Eastalent Racing Falls Short of Its Potential at First Sprint Cup Round in Brands Hatch

Brands Hatch/England, May 3, 2026 – The GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS visited the legendary Brands Hatch circuit in the English county of Kent last weekend (May 2–3, 2026) for the opening Sprint Cup race of the season. Among the competitors was Austrian team Eastalent Racing, led by team principal Peter Reicher. Even before the race weekend began, it was clear that the challenge would be immense. On the one hand, Brands Hatch is considered one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar; on the other hand, the team had no opportunity for testing beforehand.

The opening sessions on Saturday morning initially went promisingly, with the team finishing second and eleventh in the two free practice sessions, gathering important data and insights. However, the first difficulties emerged during qualifying.

Christopher Haase explains:
“It has been a tough race weekend for us. We had a lot to learn, and not everything went smoothly. After the free practice sessions, things became increasingly difficult. Our competitors managed to improve, while we were no longer able to find the pace. On top of that, I lost valuable track time due to a technical issue during the second practice session. At Brands Hatch, every lap is incredibly important. Simon had an especially difficult task as a rookie on this circuit, but I think he handled it very well. Particularly in the second race, he did a fantastic job and managed to hold his ground in the midfield. In the end, we finished the race in 17th place. Now we have a long list of homework ahead of us.”

Teammate Simon Reicher describes the weekend as follows:
“Brands Hatch is the Nürburgring Nordschleife of England – an insanely difficult track. Without any testing beforehand, it’s almost impossible to prepare for what awaits you there. Fixing every issue within just two one-hour practice sessions is nearly impossible. Still, as a racing driver, you have to make the best of the situation. We knew it would be difficult, and in the end, it was even tougher than expected at times. In the second race, we weren’t flying, but we delivered a solid performance. Now it’s about doing our homework and continuing to grow as a team.”

Engineer Christian Schmidt-Gogler has a balanced assessment:
“Brands Hatch is always special – probably the most unique and shortest Sprint weekend of the year. We had several issues during free practice that affected our qualifying performance. However, in the races we were able to show parts of our potential, which makes me optimistic. Of course, there are always things to improve, but overall we can conclude the weekend on a positive note.”

Team principal Peter Reicher takes a slightly more critical view of the weekend:
“In the end, I’m happy that we brought our Audi R8 LMS evo II home without damage. We knew beforehand that this weekend would be difficult. At the same time, the atmosphere here is simply sensational – this is where motorsport truly lives. Brands Hatch is a real old-school circuit and extremely demanding. With a bit more preparation, we certainly could have achieved more. All things considered, however, we extracted the maximum possible. Nevertheless, we will continue to follow our path consistently.”

The next challenge is already waiting: from May 29 to 31, the GT World Challenge Europe heads to the legendary Italian circuit of Monza.