Preview
General
Levelling the playing field: GT Summer Series ready for Hockenheim debut
The new GT Summer Series brings a breath of fresh air to the German motorsport landscape. As a 20+ car grid prepares for the inaugural season at the Hockenheimring, the series introduces a smart approach to ensure professionals and ambitious amateurs can compete on a genuinely level playing field
Edited: Apr 1, 2026, 3:37 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Impressive brand diversity: In addition to Audi, Porsche, and Mercedes-AMG, Leipert Motorsport brings brute V10 power to the field with the Lamborghini Huracan.
Photo by: Gedlich Racing
It is the classic conundrum of modern Pro-Am GT racing: How do you keep a championship appealing for highly successful professional teams while simultaneously ensuring that gentleman drivers stay competitive and engaged? If the pros disappear into the distance, the amateurs quickly lose interest. From April 17-19, Gedlich Racing’s new GT Summer Series (GTSS) makes its debut at the Hockenheimring, presenting an elegant solution to this very problem.
The organisers are utilising a Balance of Performance (BoP) concept that takes the Pro-Am philosophy to its logical conclusion. Rather than simply balancing the cars, the BoP is adjusted based on driver categorisation. Line-ups featuring professional drivers will face stricter performance parameters. Conversely, pure Bronze line-ups — the true amateurs — will benefit from a performance boost, running with less weight and more power. It’s a clever, innovative strategy designed to bunch up the 20+ car grid and deliver fair, thrilling motorsport across all classes.
Strong Audi Contingent and Brand Variety
The stage is set for the premiere: At the Hockenheimring, fans can expect a diverse starting grid of over 20 GT race cars.
Photo: Gedlich Racing
The fact that the GTSS concept is resonating well within the paddock is evident from the entry list. The Audi contingent is particularly strong, featuring multiple R8 LMS GT3 Evo II machines. Pierre Lemmerz will pilot one of the V10 contenders, and is expected to be joined by his driver coach, Alexander Kroker, for the 50-minute pitstop race.
Lemmerz is in good company. CCS Racing, Gruhn Motorsport, and Equipe Vitesse are also placing their trust in the V10 machinery from Ingolstadt. Adding visual and acoustic variety to the GT3 grid are Leipert Motorsport with a Lamborghini Huracan, DB Motorsport with a Porsche 911 GT3 R, and Polish squad PTT Racing. After an impressive Winter Series campaign, PTT Racing aims to challenge for summer honours with Przemyslaw Bienkowski and Mateusz Lisowski in their Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo.
Pure Motorsport romance: The return of Franz Binder
The GT Summer Series also prides itself on providing an open and welcoming environment, which is particularly visible in the Cup, GT4, TCX, and GTX classes. Alongside established teams like W&S Motorsport, the grid features incredible stories of pure racing passion.
The most heartwarming narrative belongs to Franz Binder. The Austrian, who clinched his national Formula 3 Cup title back in 1987, is making his competitive motorsport comeback after years of hiatus! He will be taming a nearly 600-bhp Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo. Competing under a national license, his car will be capped at 3.0 kg per hp per DMSB regulations — a perfect example of how the series flexibly accommodates a wide range of driver profiles.
Stuttgart’s finest: DB Motorsport adds a splash of yellow and raw flat-six power to the Hockenheim grid with Hermann Speck's Porsche 911 GT3 R.
Photo by: Gedlich Racing
To ensure all newcomers and amateurs receive the best possible support, five-time Le Mans winner Frank Biela will be on-site as the championship's dedicated "driver’s mentor," offering invaluable guidance throughout the weekend.
The track action at Hockenheim will feature two 30-minute sprint races and a 50-minute endurance race. Trackside access for fans is priced at a very reasonable €20, and the GT Summer Series will broadcast the entire event live and for free on their global YouTube channel.
2026 GT Summer Series Calendar
April 17–19, 2026: Hockenheimring (Germany)
May 29–31, 2026: Oschersleben (Germany)
June 25–28, 2026: Nürburgring (Germany)
August 27–30, 2026: Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)
October 2–4, 2026: Hockenheimring (Germany)
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article F1 announces 2026 Sim Racing World Championship season opener at DreamHack Birmingham
Next article Cleetus McFarland partners with Polaris in multi-year deal
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
Latest news
Franco Morbidelli on securing most coveted WSBK ride: 'Clearly Ducati has some trust in me'
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Japanese GP
50 min
Franco Morbidelli on securing most coveted WSBK ride: 'Clearly Ducati has some trust in me'
"Not allowed, not made possible": Was BMW denied its title chance?
DTM
DTM DTM
Hockenheim
1 h
"Not allowed, not made possible": Was BMW denied its title chance?
Max Verstappen: FAQ on his GTWC Europe debut
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 1 h
Max Verstappen: FAQ on his GTWC Europe debut
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 Can-Am drivers
General
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 Can-Am drivers
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe