GT World Challenge powered by AWS returns to Circuit Ricardo Tormo Valencia on 19–21 September when the curtain will fall on the 2025 Sprint Cup season. There is a huge amount to be decided at the finale, with six crews in contention for the overall title and everything to play for in the Gold Cup, Silver Cup and Bronze Cup classes.
This will be the fourth time the series has raced at the track following events in 2021, 2022 and 2023. The inaugural weekend was SRO’s first visit to Valencia since an FIA GT Championship meeting in 2004; what's more, it marked the only time that the overall Sprint Cup title had been settled with a round to spare.
Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts clinched the crown at Brands Hatch, capping a truly dominant year, yet if you study the 2021 standings you'd be forgiven for thinking it was a close title fight. That's because Maro Engel and Luca Stolz swept both races at Valencia in their Toksport Mercedes-AMG, while Weerts and Vanthoor failed to score at all. This cut the gap at the top of the table to just 8.5 points, albeit without affecting the classification.
It proved to be a rare off-weekend for Team WRT and its title-winning crew. Indeed, in their 25 Sprint Cup events as teammates, this was the only time that Weerts and Vanthoor failed to register a single point. Speaking afterwards, Weerts described it as a "joker weekend" for the squad. They would not have to wait long for better days at Valencia.
There were still champions to be crowned at the 2021 event, with Silver Cup and Pro-Am honours up for grabs. Miguel Ramos – who was also on the grid for the FIA GT round in 2004 – was able to celebrate winning the Pro-Am title on his 50th birthday, clinching the crown alongside Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini teammate Henrique Chaves. The Silver Cup also went to a Lamborghini squad, Alex Fontana surviving a nervous final weekend to secure the title with Emil Frey Racing.
When GT World Challenge returned to Valencia in 2022, Weerts and Vanthoor held a slender advantage over their long-time rivals Raffaele Marciello and Timur Boguslavskiy. Nevertheless, the title was settled on Saturday, with the Team WRT duo finishing in P3 and the Akkodis ASP Mercedes-AMG unable to do better than seventh. This marked a third successive Sprint Cup crown for the Belgian drivers – and they weren't finished yet.
The unquestioned stars of Race 1 were Ulysse De Pauw and Pierre-Alexandre Jean. The young AF Corse Ferrari pairing had clinched the Silver Cup title with a round to spare and added a little extra shine by winning overall in Spain. Pro-Am was also settled in favour of Ramos – now sharing a Garage 59 McLaren with Dean MacDonald – who secured a second straight title.
Though there was nothing to be decided on Sunday, Race 2 produced arguably the most dramatic finish in GT World Challenge history. In a story as old as racing itself, the weather played a significant part. The race began in wet conditions but with the track drying out. At the front, the #88 Akkodis ASP Mercedes-AMG led from the #25 Saintéloc Racing Audi, while Team WRT was seemingly enduring another off-day at Valencia.
During the mid-race pit stops, the lead pair fitted another set of wet-compound Pirelli tyres, while Weerts/Vanthoor rolled the dice and went with slicks. It took a few laps, but once the crossover came the #32 Audi was by far the quickest car on the track. The final tour began with Boguslavskiy’s Mercedes-AMG leading from Aurélien Panis in the Saintéloc Audi, while Weerts was looming in the background.
It still looked like a big ask, but the slicks were in their sweet spot. Weerts obliterated the gap, scythed past Panis, then drove clean around the outside of the defenceless Boguslavskiy. The WRT garage erupted, celebrating the team's 45th and final Sprint Cup victory with Audi. This was without doubt one the most memorable races in GT World Challenge history and the highlights are essential viewing.
In 2023 the Sprint Cup produced another brilliant title fight, with three crews vying for the big prize. On this occasion Valencia marked the penultimate round of the season and was thus the appetiser for the main course that would be served at Zandvoort.
After losing victory on the final lap in 2022, Boguslavskiy and teammate Marciello had their revenge by taking Race 1 honours for Akkodis ASP. They hung on despite a barrage of late pressure from the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari, triumphing by 0.380s – one of the smallest winning margins in series history.
Race 2 was also a close-run affair. Having sealed their final Audi victory 12 months earlier, Weerts and Vanthoor secured their first with BMW machinery, finishing eight tenths ahead of the Tresor Attempto Racing R8.
While the overall and Silver Cup titles would be settled at Zandvoort, the Bronze Cup ended its Sprint campaign at Valencia. Alex Malykhin emerged as class champion at the conclusion of Race 2, sealing victory aboard the #911 Pure Rxcing Porsche after Ayhancan Güven made a pass for the lead during the second stint.
From the six races staged thus far at Valencia, Mercedes-AMG has scored three overall victories, while Audi, BMW and Ferrari each have one. The same brand has taken the most class wins, triumphing five times and proving especially dominant in the Silver Cup. But who will be celebrating this year?
Another action-packed weekend in store
The 2025 Sprint Cup season has produced an unprecedented level of competition. The statistics speak for themselves: we have seen seven different winners from eight races (a new record) while the overall title contenders represent six manufacturers.
Charles Weerts/Kelvin van der Linde (#32 Team WRT BMW) narrowly lead Marvin Kirchhöfer/Benjamin Goethe (#59 Garage 59 McLaren) at the top of the standings, while crews from Porsche, Mercedes-AMG, Lamborghini and Ferrari also remain in the hunt. There are class titles up for grabs as well, with the Gold Cup, Silver Cup and Bronze Cup all wide open.
As well as the racing, the Valencia weekend will feature a host of extra activities organised by ROOW, which aims to transform fans from passive viewers into active participants by combining speed with culture and entertainment. Their plans include drifting, track shows, an exhibition of cars and motorcycles, as well as live music from Kidd Keo. For more information, please click here.
There will be a pit walk during the lunch break on both Saturday (from 13:05) and Sunday (from 12:30), giving the public a chance to stroll down the pit lane and watch the teams at work in their garages. In the paddock, fans will have access to a wide variety of food stalls, offering everything from burgers and sandwiches to ice cream and slushies. There will be a children's play area, merchandise shops, and even a barber!
In addition to ROOW's activities, fans can also look forward to plenty of support race action on the circuit. The GT2 European Series powered by Pirelli stages its penultimate round of the season at Valencia, joined by top one-make championships Porsche Carrera Cup France and the Clio Cup Series.
All of this costs just 30€ for the weekend. Single-day tickets are available for 20€, while kids up to the age of 12 can attend free with a paying adult. For ticket information, please click here.