On-track action for the 2026 GTC Endurance Challenge season finally resumed, as cars hit the track at the Slovakiaring for the opening free practice session. In the maiden outing outside of Italian borders in the history of the series promoted by Riza International, it was Emilio Damante and Edoardo Maccari (Alpine A110 GT4) who set the fastest time thanks to a 2:12.743, which propelled them into first by the end of FP1.
Under the cloudy sky, the duo representing Tuder Motorsport went fastest in a rather windy session, that also saw two early red flags that interrupted proceedings. The Am-class pair was able to beat the Pro-Am entry of Nardilli/Gavazza (BMW M4 GT4 Evo), who had to settle for second by only 0.129s. Trost/Eder (Porsche Cayman 718 GT4) set the third fastest time while securing second position in the Am category, finishing just in front of the other Porsche of Visdomini/Kamiloglu, who were also the second quickest Pro-Am entry. The fifth quickest time, as well as third place in the Am standings, belonged to this weekend’s newcomers Racing Animals, with the all-Ukrainian duo of Yeremenko/Volobuiev (Audi R8 GT4), while Bastos/Ebrahim (Aston Martin Vantage GT4) finished sixth. It was a difficult start for Lema Racing, on the other hand, as both their Mercedes AMG GT4s were unable to set a representative lap time in the opening session.
The on-track action on Friday is far from over. The second free practice session is scheduled to get underway at 14:10 local time, while qualifying starts at 17:40 local time with two 15-minute turns. The two stages, shared on track with TCR European Endurance, will steal the show throughout the rest of the weekend. Stage-1 will take place on Saturday 6 June at 10:05 local time, while the green flag for stage-2 is set to be waived on Sunday 7 June at 11:40 local time. Both stages will be broadcast on GO-TV’s official YouTube channel, with Daniele Spadi providing commentary on both occasions, and also on PitwallTV and Acelera GP’s YouTube channels.
