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GT World Challenge Europe – Endurance Cup Round 4

Sep 4, 2025 | Partnerships

Last Updated on September 4, 2025

GT World Challenge Europe – Endurance Cup Round 4

While the legendary Nordschleife may be Nürburgring’s most iconic layout, this weekend’s GT World Challenge Europe race took place on the fast and technical Grand Prix Circuit. A 5.1 kilometer track packed with flowing corners, heavy braking zones, and high-stakes overtaking opportunities. With 61 GT3 cars on the grid, it was the penultimate round of the Endurance Cup and a battle of strategy, consistency, and outright speed.

From P13 to P5: The #63 Lamborghini storms through the Nürburgring Grand Prix Circuit

For GRT – Grasser Racing Team and the #63 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2, supported by Mountain Wolf and LIQUI MOLY, it was a weekend that tested every ounce of determination, ending with a powerful charge into the Top 5 after 3 hours of racing.

Unpredictable Qualifying shakes up the grid

The weekend kicked off with changing weather conditions that turned qualifying into a strategic gamble. The team struggled to find the ideal window and rhythm, ultimately placing 13th on the grid, far from ideal in such a densely packed field. But in endurance racing, the journey doesn’t end at qualifying, it only begins.

Full commitment from lap one: The fight begins

Mirko Bortolotti took the start and wasted no time slicing through traffic. By the end of his stint, the #63 Lamborghini had climbed into seventh place, a clear signal of intent. Luca Engstler took over during the first pit window and continued the attack, but an ill-timed Full Course Yellow during the stop window shuffled the order, costing valuable positions and temporarily pushing the car outside the Top 10.

Pepper's final push seals a strong finish

With the clock ticking and the pressure rising, Jordan Pepper jumped into the car for the final hour. Methodically and relentlessly, he picked off competitors one by one, showcasing both speed and precision. By the final lap, he had brought the car back to sixth overall, and after a post-race time penalty applied to another car, the #63 Lamborghini was officially classified P5.

GT World Challenge Europe – Endurance Cup Round 4

Looking ahead: Final showdown in Barcelona

With this result, the #63 crew stays in the hunt for a podium finish in the Endurance Cup standings. The final race of the season is just around the corner: October 10–13 at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where everything will be on the line.
This team has proven one thing — they won’t stop fighting until the final checkered flag.

Mirko Bortolotti (ITA) / Luca Engstler (GER) / Jordan Pepper (RSA)
#63 GRT Grasser-Racing-Team
PRO CUP
Qualifying: P13 – Race: P5

“It was a difficult and tough weekend. We struggled to find the right balance during the practice sessions, but in the end we were able to make the most of it with a fantastic performance in the race. Despite an extremely chaotic and unfortunate qualifying session, the team and my teammates did an excellent job, and I am very happy with the start and the first stint, where we were able to make up a lot of positions.”

Mirko Bortolotti

“Yes, an emotional weekend has come to an end. I am, of course, very happy that we kept coming back as a team, stuck together, and did a great job, moving up from P13 to P5. My stint was massively compromised by the full-course yellow phase at the end, which cost us five or six positions. I think we had a good chance of finishing on the podium, which the team really deserved. But that’s racing. I think we did a good job and showed strong pace—that’s the most important thing. We can build on that for the next races. We’re still fighting for the podium in the championship, and that has to be our goal.”

Luca Engstler

“P5 today feels like a little victory given the circumstances. Unfortunately, a difficult qualifying session due to some factors outside our control put us in a difficult position. After some incredible performances by everyone involved, we found ourselves in contention for the podium, but a poorly timed FCY knocked us out of the top 10. I enjoyed the last 45 minutes, in which we fought our way back to fifth place by the checkered flag, and I think we got the maximum out of today. As always, a big thank you to the entire team for their work. We made the most of our package, which we can be very proud of, and of course to our partners for their support.”

Jordan Pepper

“We can be very happy with the result. The team did a great job and moved the car up from P13 to P5. Unfortunately, the car classification made it very difficult for us to find the right balance and, as a result, the pace we needed. The full-course yellow phase during the last pit stop window completely ruined our strategy, as it did for many others – otherwise, a podium finish might have been possible.”

Gottfried Grasser, team principal of GRT

Photos: © SRO Motorsports Group / Gruppe C Photography

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