Lionspeed GP wins Magny-Cours Race 2 in dominant Sprint Cup fashion

Lionspeed GP wins Magny-Cours Sprint Cup Race 2 Lionspeed GP and fires up the title fight

Lionspeed GP wins Magny-Cours Sprint Cup Race 2 Lionspeed GP in the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup, and it was an absolute statement. Ricardo Feller and Bastian Buus drove the #80 Porsche to a dominant victory. Their crew delivered another stunning pit stop, a full second faster than the competition. This team has turned the pit lane into their secret weapon.

Thiim’s penalty and a red flag shake everything up

Nicki Thiim started from pole in the #7 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin but collected a ten-second time penalty almost immediately for a jumped start. That handed the initiative to Marvin Kirchhöfer in the #59 Garage 59 McLaren, who sat comfortably in P2 through the opening stint. Kirchhöfer and Thiim pulled clear of the field, building a handy margin heading into the pit window.

Then Dustin Blattner had a massive crash that changed everything. The reigning Bronze Cup champion hit the wall hard after the #74 Kessel Racing Ferrari was struck by Rinat Salikhov and fired into the inside barrier at Adelaide. Blattner was taken to hospital for checks. Damaged barriers forced a long neutralisation and delayed the pit window entirely.

Lionspeed GP wins Magny-Cours thanks to a perfect pit stop

When the field pitted under the rearranged window, Lionspeed GP struck. Feller brought the Porsche in, the crew nailed the stop by a full second over everyone else, and Buus rejoined as the race leader. Just like that, the gap the front-runners had spent the whole first stint building was gone. The red flag had wiped it out, and Lionspeed GP capitalised perfectly.

Behind Buus, the #30 Team WRT BMW of Matisse Lismont and Ignacio Montenegro emerged as a surprise second-place runner, carrying the Silver Cup entry into a remarkable overall podium position. The #50 AF Corse Ferrari and the Rutronik Racing Lamborghini followed them, with the Lamborghini finally showing the pace its season had been missing.

Engstler delivers a historic Lamborghini moment

The battle for the final podium spot was proper racing. Luca Engstler, who took over from Patric Niederhauser, pulled off a clean overtake on Thomas Neubauer and grabbed third place. That move handed Lamborghini and the Temerario their first-ever GTWC podium. Big moment for the brand. Buus crossed the line in control, sealing a crucial win for Lionspeed GP in the title race.

Class winners: Silver, Gold and Bronze Cup results

Lismont and Montenegro not only finished second overall but won the Silver Cup convincingly. They are now very close to wrapping up the Silver title. In the Gold Cup, Arthur Rougier and James Kell took the win for CSA Racing in the #111 McLaren. Kell held off a late charge from Dean MacDonald in the final stages to secure it.

The Bronze Cup went to Paradine Competition, with Darren Leung and Augusto Farfus taking the team’s first win of the season in the #991 BMW. A penalty for Winward Racing’s #87 car helped them into the lead position. Their first win of the campaign, and they earned it.

Verstappen Racing and WRT leave Magny-Cours disappointed

The #3 Mercedes-AMG of Verstappen Racing had won Race 1 on Saturday but could only manage P8 here after a slow pit stop cost them dearly. Winward Racing had an even tougher day, with the #48 car classified a lowly 19th. Team WRT suffered badly too. Kelvin van der Linde lost all his qualifying times due to a technical infringement and started from the back. He recovered positions quickly but eventually retired after contact. Tough weekend for a team that expected much more from Magny-Cours.

What’s next for the GT World Challenge Sprint Cup?

The GT World Challenge Europe now heads into its summer break. The next Endurance Cup round takes place at the Nürburgring from 28 to 30 August. The Sprint Cup returns on 18 to 20 September at Circuit Zandvoort, where two more races will decide a huge chunk of the championship standings. After this result at Magny-Cours, Lionspeed GP will arrive in Zandvoort full of confidence. The title fight is very much alive.