Prette prevails to clinch brilliant overall victory at Zandvoort

Philippe Prette scored a brilliant overall win in today's GT2 European Series powered by Pirelli race at Zandvoort, holding off the chasing Stefan Rosina to triumph by less than a second.

The reigning Am class champion took the start from outright pole after a stellar display in the first segment of qualifying, though a crash during the second phase required his LP Racing squad to carry out pre-race repairs to the #1 Maserati.

Their work was thoroughly rewarded by Prette's display during the opening stint, which saw the Maserati man pull clear of Pro-Am leader Bronek Formanek (#11 Micanek Motorsport powered by Buggyra Lamborghini) by more than a second a lap. A class win appeared secure by the time Prette made his mid-race pit stop; the question now was whether he could claim a first outright victory.

The main opposition came from the #11 Lamborghini, which Formanek had handed over to Rosina. The Slovakian ace lived up to his formidable reputation by quickly overcoming his crew’s 10 seconds of compensation time from Circuit Paul Ricard and reducing Prette's advantage, building towards a grandstand finish.

Prette had served no compensation time and used the buffer to manage his tyres for much of the second stint. With victory on the line, he was able to push a little harder during the final laps. This gave him just enough to hold on, making Prette the first Am driver to win overall since Elia Erhart triumphed at Red Bull Ring in 2022 with the same outfit. Rosina brought the #11 Lamborghini home for the Pro-Am win, the squad’s third from as many races.

The #7 DINAMIC Motorsport Maserati finished third on the road and second in Pro-Am after strong performances from both of its drivers. Roberto Pampanini made a decisive move on Alberto De Martin (#115 NM Racing Team Mercedes-AMG) after 20 minutes, but his good work was undone by a delay during the pit stop. Calamia took the controls and set off on a charge, ultimately passing the #115 Mercedes-AMG – now driven by Nil Montserrat –– with 10 minutes left on the clock.

Mato Homola also passed the Spaniard to put the #89 RTR Projects KTM third in Pro-Am. Like the #1 Maserati, this car also required repairs after Laura Kraihamer crashed in qualifying. It was ready just in time, and the Austrian driver delivered an excellent stint. After handing over to Homola, Kraihamer was quick to thank her team for their efforts.

The #294 RTR Projects Mercedes-AMG was second in the Am class, followed by the #53 Akkodis ASP Mercedes-AMG.