Emil Frey Racing claims perfect Season Finale with victory and Top-3 finish in Teams’ Championship at Sprint Cup

Fast Facts – The Press Bulletin
A weekend of extremes at the GT World Challenge Sprint Cup season finale in Barcelona: while the first race ended in chaos for Emil Frey Racing, the team showed its true class on Sunday. Ben Green started from pole position thanks to an extraordinary grid format, handed the lead to Thierry Vermeulen at the pitstop phase, and the Dutchman brought home the win with a 4.5-second advantage. The second consecutive victory after Zandvoort also secured third place in the Teams' Championship, a fitting end to a difficult season.

Press Release
The GT World Challenge Sprint Cup season finale at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya had everything that makes motorsport what it is: extreme weather, drama, bad luck and, in the end, a deserved triumph. Emil Frey Racing experienced a weekend of contrasts in Spain, one that concluded in the best possible way with a second consecutive race victory and a move into the top three of the Teams' Championship.

Race 1 – Saturday, 3rd October 2026
In a turbulent qualifying session, the #69 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo of Thierry Vermeulen and Ben Green had lined up on the grid in ninth place, while the sister car #14 of Matteo Cairoli and Konsta Lappalainen would start from position 19.

Shortly before the start, rain set in once again, turning the first one-hour race into a wet adventure from the very beginning. On the rain-soaked circuit, Thierry Vermeulen kept his composure in the chaotic opening phase and steered the #69 Ferrari safely through the scramble at the first corner. His teammate Konsta Lappalainen had less fortune in the #14 Ferrari and lost several positions in the opening stages, dropping to 23rd. Visibility further back in the field was extremely difficult, with the spray from the cars ahead almost completely obscuring the view. Vermeulen also lost a few positions in the opening minutes and sat in 12th place after 15 minutes.

The first Safety Car brought the field back together following an accident at Turn 11. At the restart, the #14 Ferrari encountered further problems and fell as far back as 37th place. As the first cars headed to the pitlane, the number 14 followed, having already been involved in several contacts with rivals. The run of bad luck did not end there: the #2 Porsche had an unsafe release and drove straight into the approaching #14 Ferrari as it made its way to the Emil Frey Racing pit box. With a broken suspension, the race was over for the Cairoli and Lappalainen driver pairing.

Thierry Vermeulen came in from 12th place and handed over to Ben Green. Barely back on track, the race was red-flagged due to the continuing heavy rain, with an additional car stranded in the gravel at Sector 1.

With 28 minutes remaining, the race resumed behind the Safety Car. Ben Green rejoined in 10th place for the final stint, but in lap 17 the next blow fell: the #96 Lamborghini hit Ben Green in the middle sector on the first lap after the restart, causing significant damage to the Ferrari and forcing the team into a second premature retirement. In a first race defined by misfortune and collisions, neither Emil Frey Racing car saw the chequered flag.

Race 2 – Sunday, 4th October 2026
Due to the extreme weather conditions around Barcelona, the regional government had banned all sporting and outdoor activities from Saturday evening until 14:00 on Sunday. A second qualifying session therefore did not take place, and the starting grid for Race 2 was instead determined by the fastest lap times set by the starting drivers in the second free practice session. The outcome was remarkable: Ben Green secured pole position for the #69 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo, while Matteo Cairoli lined up in the sister #14 from ninth place for the race that finally got underway at 18:20.

At the start, Ben Green showed his nerves of steel: as the entire left side of the grid appeared to jump the start, the Briton initially lost positions, but by the second corner he had reclaimed the lead. A Safety Car was deployed directly after the first lap, and at the restart Ben Green once again set the pace and controlled the race with a comfortable advantage. In the #14 Ferrari, Matteo Cairoli was meanwhile caught up in a series of battles in the early stages and had to concede positions to, among others, the #8 Audi and the #7 Aston Martin.

At the end of lap 16, Ben Green steered into the pitlane together with his closest rival, the #3 Mercedes in second place. Thanks to a lightning-fast pitstop by the Emil Frey Racing crew, Thierry Vermeulen was able to rejoin with around three seconds in hand and take over the race lead. One lap later the #14 Ferrari also made its driver change: Konsta Lappalainen took over for the final stint of his season but found himself caught in traffic among several rivals and eventually crossed the line in 13th place.

At the front, Thierry Vermeulen was not to be caught. With a 4.5-second advantage, the Dutchman crossed the finish line as the overall winner and gave Emil Frey Racing a second consecutive victory after the triumph in Zandvoort. A more perfect way to close out the season would have been hard to imagine.

TEAM QUOTES – Emil Frey Racing

Lorenz Frey-Hilti, Team Principal
"It was another crazy race weekend. The weather conditions on Saturday were extraordinary, and unfortunately, we were unable to get a result, with both cars taken out of the race, which was very frustrating. On Sunday we had a little luck with the grid positions, which of course gave us a strong starting platform. It was sensational how Ben and Thierry brought it home. We were still able to reach the podium in the Teams' Championship, and that after a really difficult season. To collect so many points over the last two weekends and still finish the season in the top three is simply sensational for the whole team. For the number 14 it was a great shame, as we were involved in many battles but were not rewarded for it. All the happier are we for the number 69, who executed it perfectly from the very front."

Jürg Flach, Technical Director
"We had arrived in Barcelona with high expectations. The practice sessions showed us that we were competitive. The first qualifying session did not match those expectations, however, as the track conditions improved significantly for the second group. In the end, the race in heavy rain also brought us no luck, as both cars were forced to retire early due to incidents. On Sunday we were able to secure the win and third place in the Teams' Championship with a strong race and a perfect execution starting from P1! It was difficult for the number 14 in traffic, and they were unfortunately unable to push further forward. All in all, a conciliatory end to the season and very well deserved for the entire team!"

DRIVER QUOTES – Emil Frey Racing

Matteo Cairoli (Italy)
"A very hard weekend, even if the external circumstances with the race schedule were not ideal. It is very disappointing to end the season this way, but it was a difficult year from the very beginning. We need to analyse where the problems lay, and if there is a return to the GT World Challenge in the future, we need to understand it better. I am not happy with my GTWC season. Now my full focus is on Hockenheim and the DTM finale."

Konsta Lappalainen (Finland)
"My final GTWC weekend, and a difficult one at that, which actually sums up our entire season quite well. The potential was always there, but we could never quite get it out. In Zandvoort we showed what we are capable of when everything goes right, but this year everything that could go wrong did go wrong. It was not an easy year for the whole team. I hope things will be better next year."

Thierry Vermeulen (Netherlands)
"It was a fantastic final weekend. I think our pace was there from the very beginning, and I am extremely grateful to the whole team. It was not an easy year, but the last two race weekends were very strong, and that is to their credit, because they never gave up throughout the entire year. On Saturday we had a great deal of bad luck, but even then, we had a good car. In Sunday's race, Ben had a strong start and was exactly as aggressive as we had envisaged. After that we were able to control the race and the car was a joy to drive. A huge thank you to everyone."

Ben Green (Great Britain)
"I am absolutely delighted to take the win with Emil Frey Racing and claim our second victory together this season. The team worked incredibly hard to get us to where we belong, at the front of the field, and I want to thank everyone for that. It is wonderful to close out the season this way, especially after yesterday's race where a competitor put us out early. I am simply very happy for the whole team that the hard work of this season has now been rewarded and that we can go into the winter with a fantastic feeling. I wish the entire team the best of luck at the DTM finale in Hockenheim next week, and I look forward to seeing them all in the winter."

ABOUT EMIL FREY RACING

Emil Frey Racing is a storied Swiss motorsport team based in Safenwil. Founded in the 1960s on the foundations of the Emil Frey Group, the team can look back on decades of motorsport experience, ranging from single-seater and rally racing to long-distance GT series. Today, Emil Frey Racing competes internationally, currently in both the DTM and the GT World Challenge with the Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo.