GEBHARDT Motorsport was one of the fastest Duqueine teams at the season opener of the Michelin Le Mans Cup, but its performance went unrewarded.
The 2025 season of the Michelin Le Mans Cup kicked off in Barcelona. GEBHARDT Motorsport entered one of the brand-new Duqueine D09, which was driven by ADAC Sports Foundation protégé Valentino Catalano and Oscar Tunjo. Before the race weekend on the Spanish GP circuit, the series completed an extensive test day on the track just outside the metropolis.
It became apparent early on in the race weekend that the technically demanding circuit favoured Ligier cars, even in the new LMP3 generation. The GEBHARDT Motorsport team therefore worked hard to find the perfect setup for the Duqueine. In qualifying for the LMP3 class, the Colombian Tunjo finished seventh on the grid.
The two-hour race started late on Saturday afternoon and got off to a chaotic start. Tunjo navigated his way through the chaos unscathed and was able to move up into fifth position straight away. After the safety car returned to the pits, the Colombian continued his strong performance and was able to fight his way up to third place, making the experienced LMP3 driver the best-placed Duqueine driver in the field.
But shortly before the mandatory pit stop, the team from Sinsheim was forced to retire. While lapping, the GEBHARDT Motorsport driver collided with a GT3. The South American eventually parked the LMP3 car in the pits with consequential damage.
‘We expected more from our first race in the Michelin Le Mans Cup,’ said Fritz Gebhardt. ‘Our race weekend in Barcelona got off to a difficult start, especially with the technical problems on the test day, which cost us a lot of testing time, but we were able to keep improving. In the race, we were on course for a podium and were the best-placed Duqueine team. This gives us a lot of confidence for the upcoming race weekends in the Michelin Le Mans Cup.’
GEBHARDT Motorsport will now analyse the season opener of the Michelin Le Mans Cup and will start the second race weekend at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, France, in a stronger position. The aim of the long-established German team is to fight for victory at the race weekend in the south of France. The race in the Départment Var takes place on 3 May, the first Saturday in May.
