Blocco Motore Simsport closed the 2026 VSCA SportsCar Championship exactly where it wanted to be: out front at Road Atlanta, under the lights, with both the Petit Le Mans win and the GT PRO championship secured.
The No. 183 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 EVO of Erik van Spijker, Tyler Redden and Ian Laurence Brown won by 15 seconds after 353 laps around Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, beating the No. 71 Sim City Racing Porsche of Vincent L’Herbier, Aedan Campbell and Peter Spijkman. Double Stint Racing completed the podium with the No. 57 BMW shared by Sam Spinnael and Kris Tryber.
Blocco Motore Converts Pace Into Championship
The ten-hour finale had all the hallmarks of a Petit Le Mans that teams remember for the wrong reasons: wet weather, darkness, heavy multiclass traffic on a 2.54-mile lap, and 13 full-course yellows totaling 4 hours and 29 minutes under caution.
Blocco Motore started sixth, but once the racing line dried after a tricky wet-to-drying qualifying session, the Aston Martin came alive. Brown moved the No. 183 into the class lead on lap 28 and the team ultimately led a race-high 114 laps.
Van Spijker said the team was “very pleased to close the season with a win,” adding that the championship “means a lot” after a season of fierce competition. He also cautioned against calling the year easy. “We had good pace, but we have not been dominant in many races,” he said. “I’m very proud of the team for the dedication to pace and for staying out of trouble as much as we have.”
Brown said the Aston was not especially comfortable in the rain, particularly with a dry-leaning setup on the car, but that the race changed once the surface came back toward the team. “When it dried up, the Aston really came alive,” he said. “It felt amazing. After that it was damage control and trying to stay in a high position.”
Fischer Motorsport Front Row Fades After Wet Qualifying Sweep
The day began with Fischer Motorsport on top. A damp but drying track before qualifying left teams scrambling over tire choice, and the Porsche runners judged it best. Marco Silva took pole in the No. 44 MATCO Fischer Motorsport Porsche with a 1:26.732, while Benjamin Fischer put the No. 84 Unitronic Fischer Motorsport Porsche alongside him for the organization’s first GT PRO front-row sweep.
Silva led from the class start, but the early advantage did not last. The No. 183 Aston took over before the first caution, while the No. 44 and No. 84 both slid into a race of recovery, penalties and late heartbreak. The No. 44 finished eighth, one lap down, while the No. 84 was classified 11th after late damage cost it a likely sixth-place finish.
Benjamin Fischer called the qualifying result “an unexpected surprise” after the team had initially been caught out by how wet the track still was. “Putting it on the outside of pole behind Marco really helped us early on, staying in clean air and away from trouble,” he said.
Rain, Traffic and Cautions Define the Middle Hours
The first full-course yellow arrived inside the opening 40 minutes of the race, with the restart coming just after the one-hour mark. A second caution followed shortly after, and from there the rhythm of the race was repeatedly broken by safety-car periods and pit-lane reshuffles.
The middle portion became especially demanding as rain showers moved across Road Atlanta. Visibility fell sharply, spray hung over the Esses and the run to Turn 10, and GT cars frequently met prototypes at awkward points on the short lap.
The No. 99 Paul Botting Motorsport Acura showed front-running speed in those changing conditions, with Ryan McIntosh among the quickest drivers in the class. The Acura ran as high as second early, but its race unraveled through incidents, penalties and operational setbacks. Richie Chauhan, making his series debut, was assessed a 35-second post-race penalty for contact with the No. 183 Aston Martin at Turn 10 shortly before the four-hour mark, and the No. 99 later received a 95-second penalty for entering closed pits under full-course yellow before the six-hour mark.
McIntosh said the result did not match the car’s potential. “On pace alone, we were very fast all day,” he said. “The car felt on fire and was one of the most balanced through the dry and wet periods. But we did not execute very well, had a few unnecessary incidents and ended up finishing where we deserved.”
Double Stint and Sim City Chase Blocco to the Finish
Gowin Racing, Sim City Racing, Paul Botting Motorsport and Blocco Motore all had drivers capable of controlling the GT PRO pace at different stages. Jack Hedgcoxe in the No. 18 Ferrari, McIntosh in the No. 99 Acura, Brown in the No. 183 Aston and Spijkman in the No. 71 Porsche repeatedly separated themselves from the field on outright speed.
Double Stint Racing also had a major say in the final hour. The No. 57 BMW led late with Spinnael before needing a final stop in the closing moments, handing the lead back to Blocco Motore. The BMW still came home third, giving the Daytona-winning team another podium to end the Endurance Cup campaign.
Sim City Racing finished second, 15 seconds behind the winner, with the defending GT PRO champions ending the season second in the championship, 270 points behind Blocco Motore. Team management and drivers were unavailable for comment after the race.
Rusty Spatulas Produces the Recovery Drive
Rusty Spatulas Racing delivered one of the drives of the race by taking the No. 112 McLaren from 15th on the grid to fourth. Hena Häkkänen, Jan Zilliacus and Timo Tuominen completed 352 laps, one lap off the winners, after a race that nearly ended early.
Häkkänen said the team’s plan after a poor qualifying run was simple: keep the car clean and let the race come back to them. That almost fell apart around the three-hour mark when the McLaren tangled with an LMP2 car, hit the wall and suffered heavy damage.
“At that point, we were almost ready to park the car,” Häkkänen said. “Even being five laps down, we decided to stick with it and hoped for lots of full-course yellows to get us back into contention.”
The gamble worked. Once the McLaren returned to the lead lap with the car intact, Häkkänen said the team knew “we had a fighting chance.” He added that the finish gives Rusty Spatulas “a boost for 2027” after a season in which the pace was often better than the results.
TwoLemmaTree Wins Endurance Cup by One Point
Fifth place was enough for the No. 68 TwoLemmaTree Racing McLaren to win the 2026 GT PRO Endurance Cup by a single point over the No. 18 Gowin Racing Ferrari. The title came through finishes of second at Daytona, sixth at Sebring, tenth at Watkins Glen, first at Road America and fifth at Road Atlanta.
Travis Linscome-Hatfield admitted he did not realize during the race that Gowin Racing would have held the tiebreaker had the teams ended level. “Now it feels like even more of a razor-thin win,” he said. “Given that we were effectively never the fastest car on track, managing to sneak out the Endurance Cup feels pretty awesome.”
Niklas Solle said the team had “its hands full managing the race” and tried to focus on each endurance scoring point. “Winning at Road America was a huge relief for us,” he said. “We started as a fresh team this season, and winning the Endurance Cup is an amazing reward for all the work we put in.”
Gowin Racing ended sixth after a late 35-second post-race penalty related to a Turn 7 incident in the final laps. Hedgcoxe said he was pushing to get ahead of the No. 68 McLaren to secure the Endurance Cup when the No. 97 GTP car spun ahead of him. “I tried to reverse to go around it,” he said. “I was not on the racing line, but there was still contact. It felt like everything that could go wrong after halfway happened to us.”
Post-Race Penalties Reshape Several Finishes
The post-race stewards had a long list of decisions after one of the most disrupted races of the season. The No. 24 Grow Racing Team Porsche was given a 95-second penalty for a major Turn 1 collision with the No. 235 LMP2 car near the four-hour mark in the rain and was eventually classified 15th after failing to reach the 70 percent minimum distance.
The No. 77 Virtual Power Sim Racing Porsche endured a nightmare finale, receiving two 65-second penalties for full-course yellow closed-pit violations and a 155-second penalty for an unsafe rejoin with contact shortly before the eight-hour mark. It finished 13th, 81 laps down.
The No. 151 World Of SimRacing Team Chevrolet, coming off its first podium of the season at Indianapolis, finished seventh but collected two separate 35-second post-race penalties for contact with GTP traffic, one before the two-hour mark and another before the five-hour mark.
The No. 88 Ric Team Racing BMW, which included series debutant Bruno Monteiro, finished tenth after a 95-second penalty for its role in the late Turn 7 incident involving the No. 18 Ferrari and No. 84 Porsche. The team appealed the decision, arguing the No. 84 had slowed more than expected while avoiding the Ferrari, but the Incident Review Panel upheld the original ruling.
Nobes’ Full-Time Farewell Ends in Frustration
Stephen Nobes’ final full-time VSCA start ended with an 11th-place finish in the No. 84 Fischer Motorsport Porsche, far below what had looked possible after the team started second and later fought back onto the lead lap.
Nobes received a 35-second post-race penalty for contact with the No. 68 McLaren at Turn 10. He said the move was his mistake, explaining that the wet tires were overheating on a drying track and that he misjudged the stopping distance. “We gave the position back because I immediately knew I was in the wrong,” Nobes said. “It was not the way I wanted to end my racing with VSCA, but it has been an incredible four years that I will not forget.”
Jay Van Meppelen said the No. 84’s race was “an emotional roller coaster,” from the front-row start to recovery drives and then the late Turn 7 damage. “There was hope for a second or two that maybe we could limp it to the finish,” he said. “Then I realized the car was basically undriveable.”
Benjamin Fischer said the wider Fischer Motorsport season had been defined by too many missed chances and too many incidents. “As competitive as this series is, you have to minimize your mistakes, and we just have not been able to do that all year,” he said. “But I believe in our team. We have great people, and we will bounce back next year.”
Top Ten at Road Atlanta
Blocco Motore Simsport won from sixth on the grid, followed by Sim City Racing in second and Double Stint Racing in third. Rusty Spatulas Racing rose from 15th to fourth, with TwoLemmaTree Racing fifth after starting 13th.
Gowin Racing finished sixth, ahead of World Of SimRacing Team in seventh, Fischer Motorsport’s No. 44 Porsche in eighth, Paul Botting Motorsport in ninth and Ric Team Racing in tenth.
Behind them, Unitronic Fischer Motorsport was 11th, iRacing Today Motorsports was 12th, Virtual Power Sim Racing was 13th, Vulture Motorsports was 14th, and Grow Racing Team was 15th.
Championship Picture After the Finale
Blocco Motore Simsport ends the season as GT PRO champion with 4,410 points. Sim City Racing moved to second, 270 points back, while Gowin Racing dropped to third, 355 points behind the champion.
The title caps a season in which Blocco Motore won at Long Beach, Sebring and Road Atlanta, while also scoring podiums at Laguna Seca, Homestead-Miami and Watkins Glen. Gowin Racing’s mid-season surge, including three straight wins from VIR through Watkins Glen and second at Road America, was not enough to overcome early-season setbacks at Daytona, Long Beach and Laguna Seca.
Hedgcoxe said those early misses shaped the final championship outcome. “Daytona, Long Beach and Sebring really cost us,” he said. “Our season had highs and lows. Ideally, next year we need more consistent good results, not just wins or bad finishes.”
Post-Race Reactions
Hena Häkkänen, #112 Rusty Spatulas Racing McLaren: “I want to thank the organizers for their hard work and for creating such a strong series. Special thanks to Ben, Kyle and everyone in Race Control. The driving standards in VSCA are the best we have seen, bar none.”
“We are really looking forward to 2027. We will put in the work and effort while chasing that first VSCA race win. Road America got away from us with the late yellow, but I am kidding, of course.”
Ryan McIntosh, #99 Paul Botting Motorsport Acura: “For 2027, it is much more positive. I had not driven in the GT3 class for years before Indianapolis, and it is clear there is a lot of pace. With proper preparation, we know we can come out fighting.”
“Thank you to the organization for bringing this series around for another year. The effort behind the scenes is immense, and it is a joy to be part of it.”
Jay Van Meppelen, #84 Unitronic Fischer Motorsport Porsche: “We are going to miss having Stephen in the car. He is a good driver, a good musician and a great teammate. Stephen, I am going to miss you, bud. I hope it is not the last time we share the car.”
Benjamin Fischer, #84 Unitronic Fischer Motorsport Porsche: “Congratulations to Travis and Niklas on winning the Endurance Cup in GT PRO. Both have driven for our team in the past, so I am very happy to see them accomplish this.”
“A shoutout also to Erik van Spijker, who has been a good friend for over 23 years. I could not be happier for him and the Blocco Motore guys. They have been the class of the field all year long. Well deserved.”
Daytona Test Opens the 2027 Chapter
The next event for the class is the Daytona Test on December 12, 2026, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The race is scheduled to start at 14:00 GMT and will serve as Round EX1 of 11 for the 2027 VSCA SportsCar Championship.
Blocco Motore will arrive as the GT PRO benchmark, TwoLemmaTree Racing as the newly crowned Endurance Cup winner, and Gowin Racing and Sim City Racing with clear evidence that they can fight at the front. Fischer Motorsport, Paul Botting Motorsport and Rusty Spatulas Racing all leave Road Atlanta with different kinds of unfinished business heading into the new year.
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