars

Following a busy Prologue last month at the same venue – which saw 57 cars test in mixed conditions – the championship is ready to go racing. The Endurance Cup opener brings together all 10 manufacturers competing globally in GTWC: Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Ford, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG, Porsche, and Corvette.

It's the latter’s first full-season return since 2014, entering with the new Z06 GT3.R model.

The entry list features plenty of variety, with new and returning squads. Among the most notable changes, Nordique Racing has moved its Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo entry into the Pro class, while Steller Motorsport will debut its new Corvette in Silver Cup after initially being listed in Bronze.

Pro Class: Champions Return, Newcomers Enter

The top category sees 18 entries, with defending champions AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors back with two Ferrari 296 GT3s. BMW powerhouse Team WRT enters with factory backing including Valentino Rossi and Maxime Martin, while Rowe Racing complements with a two-car effort.

Other highlights include:

• Mercedes-AMG: Four entries, including Nordique’s newly promoted Pro car.

• McLaren: Represented by CSA Racing and Garage 59.

• Porsche: Three Pro entries from Schumacher CLRT, Rutronik Racing, and Pure Rxcing.

• Lamborghini: GRT and VSR both field strong Huracán EVO2 lineups.

• Ford: HRT Ford Performance brings the striking new Mustang GT3 to the grid.

Class Overview: Gold Cup, Silver Growth & Bronze Battles

Gold Cup features eight cars, featuring a well-balanced grid with Aston Martin, McLaren, Lamborghini, Porsche, Audi and BMW all represented. Among the lineups, Herberth Motorsport’s #92 Porsche makes the move up from Bronze with Rolf Ineichen, Joel Sturm and Tim Heinemann. Eye-catcher is of course the #33 Verstappen.com Aston Martin, run by 2 seas motorsport: the team of 4-times F1 World Champion Max Verstappen with drivers Thierry Vermeulen, Chris Lulham and Harry King.

Silver Cup is booming in 2025 with 17 entries – nearly doubling from recent seasons. Nine manufacturers are represented here, with only Ferrari absent. Notable here is the switch of Steller Motorsport’s Corvette #24 from Bronze to Silver and new names like Optimum Motorsport’s McLaren entry for Mikey Porter and Largim Ali.

Bronze Cup rounds out the field with 16 entries, including the all-Qatari crew of QMMF by Saintéloc Racing and the familiar father-son duo of Louis and Jef Machiels returning in the #52 Ferrari. Herberth Motorsport’s #91 car, featuring the Renauer twins and Ralf Bohn, also returns for another campaign.