The TSR Continental Drivers Cup opened at Spa-Francorchamps with 75 minutes of LMGT3 racing and a forecast that kept things dry, if not entirely settled overhead. Clear skies gave way to cloud and back again, but the real variation came from the field: some tidy climbs, some short evenings, and a first championship table with very little room to relax.
In LMGT3 - PRO, Lorenzo Cotellessa turned a front-row start into the first win of the season, finishing 9.440s clear after 32 laps. Behind him, David Dhoore made one of the most effective moves through the order to take second from eighth on the class grid, while Vlad Mirea | LFTR completed the podium from seventh.
The AM race had its own sharp edge. Mike Jensen had taken class pole by just 0.003s from Cyrius cattoor, but it was Cyrius who left Spa with maximum points, the class win, and the fastest AM lap. Richard Veenema added a composed third place after starting fourth in class, giving the BMW M4 LMGT3 a place on the opening podium.
LMGT3 - PRO podium
🥇 Lorenzo Cotellessa – Ferrari 296 GT3
🥈 David Dhoore – McLaren 720S GT3 Evo
🥉 Vlad Mirea | LFTR – Lexus RC F GT3
Cotellessa’s win was built from the front, if not from pole. Maciej Beniak had qualified fastest with a 2:17.759, but Cotellessa started second and was the one still in control at the flag, completing 32 laps in 1:15:43.538. Dhoore’s recovery to second was a fine return from eighth, and Mirea was close enough to keep the pressure relevant, finishing 11.640s behind the winner.
Robert Beasant and Thomas Jardin completed the top five, with Eduardo Daroca sixth after gaining five places. Further back, Ralf Arella rose eight places to seventh and Alan Axon gained nine to finish eighth. Si Fillingham’s climb was even larger, up 19 places to 11th, while Beniak still recorded the fastest PRO race lap, a 2:17.964, despite finishing 15th after completing 30 laps. Ian Paskin completed four laps and Max Beyer two, leaving both with difficult opening results.
LMGT3 - AM podium
🥇 Cyrius cattoor – Lexus RC F GT3
🥈 Mike Jensen – Ferrari 296 GT3
🥉 Richard Veenema – BMW M4 LMGT3
The AM class was close in qualifying and clearer by the flag. Jensen’s pole lap of 2:19.561 was only three thousandths quicker than Cyrius cattoor, but Cyrius took the race win by 17.901s and set the class fastest lap at 2:20.215. Jensen kept second, with Veenema third a further 15.140s back.
There were strong progress drives throughout the AM order. Ranjiv Kalsi finished fourth after gaining 14 places from the recorded race grid, while Adam Elwell climbed 20 places to fifth. Mike Landreth gained 17 for sixth, Pierre SANZ TORRIJO gained 20 for seventh, and robert rochford gained 18 for eighth. Anthony Smeekes completed 12 laps, Ben Mlr four, and Josh Castle one, so their points came from shorter evenings than planned.
Championship picture
With this being the opening round, the championship standings follow the Spa results. In LMGT3 - PRO, Lorenzo Cotellessa leads on 20 points, with David Dhoore two points behind on 18 and Vlad Mirea | LFTR third on 16. Robert Beasant is fourth on 15, one point ahead of Thomas Jardin.
In LMGT3 - AM, Cyrius cattoor starts the season on top with 20 points. Mike Jensen is second on 18, Richard Veenema third on 16, Ranjiv Kalsi fourth on 15, and Adam Elwell fifth on 14. It is a neat, narrow table after one round; the sort that looks tidy until Imola gets involved.
Martin's strategy notes
Qualifying mattered, but not absolutely. Cotellessa started second in PRO and won, while Dhoore and Mirea both reached the podium from further back. In AM, Jensen and Cyrius cattoor were separated by 0.003s in qualifying, yet Cyrius had 17.901s in hand at the finish.
The gains through the field were significant. Si Fillingham’s PRO result shows +19 places in the race data, while Manuel Pagani gained 15. In AM, Adam Elwell and Pierre SANZ TORRIJO both gained 20 places, Olivier Bertrand gained 19, and robert rochford gained 18.
Fastest laps told only part of the story. Beniak set the PRO benchmark with a 2:17.964 but finished 15th, two laps down. Cyrius cattoor combined the AM win with the class fastest lap, a 2:20.215, which is usually the cleaner way to make a Monday evening feel worthwhile.
The gaps at the front were controlled rather than huge. Cotellessa won PRO by 9.440s, with the top five covered by 18.059s. In AM, Cyrius won by 17.901s, and the top four were covered by 50.361s.
Olivia caught up with some drivers
Ian Paskin (McLaren 720s GT3 Evo, LMGT3 - PRO)
Qualifying – P11 | Race – P17
Olivia: How did qualifying feel after practice?
Ian: I had been struggling throughout practice with some steering issues, so P11 was not what I wanted.
Olivia: What happened in the race?
Ian: The start was okay, but on the Kemmel Straight I got squeezed onto the grass and into the barriers. The car was heavily damaged.
Olivia: Were you able to recover after repairs?
Ian: I limped back to the pits and came back out with a repaired car, but I was still struggling with stability. I ended up in the barrier again and that was race over. One to forget.
Richard Veenema (BMW M4 GT3, LMGT3 - AM)
Qualifying – P4 | Race – P3
Olivia: You qualified fourth in AM. How did the lap come together?
Richard: There was not a lot of grip, but on my last lap with low fuel the car was better and had more grip, so I could set a pretty good lap.
Olivia: Talk us through the start and opening lap.
Richard: The start was not great. I was a bit late off the limiter, then I decided to go on the outside and made some places up. For the rest of the lap I took it easy for the tyres.
Olivia: Was there a battle that stood out?
Richard: Ralf Arella was behind me for the first stint until the pit stops. He was saving fuel, but I needed to keep my eye on him and defend in some places.
Olivia: Any nervous moments on the way to the podium?
Richard: Not really, but there was a scare on lap one on the straight. Ian Paskin hit the grass and lost control, and I was all the way on the right side, so I was very lucky. It was solid.
Round 2 takes the Continental Drivers Cup to Imola on Monday 16 November 2026 at 19:30 UTC. Until then head over to TSR Website where you can read the full results and check the championship standings.