So, in the end, Ford arrived, testing with two cars.

The car shape is quite interesting, much different from the other Oreca-based racers.

The engine sound is peculiar, too.

Manufacturer figures from BMW, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche have all agreed that entry-level categories must be preserved on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, amid ongoing developments over the future of the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie following a recent challenge from the promoters of the Nürburgring 24.

There were some rumors about Ford testing this week and apparently it's true.

Makes sense as WEC is racing here in a couple weeks so they have a real baseline I suppose. Also Ford sponsors the track.

Found some videos too:

- https://www.facebook.com/reel/1152522677298846

- https://www.youtube.com/live/3j-tDTai5W8

TF Sport team boss Tom Ferrier expects to begin testing the new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R Evo in December with the squad electing not to enter this year’s Asian Le Mans Series to concentrate on understanding the revised car.

Action Express Racing is ramping up preparations for its return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans according to team manager Gary Nelson, who felt like taking a year off from the race will play to its benefit.

Scenario for a Ferrari LMGT3 restructuration:

The Vista AF Corse team has proven unsuccessful and insufficient for representing Ferrari at the top levels of GT endurance racing. This proposal has been formulated to improve Ferrari's success.

VistaJet is owned by Thomas Flohr, the Gentleman Driver of the #54 car. Management and performance of the two cars shows that a reform is necessary. The VistaJet sponsor can be substituted with some different big names representing Ferrari customers in GT racing: Cetilar and Kessel/Blattner.

LMGT3 cars are required to have this driver structure for 3 driver teams: one bronze, one bronze/silver, and one gold/platinum.

My proposal is as following:

We replace the #21 and #54 with:

-The blue and white #74 Kessel consisting of

1. Takeshi Kimura (Bronze) (CarGuy sponsorship, worked with Kessel with the #57 GTWCE entry)

He is a Gentleman Driver and is very experienced in the 296 GT3. He is the bronze the duo needs in order to conquer WEC

1. Dustin Blattner (Silver circa 2027) (Blattner Company sponsorship)

He is the silver of the incredible #74 Kessel duo, is very consistent and talented in the 296 GT3.

1. Dennis Marschall (Platinum)

The pro of the Kessel duo, is incredibly agile and fierce, the duo won many championships, major races and lots of trophies. Dennis is also a quali expert, winning many poles in major events.

This car will be the more competitive of the two, and will push for wins, podiums and lots of points for the team.

The navy and green #47 Cetilar consisting of

1. Roberto Lacorte (Bronze) (Cetilar sponsorship)

He is a very talented Gentleman driver that have raced in Orecas with the Cetilar livery. The team is run by AF Corse too, which would make the deal easier.

1. Lilou Wadoux (Silver) (Ferrari Factory driver)

First female Ferrari factory, she races with the 296 very fiercely and has proven successful.

OR

Lorenzo Patrese (Silver)

Has raced with a Cetilar 296 in IMSA, and is pretty fast and capable.

1. Arthur Leclerc (Gold)

Charles Leclerc's younger brother, races with AF Corse 296s in GTWCE. Is very talented and competitive, will definitely push hard in the leaderboards.

This car will be a more media-centric car catching eyes with its striking navy and green livery, interesting names and definitely the results it will bring.

The remaining Ferrari factory drivers (Alessio Rovera, Francesco Castellacci, Davide Rigon, Simon Mann, François Heriau), can be spread across AF Corse, Francorchamps Motors AF Corse, Richard Mille AF Corse, and maybe Thomas Flohr too with some Vista AF Corse entries across GTWCE, ELMS, ALMS, IGTC, 24h Series etc... This scenario, combined with Ferrari hypercar drivers competing in GT, will most likely increase Ferrari's wins throughout those minor series, and maximise Ferrari's chances in WEC, and with way more colors :)

https://www.as-web.jp/supergt/1366803

On October 26, TEAM ENEOS ROOKIE—a competitor in the Super GT GT300 class—announced that it will switch its race car to the Toyota GR GT3 Concept for the third and eighth rounds of the Super GT series, to be held from November 6–8 at Mobility Resort Motegi in Tochigi Prefecture. Although still a concept model, the GR GT3—first unveiled in December 2025—is finally set to make its competitive debut. The entry will participate as an "open entry" under special authorization.

R1: Sao Paulo 1000 miles - 10 hour race into the dark
R2: Lone Star Le Mans - 6 Hours of Austin, runs into the dark for roughly the last hour to add variety and make temperatures more manageable
R3: Kyalami 6 Hours
R4: Spa 6 Hours
R5: Le Mans 24 Hours
R6: Monza 6 Hours
R7: Silverstone 6 Hours
R8: Fuji 6 Hours
R9: The Bend 8 hours (race would start late afternoon and run into the night to suit European audiences better)
R10: Qatar 1812km
R11: Bahrain 8 Hours

If this is too many rounds then Kyalami would get axed, although there was a fairly big gap between Austin and Spa so I thought it would fit in well

Summer break would fall between Monza and Silverstone, with Silverstone falling on the Sunday of August bank holiday (last weekend of August in England and Wales) to attract crowds

BMW M Motorsport boss Andreas Roos has ruled out an additional Evo joker for the M Hybrid V8 next year, but hinted at possible changes for the 2028 FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship campaigns.

📸 SRO

📸 SRO

LMP1’s costs caused Audi and Porsche to leave, leaving Toyota as the only major entrant left. A cost cap would have reduced the runaway budgets, attracting more manufacturers and kept the category sustainable.