2 Seas Motorsport closes out European campaign with GT World Challenge Gold Cup honours

The GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS concluded in Barcelona over the weekend, with 2 Seas Motorsport signing off a successful season in the Endurance Cup. With the team continuing the support of the #33 Verstappen.com Racing effort, drivers Harry King, Chris Lulham and Thierry Vermeulen scored a further podium result to secure championship honours in the hard-fought Gold Cup. Also, returning to campaign in the Bronze Cup, the #222 Mercedes-AMG GT3 recovered from an early puncture to score a top-10 class finish for Tom Lebbon and recently crowned British GT champions Charles Dawson and Kiern Jewiss.

The #33 trio arrived in round 5 of the season with one hand on the title, having scored one victory and podium finishes at each of the other rounds. The #222 Mercedes-AMG GT3 returned for a third appearance of the season, having triumphed in the Bronze Cup at the last round.

The opening lap of the race saw a multi-car incident in the mid-pack, which Charles managed to narrowly avoid. His quick reactions to the melee unfolding ahead saw him briefly climb the order as he cleared the scene, but he was unlucky to pick up a puncture from the damaged bodywork and carbon fibre across the track. He carefully limped the stricken Mercedes-AMG GT3 back to the pits for a new tyre, rejoining the action a lap down.

Later in the opening hour, a further full course caution brought out a Safety Car and the #222 was able to make a pass back on to the lead lap before Charles handed over to his Nürburgring race-winning teammate, Tom. Meanwhile, the #33 crew continued their metronomic campaign, with Thierry running cleanly throughout his stint, handing over to Chris for the second hour as the race ran under caution once again.

The middle hour saw Chris hold P4 in class, battling just outside the overall top-10, eventually passing the baton over to Harry. In the #222 Mercedes-AMG GT3, Tom made an immediate pass on the restart and continued to gain positions, moving back into the top-10 before making way for Kiern.

The final stint of the season started under caution, but quickly turned action-packed as the track went back to green. Now fighting firmly inside the overall top-10, Harry battled hard showing all his racecraft and experience against the world-class field. At the chequered flag, Harry brought home P8 overall, and P3 in class to conclude the season with a full sweep of podium finishes. This result secured the coveted Gold Cup title in the GT World Challenge Endurance Cup for Verstappen.com Racing. Kiern continued in the same manner as his #222 teammates, making further gains to eventually cross the line P10 in class.

“Another great weekend for the team, and a huge congratulations to Harry, Chris, Thierry and the whole Verstappen.com Racing team on securing the Gold Cup title in their maiden season. They have delivered the results all season, conducting themselves faultlessly at every step. It just goes to show that hard work and focus really do bring results, and I am looking forward to seeing that the next chapter brings for them.

“It was a tough race for the #222 crew, but huge effort from lap 1 and a strong recovery. The puncture was unlucky, but it could have been a lot worse. The important thing was that no-one let their head drop, and the fight continued until the very end, bringing home a top-10 result to sign off what has been an incredibly strong year for the whole 2 Seas Motorsport team, and I am extremely proud of everything achieved this year.”

Isa Al Khalifa, team co-owner, 2 Seas Motorsport

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