MOTORSPORT – BAHRAINI-British GT team 2 Seas Motorsport came close to securing a double podium early yesterday morning in the season-opening round of the 2026 GT World Challenge (GTWC) Europe.
2 Seas, co-owned by Bahrain’s Shaikh Isa bin Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, had two contenders as part of a massive 58-car field, which hit the tarmac in both daytime conditions and in the darkness of night across six action-packed hours at Circuit Paul Ricard in France.
2 Seas’ #222 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo finished an impressive fourth in the Bronze Cup while going 27th overall after starting the race seventh in class and way back in 44th on the grid.
Meanwhile, their teammates in the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo – operated by 2 Seas in collaboration with Team Verstappen Racing, owned by four-time Formula One drivers’ world champion Max Verstappen – was classified seventh amongst Pro Cup runners while placing in the top 10 overall in ninth. They started sixth amongst Pro Cup competitors and from eighth overall.
The all-British triumvirate of Charles Dawson, Kiern Jewiss, and Reece Barr shared the duties in the #222 challenger, and they completed the event having logged 174 laps in total – two behind race winners Comtoyou Racing in their #7 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo. They were also first in the Pro Cup.
Finishing in second overall were Winward Racing’s #48 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, also contesting the Pro Cup, while taking the last spot on the podium were Gold Cup entrants Garage 59 in their #58 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo.
All three completed 176 laps, with Comtoyou narrowly beating Winward to the chequered flag by 0.806 seconds. Garage 59 finished 4.447s back for third.
Behind the wheel of 2 Seas’ #3 car yesterday were Spaniard Daniel Juncadella, Briton Chris Lulham, and Frenchman Jules Gounon. They claimed their place in the overall classification after also posting 176 laps but were 35.708s behind the victors.
Taking the win in the Silver Cup were Pure Rxcing’s #9 Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo, who came 17th overall a lap from first place, while triumphant in the Bronze Cup were Rutronik Racing in their #97 Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo.
Joining Rutronik in the Bronze Cup’s top three, just ahead of 2 Seas’ #222 crew, were Winward’s #87 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo in 22nd overall and Paradine Competition’s #991 BMW M4 GT3 Evo in 23rd.
2 Seas are competing with their two-car entry for the GTWC Europe’s full 2026 calendar, which features both endurance and sprint events.
The championship resumes with round two at Brands Hatch in the UK from May 2 to 3. It will be a sprint meeting.
Other endurance races will be held at Monza in Italy also next month; at Spa in Belgium in June, which will be a 24-hour race; at the Nurburgring in Germany in August; and at Algarve in Portugal in October.
Sprint weekends will also take place at Misano Adriatico in Italy in July; at Magny-Cours in France in July and August; at Zandvoort in the Netherlands in September; and at Barcelona in Spain in October.
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