The third round of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit turned into a highly successful weekend for Leipert Motorsport. Despite extreme temperatures reaching up to 40°C, the team arrived well prepared and was rewarded with two pole positions, six podium finishes, three class victories, and its first overall win of the season.
The free practice sessions already proved challenging for both drivers and team. High temperatures combined with several red flag interruptions significantly limited track time. Nevertheless, Leipert Motorsport demonstrated impressive pace in qualifying. Axel Bengtsson (#44) secured pole position in the first qualifying session, while Chris van der Drift (#75) set the fastest time in Qualifying 2 before receiving a three-place grid penalty following contact during the session. Månz Thalin qualified the #44 second in the PRO class for Race 2, lining up alongside Chris van der Drift on the second row of the grid. Brendon Leitch and Don Yount (#70) completed the team’s strong qualifying performance by taking second place in the Pro-Am class in the opening qualifying session.
After claiming pole position in Qualifying 1, the #44 entered the weekend in an excellent position. The Swedish pairing finished sixth in the PRO class in the opening race after a time penalty for exceeding track limits prevented an even stronger result. Race 2 brought the reward they had been working towards. Starting fourth overall, Thalin and Bengtsson steadily fought their way through the field with a series of decisive overtaking moves. They eventually took the overall lead and drove faultlessly to the chequered flag, securing Leipert Motorsport’s first overall victory of the 2026 season.
Don Yount and Brendon Leitch carried their strong qualifying performance into the races. In the opening race, the pairing finished second in the Pro-Am class to claim a well-deserved podium finish. For Race 2, Yount started from eighth in the Pro-Am category before handing the car over to Leitch during the pit stop. The New Zealander then delivered an impressive recovery drive, making several decisive overtakes to climb to third in class and secure the duo’s second podium finish of the weekend.
Hairie Zairel Oh and Chris van der Drift underlined the pace of the #75 by setting the fastest time in Qualifying 2. Despite receiving a three-place grid penalty, the duo still started from a strong position and took the overall race lead already in Turn 1. Chris van der Drift successfully defended the lead until the pit window opened. However, the demanding conditions and the remainder of the race prevented a podium finish. After placing eighth in Race 1, the pairing finished ninth in the Pro-Am class in the second race.
Spa debutants Henri Tuomaala and Matias Salonen delivered an impressive performance despite the limited running in free practice, qualifying sixth (Tuomaala) and fifth (Salonen) for the two races. The Finnish duo finished fourth in the PRO class in Race 1. In the second race, they secured a well-earned podium finish. Crossing the line in third place in class, they capped off a faultless performance and collected valuable championship points.
Competing solo in the AM class, Todd Kingsford enjoyed an outstanding first race weekend on European soil. After qualifying fourth in the opening session and third in Qualifying 2, the Australian dominated both races in the AM category to claim a commanding double victory.
“The heatwave in Spa made this race weekend a real challenge for both our drivers and the entire team. That makes us even prouder of what everyone achieved together. Our first overall victory of the season, combined with numerous podium finishes, is a well-deserved reward for the hard work of the whole team. We were also particularly pleased with how well our five guest drivers integrated into the team. Together, they immediately achieved four podium finishes and one pole position. This weekend gives us great momentum heading into the upcoming races.” – Managing Directors Marc Poos and Marcel Leipert
Following the successful weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, Leipert Motorsport now heads to the next round of the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe at the Nürburgring with confidence. The team aims to build on its strong performance and continue its successful run.
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