The Autodromo di Vallelunga hosted the maiden race in GTC Endurance Challenge history. Between unexpected plot twists and daring overtakes, the championship promoted by Riza International put on a fascinating show, also thanks to the five different car manufacturers that were represented on the starting grid.
Most notably, Tuder Motorsport was the only team to bring the Alpine A110 GT4 Evo to the table, a unique piece of machinery that proved to be just as fast as other, more popular alternatives across the GT4 field. Equipped with a 4-cylinder, 1,8-litre turbo engine that delivers just shy of 400 horsepower, the French car was able to shine like a diamond on a complex circuit such as Vallelunga, displaying great straight line speed and impressive cornering prowess.
Driven by Emilio Damante and Edoardo Maccari, the Italian outfit’s Alpine was amongst the favorites for the Am-class win in the opening GTC Endurance Challenge event. Both Damante and Maccari went quickest in class across the two qualifying sessions; the Italian duo then fought long and hard for the race lead throughout Stage-1, and though they held first position up until the final few minutes, they ultimately had to settle for second. History repeated itself in Stage-2, as the Tuder Motorsport pair lost ground after the pit stop window. Still, they were able to finish the final stage in third, while also securing second place on the Am podium in the final race results.
The 2026 GTC Endurance Challenge season is set to continue at the Slovakiaring, where the championship promoted by Riza International will once again race alongside TCR European Endurance from June 5 to June 7.
