April 1, 2026 | News
The GT3, GT4 and Cup-spec machines will race across two 30-minute sprints and a 50-minute pitstop race, as part of Hockenheim’s Preis der Stadt Stuttgart event. Additionally, teams will benefit from several hours of pre-event testing on Friday, ensuring that all parties will be well-positioned to compete at the highest level over the weekend.
In addition to significant track time, competitors will benefit from GEDLICH Racing’s Driver Mentor. The role is performed by five-time Le Mans winner Frank Biela, who will offer guidance and advice to optimise the on- and off-track performance of GT Summer Series competitors.
GT3: Winter Series regulars step up to take on Germany’s best
In the GT3 category, Balance of Performance (BoP) will be taken a step further, with greater performance restrictions placed on line-ups featuring professional drivers. In-turn, line-ups exclusively featuring bronze drivers will receive performance breaks, with more power and less weight. This effectively levels the playing field across the many demographics of GT racing competitors.
The GT3 battle is set to be a competitive affair, as teams familiar to GEDLICH Racing’s GT Winter Series will go head-to-head with established front-runners from the German racing scene.
The Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II has proven that it is still an effective tool across multiple championships in 2026, and this is also reflected in the entry at Hockenheim; no fewer than four examples of the four-ringed V10 are set to compete. Pierre Lemmerz joins the grid in his distinctively-presented R8. It is anticipated that Lemmerz’s driver coach – Alexander Kroker – will also take to the track in the 50-minute pitstop race.
The ever-quick Thomas Westarp will take the wheel of the CCS Racing Audi, while Bertold Gruhn (Gruhn Motorsport) and Thomas König (Equipe Vitesse) are also set to add to the Audi ranks at Hockenheim.
Elsewhere in GT3, Lamborghini will be represented by the Leipert Motorsport team, as the experienced Gregor Drasal joins the grid in an Evo1-spec Huracán GT3. DB Motorsport adds a Porsche in the form of Hermann Speck’s 991.2 GT3 R, while the signature rumble of Mercedes-AMG’s GT3 Evo will be provided by PTT Racing. The Polish team is a regular in the GT Winter Series, and will once again deploy Przemyslaw Bienkowski and Mateusz Lisowski in the Mercedes. After finishing third in the GT3 standings of the Winter Series, Bienkowski and Lisowski will be eager to move even higher up the points tables in summer.
Entries are still flowing in; expect compelling additions to the top class ahead of the green flag, bringing the 20+ car grid to an even bigger number for the inaugural event at the Hockenheimring.
Cup, GT4 and the ‘X’ classes: A variety show in prospect
PTT Racing also features in the Cup 2 class, for Porsche 992 Cup machinery. Igor Klaja – who remained in contention for the overall GT Winter Series title until the final race – will pilot his familiar 992, with a view to adding to his already-significant 2026 trophy collection. Cup 2 will also feature a two-car entry from Liechtenstein’s SA Motorsport, as Urs Frick and Mike Janser look to start the year on a high. RaceLab and XR Racing will add further depth to the Cup 2 class, entering 992 Cup cars for Johnny Pedersen and Marco Reinbold.
Cup 4 – for Lamborghini Super Trofeo machines – will see Ole Petersen enter his OP Motorsport Huracán Super Trofeo Evo 2. Another Super Trofeo will compete in the hands of Franz Binder. The 1987 Austrian F3 Cup champion is making a return to racing after decades away from the sport, and will compete under a national licence; thus, the car has to be capped at 3.0kg per hp, per DMSB regulations.
The GT4 category sees yet more V10 Audi representation, as Seyffarth Motorsport enters a pair of Audi R8 LMS GT4s for Tobias Erdmann and Bernd Schaible, as well as solo driver Christoph Malbertz. Reiter Racing will enter a Porsche Cayman GT4 RS CS for eponymous driver Daniel Reiter, who has several years of experience with the Cayman platform. In GT4, success ballast is set to be implemented, to ensure compelling battles and opportunity for all as the season unfolds. Serial GT4 championship winners W&S Motorsport are also set to join the opening round, while fellow Winter Series regulars East Racing Motorsport are expected to join the grid from Oschersleben onwards.
Much like the GT Winter Series, the Summer Series aims to deliver an open and welcoming environment, and this is exemplified by the GTX and TCX classes. Gruhn Motorsport fields an Audi TT Cup for Dominik Gruhn, while Thilo Goos and Mattis Pluschkell enter an Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4 under the BWT Mucke Motorsport umbrella. The first-generation GT4 Aston has routinely challenged more modern machinery in the GT4 Winter Series, and will likely do the same in Hockenheim. GTX is likely to receive an additional entry from RaceLab, in the form of the impressive KTM X-Bow GT2.
Beyond the track: Spotlights on the untold stories
When the cars are cooling down from qualifying or racing, the Summer Series media team will continue the story with the Heroes’ Arena and Fan Cam. The Heroes’ Arena is a hub for insights and experiences, with opportunities to delve into the event at a greater level; it is a meeting point for fans, competitors and the stunning machines of the GT Summer Series.
Meanwhile, the Fan Cam will take to social media, offering new perspectives and stories from around the paddock. Personnel from the teams and organisation will offer a look ‘behind the curtain’, bringing fans around the world into the paddock itself. The GT Summer Series season-opener looks set to be a showcase for GEDLICH Racing’s latest competition, bringing a new energy to the GT racing scene in Germany and Northern Europe. Spectators can take in the weekend of action for just €20, while the live broadcast will be available live-and-free globally on the Summer Series YouTube channel.
Teams are still able to join the field from 17-19 April, as well as the rest of the Summer Series campaign. The inaugural calendar will also take in Oschersleben, Nürburgring, Spa, and a return visit to Hockenheim for the finale.
