The 2025 season of the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup finally got underway at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet. 59 GT3 cars formed a strong and spectacular field of participants, which is peppered with works-supported teams and works drivers. Rutronik Racing entered two Porsche 911 GT3 Rs on the former Formula 1 circuit in the south of France. Sven Müller, Patric Niederhauser and Alessio Picariello drove the Pro car, while Antares Au, Loek Hartog and Morris Schuring competed in the Bronze Cup.

The three official Porsche drivers Müller, Niederhauser and Picariello qualified in sixth place on the grid in qualifying. The German Müller initially lost a few positions at the start, but with a clever strategy and a high basic speed, the three drivers were able to fight their way back into the leading group.

The Porsche 911 GT3 R with start number #96 also led the six-hour race for an extended period, but Patric Niederhauser was no longer able to hold off the victorious BMW and had to let it go. In the end, the team focussed on consolidating second place, which it managed to do. At the end of the race at midnight, the yellow and blue Porsche 911 GT3 R had a lead of around half a minute over the third-placed car.

The Remchingen-based team's Bronze Cup car started the endurance race from sixth on the grid in its category. The reigning GT champion in the Asian Le Mans Series, Antares Au, and its two lightning-fast Dutch team-mates were also able to show good speed in the race on the former GP circuit. However, the team suffered a setback during a mandatory pit stop when there were problems with the car's refuelling. For this reason, the team had to make an additional pit stop, which caused the trio to drop back and lose a possible third place in the Bronze Cup. In the end, the car with starting number #97 finished the race in eighth place in the Bronze Cup, allowing the drivers to collect important points.

Klaus Graf, Team Principal Rutronik Racing: ‘We are mega happy with second place - it was a tough battle right to the end! We couldn't let a tenth of a second slip. A big compliment to the whole team - the drivers and crew did a great job. It's very complex to start the season with a six-hour race, where a lot can go wrong. We are very happy with the pace and the work, which confirms the feeling we had after the tests. We had some bad luck with the pit stop with the Bronze Cup car. We then had to make an additional pit stop, which caused us to drop back, otherwise we would have been there with the pace. It's a shame, but we have to analyse that. But as I said, it was a great start to the season for us as a team and we can build on that. In the series, it's important to always be consistent and not make any mistakes. We had very good pit stops, so we are also satisfied and we are on a very good path!’

Sven Müller, driver Rutronik Racing #96: ‘To finish the first race in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup in second place is a great team success! Before the weekend, we probably wouldn't have thought that we would achieve such a great result. The whole team did a flawless job, so we can be very satisfied. In terms of pure lap times, we didn't necessarily have the fastest car. We made a big step over the winter and this result is a nice reward. We will continue to work hard and are already looking forward to the next races!’

Loek Hartog, driver Rutronik Racing #97: ‘In general, it was a solid race weekend for us. Our three drivers were able to set fast lap times and show their potential. The whole team did a great job. Unfortunately, we had a refuelling problem in the race where we couldn't fill up the car, which is why we had to make an additional pit stop. The problem unfortunately cost us a potential podium result. Unfortunately, this is motorsport, but the race shows us that we have potential for the other races.’

The GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup continues from 30 May to 1 June, when the racing series will take place on the high-speed circuit in Monza, Italy. Before that, the team will compete in the first Sprint Cup weekend at Brands Hatch in the UK on the first weekend in May.