Ultimate Cup European Series – We had to bet on DB

He hadn't smelled the scent of victory for far too long! Since the Estoril round in 2023, DB Autosport hadn't stood on the top step of the podium. After a more complicated last season in terms of results, Daniel Bassora's team got the 2025 season off to a perfect start.

Led by Mathias Beche, still as fast as ever at the wheel of an NP02 and author of the best overall time in qualifying, the No. 20 started from 4th position, the grid being established by the average times of each crew. At the start, Philippe Lenoir settled into the right car, the leader. In the middle of all the contenders for victory, the No. 20 set about implementing a perfect strategy. With Romain Carton's second stint perfectly executed, Mathias Beche had to finish the job. The driver with eleven participations in the 24 Hours of Le Mans was firmly established in second position as the final half-hour of racing began. Leading for several minutes was Marlon Hernandez and the COGEMO No. 154, which he shared with Nicolas Cheers and Erwin Creed, were forced to go through the pit lane.

A real accomplishment

The door to another championship victory was wide open for DB Autosport. In the Parc Fermé, the jubilation was overwhelming: "This celebration represents all the team's efforts," confided Mathias Beche. "The championship is becoming more and more competitive, and we're still managing to win. It's super cool, because we're one of the smallest teams in the paddock. This victory means a lot; it's a real accomplishment. The outcome is perfect."

The Graff Racing No. 9 (David Droux, Eric Trouillet, Quentin Joseph) and the ANS Motorsport No. 71 (Paul Trojani, Belén García, Adrien Chila) completed the Top 3. The NP02 Am category went to the COGEMO No. 555 (Denis Caillon, Sébastien Morales, Philippe Thirion). The next round is in Italy at Mugello, on April 24-27.

Kennol GT Endurance Cup

Photo: A. Rodrigues

The 2024 champions kicked off their year in the best possible way with a victory. Jean-Bernard Bouvet, Jean-Paul Pagny, and Romain Ianetta won the 4 Hours of Paul Ricard. The race lasted only three hours following a major crash. Porsche of Sébastien Lajoux, who miraculously escaped unharmed. Also noteworthy is Sébastien's 4th place Loeb, accompanied by Laurène Godey and team owner Gabriel Péméant, driving a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup from the GP Racing Team.

European Sprint Prototype Cup

This 2025 season marks the debut of a brand new category: the European Sprint Prototype Cup. These prototype races are reserved for Gen3 LMP2 cars. Dan Skocdopole and Théodor Jensen (Ligier JS P320) gave the Bretton team its first two victories in the championship's history.

Ultimate GT Sprint Cup

The four Ultimate GT Sprint Cup races went in favor of the Italians. Alexis Berthet's Lamborghini Super Trofeo EVO 2 (CMR) and Jordan Boisson's Maserati MC20 GT2 (TFT Racing) shared the victories.

Photo: A. Rodrigues

Hoosier Formula Cup

Hugh Barter left nothing to his opponents in the championship car of the UCES. The Winfield Racing driver won all three races of the weekend. Dylan Estre (Formula Motorsport) finished twice behind the Australian. Hit on the first lap of Race 3, the Frenchman climbed back to 4th place. Nano Lopez (TS Corse) also reached the podium three times.

Photo: A. Rodrigues

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