+ MZR KTM and CMR Ginetta share the spoils on the Italian coast
+ Gialdini/Njor and Härtling/Thilenius control the classes
+ Mixed weekend for Prette closes up the Masters chase
+ Thousands of fans soak up the sun across busy weekend of action

The GT2 European Series powered by Pirelli turned up the heat in Misano with two scorching races on the Italian coast featuring plenty of thrills and spills.

A 21-car field put on a fascinating show in front of a healthy crowd that had flocked to Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for GT World’s eagerly anticipated return. The event combined the GT2 Europe grid with the GT4 European Series and McLaren Trophy Europe before a packed GT World Challenge Sprint Cup field headlined the on-track action. Throw in the high-energy Elektronfest concert on Saturday evening at it made for an event not to forget.

GINETTA MAKES ITS MARK AS MARTIN DENIED HISTORY
 

It may have taken six races, but we finally have the first repeat winner of the GT2 season as Ethan Gialdini and Mikkel Njor bounced back from a troubled Saturday to score a big win in the finale. And the headlines didn’t stop there after Célia Martin was denied a piece of history in Race 1 after she and Luca Pirri’s Maserati was disqualified from a result that would have made Martin GT2’s first female winner.

Martin and Pirri had charged to second from fifth on the grid aboard their LP Racing Maserati and then inherited top spot when early leader Antoine Potty suffered a scary accident that destroyed his i4Race Maserati. Pirri soaked up significant pressure from team-mate Lorenzo Marcucci in LP’s chasing Audi across the second half only to briefly lose the lead before Marcucci then spun away a sure win late on. While the #18 crossed the line first, it was found to be underweight and disqualified.

That handed the overall win to MZR’s KTM crew of Marius Aigner and Reinhard Kofler, who beat Silver winners Marcucci and Stefan Rosina. The loss of the #18 also shook up the Masters title race, with Philippe Prette inheriting the class win to stretch his points advantage.

Gialdini and Njor were forced to watch most of that action from the pits after their #3 Ginetta was ruled out with suspension damage, but with the car repaired for Saturday they charged up the order.

Starting fifth, they picked their way through from fifth on the grid, with Njor pulling the decisive pass on the Pro-Am SR Motorsport by Schnitzelalm Mercedes-AMG shared by pole-sitter Jay Mo Härtling and David Thilenius with a handful of minutes left. 

Rosina and Marcucci claimed a second runner-up finish, a remarkable turnaround considering their Audi missed all of testing and practice with a persistent electrical issue. Härtling and Thilenius still comfortably took the Pro-Am class win to extend their points advantage.

Prette looked set to bank yet more points before a late clash forced the #1 Maserati out with suspension damage. Prette’s first retirement of the season opened the door for Viktor Mraz to close the points gap as he won aboard the RTR Projects KTM he shares with Davit Kajaia.

MIXED BAG FOR ACADEMY CANDIDATES
 

The SRO GT Academy candidates took turns to impress at Misano. Potty secured a brace of Silver class poles and ran at the head of the pack for the opening stint of Race 1, before a mechanical failure caused his heavy impact with the barriers. Indeed, the Belgian might well have added more Academy points on Sunday.

Härtling was the Race 2 pole-sitter and produced a mature performance during his stint, as did his Schnitzelalm team-mate Moritz Wiskirchen. CMR Ginetta duo Gialdini and Njor were both seriously impressive in the second contest, while Niccoló Pirri earned his maiden Pro-Am podium in Race 1. Adrián Ferrer’s Mercedes-AMG retired from Race 1 with overheating, but he fought back to finish fifth overall and third in Silver in Race 2. With only two rounds left in which to impress, the battle to earn a place on the 2027 GT World Challenge grid is now at a critical moment.

Next, a maiden visit to Zandvoort will represent the penultimate round of the 2026 campaign. The Dutch seaside venue stages its event on 18-20 September, when GT2 Europe will once again join forces with GT World Challenge and GT4 Europe for a tripleheader of international GT action.