Eastalent Racing competes in the “Formula 1” of GT3 Racing

Le Castellet/France – During the race weekend of April 10–11, 2026, a total of 59 GT3 cars took part in the 6-hour Endurance Cup of the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS at Circuit Paul Ricard. Around 38,000 spectators attended the event, not wanting to miss the first spectacle of the season. Among the competitors was Eastalent Racing, led by Team Principal Peter Reicher.

The driver lineup consisted of experienced Audi Sport specialists Markus Winkelhock and Christopher Haase, supported by young talent Simon Reicher. Together, they piloted an Audi R8 LMS evo II.

Ahead of the race, Team Principal Peter Reicher emphasized the unique challenge: The GT World Challenge is considered one of the strongest GT3 series worldwide and is often referred to as the “Formula 1 of GT3 racing.” With the endurance format requiring three drivers per car, the competition features an exceptionally strong field, in which Eastalent Racing deliberately chose to compete.

Following promising results in the Prologue test, it quickly became clear how high the level of performance in the field truly is. Nevertheless, the team achieved a successful debut: finishing 15th overall, Eastalent Racing secured a notable result. Particularly impressive was the team’s error-free performance over the entire race distance without incurring any penalties.

Engineer Christian Schmidt-Gogler also drew a positive conclusion. The team delivered a cohesive and faultless performance, which is by no means a given in such a competitive field. Despite some areas for optimization, the team was overall very satisfied with the performance. As the highest-placed Audi team, finishing 15th underlined the team’s strong performance.

Driver Statements

Markus Winkelhock

Winkelhock gave an overall positive assessment. While he was not entirely satisfied with the qualifying session, as he was unable to fully capitalize on the new tires, the team impressed during the race with consistently strong lap times. He particularly highlighted the error-free team performance and the successful debut in a new and complex racing series.

Simon Reicher

For the young driver, the learning experience was the main focus. Compared to the international front-runners, it became clear that there is still room for development. Nevertheless, finishing 15th represents a successful start to the 2026 season and provides confidence for the remainder of the year.

Christopher Haase

Haase emphasized the intensive preparation during testing, which created a solid foundation. While the team extracted the maximum from the car, some competitors demonstrated even higher performance. All the more positively, he evaluated the error-free race and the strong result within such a high-caliber field.

The next race on the calendar is the first sprint weekend of the season, taking place from May 1–3, 2026, in Brands Hatch, Great Britain.