Al Manar Racing by HRT Secures Stunning Gold Cup Victory at Nürburgring Faisal Al Zubair Shines Alongside Jens Klingmann and Ben Tuck at the Nürburgring
The Al Manar Racing by HRT team, featuring Omani champion Faisal Al Zubair, Jens Klingmann, and Ben Tuck, achieved a spectacular victory in the Gold Cup class at the penultimate round of the 2025 Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup at the Nürburgring in Germany on Sunday.
This result, secured in their BMW M4 GT3 EVO, solidifies the team’s second-place position in the teams’ and drivers’ championship standings. This means the battle for the Endurance Cup title will be decided in the final round in Barcelona, Spain, this October.
Initially, it appeared that the Verstappen.com Racing team, with drivers Chris Lulham, Terry Vermeulen, and Harry King, had won the race and secured the Endurance Cup title for their Aston Martin team with a round to spare. However, they were handed a 10-second post-race penalty, dropping them to third place behind the CSA Racing McLaren.
Faisal Al Zubair said: “This round was very good for us. We started strong right from free practice. The BMW’s performance was positive at this round. In previous years, we’ve noticed BMW struggling against some manufacturers like Ferrari and Mercedes. We are very proud to have achieved this result and this win.”
He added: “As a team and as a manufacturer, winning at the legendary Nürburgring is special. This is my first win at this track. I am proud and happy and hope to maintain this high pace until the end of the season.”
Al Manar Racing by HRT started from second place in the Gold Cup class, behind the Garage 59 McLaren, in the three-hour endurance race on the 5.1-kilometer circuit that previously hosted the Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Al Zubair fell behind Vermeulen in the early stages of the race, which was briefly stopped by a full course yellow flag. When the race resumed, the Omani champion in third place stayed very close to Vermeulen’s Aston Martin, while Adam Smalley led for Garage 59. The Tresor Attempto Racing Audi retired after five laps.
Ben Tuck took over driving duties from Faisal Al Zubair in the second stint, while Vermeulen remained behind the wheel of his car until the end of the first hour, moving into the Gold Cup lead after all driver changes were completed.
After all nine cars in the Gold Cup class completed their driver changes, 32 laps into the race, Chris Lulham held the advantage for Verstappen.com Racing ahead of Garage 59 driver Lewis Burt, with Tuck in third for Al Manar Racing by HRT. However, Garage 59 retired from the race after 45 laps.
A full course yellow was deployed again about two hours into the race. The final driver change was made with Jens Klingmann getting into the Al Manar Racing by HRT BMW. The German driver maintained second place behind Harry King with 57 minutes left in the race, which resumed after 62 laps with 45 minutes remaining.
There was no drama in the final stages, as Klingmann crossed the finish line in second behind the Aston Martin, heading for a podium finish for the team. The CSA Racing McLaren completed the podium, but the gap between them and Al Manar Racing widened in the battle for second place in the teams’ and drivers’ championship.
However, the 10-second post-race penalty for Verstappen.com Racing means the battle for the Endurance Cup title will continue until the final round in October.
The Al Manar Racing by HRT team showed strong pace in the early stages of the round.
The car demonstrated impressive speed in free practice, recording the second-best overall time of all 61 participating cars with a lap of 1:55.297. The team was also the fastest in the Gold Cup class during pre-qualifying with a time of 1:55.189.
Qualifying consisted of three sessions. Al Manar Racing was fifth in the Gold Cup class in the first session, then second in the second session, and seventh in the third. Combining the three times, pole position went to Garage 59 with Adam Smalley, Lewis Burt, and Dean Macdonald. Al Manar Racing by HRT qualified in second place ahead of Optimum Motorsport.
The GT World Challenge Europe will resume at the Valencia circuit in Spain, which hosts the final round of the Sprint Cup from September 19-21.
Current Gold Cup Endurance Standings – Teams
1. Verstappen.com Racing – 106 points
2. Al Manar Racing by HRT – 94 points
3. CSA Racing – 84 points
4. RJN – 36 points
5. Optimum Motorsport – 36 points
6. Garage 59 – 34 points
7. Herberth Motorsport – 33 points
8. Bull Motorsport – 33 points
9. Tresor Attempto Racing – 29 points
10. Ringer Racing – 23 points
Current Gold Cup Endurance Standings – Drivers
1. Lulham / Vermeulen / King – 106 points
2. Al Zubair / Klingmann / Tuck – 90 points
3. Gachet / Rougier / Kiel – 84 points
4. Foster / Barr / Boncompte – 34 points
