R5 GTCE - Barcelona / Blog

Round five of the GT Cup Europe took us to the iconic Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. As the penultimate round of the 2025 season, everything is still up for grabs. With its flowing layout, long straights, and high-speed corners, this track is a true test for both drivers and machines. At 4.675 km, it’s particularly demanding in the final sector, where tire degradation plays a big role. In short: the perfect stage for a thrilling race weekend.

Thursday – First laps

The weekend kicked off with Thursday’s free practice.

Nicolas and Nathan put the #57 car in P2 overall and P2 in the AM class.

Stienes and Nicolas Saelens in the #11 finished P4 overall, securing P2 in PRO-AM.

Lars and Gonçalo skipped the session and were set to join the action on Friday.

Friday – Heat and pace

With FP2 and FP3 on Friday, the pace began to build. Stienes and Nicolas improved their time to a 1:45.911, while Lars and Gonçalo joined the track for the first time, matching the #57’s pace with a 1:46.524 — good enough for P4 in the SILVER class.

Track temperatures reached 32°C, making conditions tough but showing that all cars had strong pace going into qualifying and the races.

Saturday – Podiums all around

Saturday started with qualifying:

Stienes (#11) – P4 overall, P2 in PRO-AM
Lars (#53) – P7 overall, P4 in SILVER
Nicolas (#57) – P13 overall, P4 in AM

In the afternoon, under a scorching 39°C, it was time for Race 1. It turned out to be a fantastic race filled with close battles, and the team secured podiums across all classes:

Lars and Gonçalo finished P3 overall and P3 in SILVER.
Nicolas and Nathan secured P2 in AM.
Stienes and Nicolas grabbed P3 in PRO-AM.

An excellent set of results and valuable championship points.

Sunday – From attack to setback

Sunday brought another qualifying session, this time with Nathan, Gonçalo, and Nicolas Saelens at the wheel. They delivered:

P3 in AM,
P2 in SILVER,
P4 in PRO-AM.

The race began perfectly, with all cars moving forward in the opening laps. Lars and Gonçalo even fought for the overall lead, but misfortune struck in the second half of the race, forcing the #53 to retire.

Meanwhile, the other cars brought home more strong finishes:

Nicolas and Nathan finished P4 overall and P2 in AM.
Stienes and Nicolas secured another P3 in PRO-AM.

Thank you & looking ahead

A huge thanks to the entire crew for keeping the cars in top shape throughout such a hot and demanding weekend. We leave Barcelona with multiple podiums, solid points, and full determination to push harder in Monza.