• Quartet of international talents to join forces in Mercedes-AMG GT3 run by Team Motopark
• German squad brings proven track record of developing young drivers
• Aspiring professionals on four continents vying for fully funded prize seat
An international crew of SRO GT Academy graduates will compete for class victory at next year's 24 Hours of Spa. The identity of the team that will run them has now been confirmed, with Team Motopark selected to oversee the prize winners’ Mercedes-AMG GT3.
The line-up will comprise one representative each from the continental GT World Challenge powered by AWS series in America, Asia and Australia, as well as British GT. Silver-graded drivers under the age of 30 entered in each are eligible for the prize, which is the first of its kind in the history of the twice-around-the-clock event.
The car is provisionally set to compete in either the Gold Cup or the Silver Cup, both fiercely contested classes featuring some of the brightest talents in global GT racing. In Team Motopark, the winners will join a highly respected outfit with vast experience of fielding young drivers.
Best known for its success in single-seaters, the Oschersleben-based squad has more recently expanded into GT racing and made its first appearance at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa this summer. Competing in the Silver Cup, three of its four drivers were tackling the event for the first time. It has been a Mercedes-AMG Motorsport Customer Racing Team since 2023 and has also been active in International GT Open, winning the series title in 2025 and contending for a repeat this year.
But it is as a training ground for young talents that Team Motopark is best known. Max Verstappen, Valtteri Bottas, Liam Lawson, Brendon Hartley and Mercedes-AMG Performance Driver Lucas Auer are just some of the drivers who cut their teeth with Timo Rumpfkeil’s team, while many others have progressed to Formula 1, IndyCar, and the highest levels of international sportscar racing.
Team Motopark has won titles in the GP2 Series, Euroformula Open and Japanese F3, and triumphed in major standalone events such as the Macau Grand Prix and the Zandvoort Masters of F3, the latter with a 16-year-old Verstappen in 2014.
With the season approaching its conclusion, the leading candidates for the SRO GT Academy seat have emerged in each series. Tom Sargent, Yu Kuai and Oscar Targett lead the standings in GT World Challenge America, Asia and Australia respectively, while Jarrod Waberski tops the British GT table. There is, however, time for each to change before the line-up is set, with the Asian and British contests especially close.
Stefan Wendl, Head of Customer Racing, Mercedes-AMG Motorsport: “We are delighted that SRO has chosen Team Motopark, a Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing Team, for this special project. The team has a proven track record of developing young talent, including drivers who have gone on to become established names in international motorsport. At Mercedes-AMG Motorsport, we welcome this international concept, which gives Silver-graded drivers the opportunity to earn a place at the 24 Hours of Spa through their performances in the respective SRO series and to compete in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 alongside established drivers in a highly competitive international field.”
Timo Rumpfkeil, Team Principal & Owner, Team Motopark: “We are honoured to be chosen by SRO to be part of this unique project. We liked the SRO GT Academy concept from the very beginning and I trust that, with our experience of promoting young talent we can add a lot of value. Together with SRO we are creating a comprehensive programme to ensure that the SRO GT Academy graduates will receive the maximum support possible for the 24 Hours of Spa and to ensure we will produce a strong result.”
Stéphane Ratel, SRO Motorsports Group Founder & CEO: “As an experienced professional outfit with a growing reputation in GT racing, Team Motopark was the ideal candidate to field our SRO GT Academy entry at next year’s 24 Hours of Spa. Their record of working with young talents is truly exceptional and I am certain they will provide our winning drivers with an opportunity to shine. My thanks to Team Motopark and of course to Mercedes-AMG Motorsport for making this a reality.”
The SRO GT Academy judges drivers on factors such as speed and consistency, shifting the focus from results to performance in an effort to unearth the best all-round talents. It launched last year in Championnat de France FFSA GT, with Gaspard Simon emerging as the star performer. In a clear statement of intent, Simon secured a full-season GT World Challenge Europe seat with leading Aston Martin squad Walkenhorst Motorsport.
It has expanded this year to include the 24 Hours of Spa seat in a Team Motopark-run Mercedes-AMG, as well as a third element in the GT2 European Series powered by Pirelli, where SRO GT Academy candidates are competing for a GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup berth with Mercedes-AMG Motorsport. The team running this car will be announced at a later date.
