GRT pairing Pepper and Engstler take runner-up spot in Sprint Cup despite giving Huracán GT3 197th win in opening race of the weekend
Sant’Agata Bolognese/Valencia, 22 September 2025 – Lamborghini claimed victory and a second place in the final round of the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup season at Valencia, but just missed out on taking the title at the end of a pulsating weekend in Spain.
The duo, at the wheel of the #63 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2, avoided drama on a chaotic opening lap in Saturday’s race one, eventually consolidating fifth place – and first of the Pro class runners – ahead of the pit-stops.
Pepper took over from Engstler and made a late-race overtake to grab second place on the road which then became victory after a post-race penalty for the on-the-road winning Ferrari. It is Lamborghini’s 197th victory with the Huracán GT3 car which debuted in 2015 and which will be replaced by the all-new Temerario GT3 in 2026.
Coming into the weekend, the Pepper-Engstler combination sat fifth in the Sprint Cup standings, 20 points off the top of the table, knowing that a strong result would be key to keep their title hopes alive. The #63 qualified a promising sixth on the grid for race one, with Engstler maintaining that position either side of an early safety car.
From the restart, Engstler kept the #63 at the head of the Pro class cars in sixth, moving up a position just before the pit window opened before swapping with Pepper for the second stint. From there, the #63 began to move past the Bronze class cars which had led early on, settling into third before closing in on the second-placed McLaren.
Pepper, still leading the Pro class, was keen for more and finally translated pressure into an overtake to wrestle second place with just over a minute remaining. Scoring maximum points in Pro and second on the road, Pepper and Engstler were then promoted to overall race victors following a converted drivethrough penalty for the original winners.
Pepper took pole position for the final race of the year on Sunday morning and led the way off the rolling start. The #63 struggled for ultimate pace, however, and dropped behind the points-leading BMW just before the mandatory pit-stop.
Engstler kept the #63 in second after the stops and began to chase down the leader entering the closing stages. The German reduced the deficit to under a second but came up just short. By finishing second, Pepper and Engstler confirmed their place as runner-up in the Sprint Cup standings, vaulting three pla ces from their pre-weekend position.
