Carrie Schreiner closes debut GTWC Europe season with seventh place in Bronze Cup at Portimão
Carrie Schreiner brought her debut GT World Challenge Europe campaign to a close at Portimão with another points-scoring finish, as Tresor Attempto Team recovered through the field to secure a top-ten result in the Bronze Cup.
Carrie Schreiner brought her debut GT World Challenge Europe campaign to a close at Portimão with another points-scoring finish, as Tresor Attempto Team recovered through the field to secure a top-ten result in the Bronze Cup.
After a season marked by numerous ups and downs, Schreiner headed into the GTWC Europe season finale in Portimão looking to build on the progress she had made throughout the year. Her performance had followed a positive trend in the final rounds of the championship, although this had frequently been interrupted by misfortune and technical issues.
In part for this reason, the team opted to field a new car for the final round. The change, however, came with its own challenges, after a BoP adjustment before the start of the race. The team ultimately finished seventh out of 17 entries in the Bronze Cup and 36th overall out of 61 cars.
Schreiner initially held her position through an unusually uneventful start, but she soon struggled to find the necessary pace. Within a few laps, class rival Al Harthy had opened a two-second gap, while Silver- and Bronze-class competitors began putting her under pressure from behind. A Silver Cup driver passed her just seven minutes into the race, and Schreiner subsequently found herself defending 10th place in class against a car from K-PAX Motorsport. She eventually lost that position after the first ten minutes.
The German driver tried to find her rhythm over the following laps, although the gap in lap times gradually narrowed. Nevertheless, Schreiner was unable to hold on to her next two positions and had dropped to 12th in class by the 16-minute mark. Just a minute later, the #45 car spun into the gravel, triggering a Full Course Yellow period that briefly interrupted the action.
The caution lasted barely two laps, and the Lionspeed Mercedes passed Schreiner shortly after the restart. She dropped to 55th overall before her pace and position began to stabilise. Throughout her stint, she continued to struggle with tyre performance and was unable to find a comfortable rhythm.
At the 30-minute mark, the #93 Porsche spun into another competitor while attempting to lap the car, sending both vehicles into the gravel. Although the Porsche was able to continue, subsequent steering damage forced it into the pits for repairs. Schreiner consequently inherited the position of her class rival. The remainder of her stint was relatively uneventful, and with her pace stabilising, she managed to maintain her position and keep the gaps under control until the pit stop. After the first hour, Daniele Di Amato took over the Audi and set about working his way back up the order.
The Italian's progress was soon interrupted. Around 70 minutes into the race, the #10 Porsche stopped in the runoff area at Turn 1 with front-end damage, prompting another FCY. A well-executed pit stop had already helped Di Amato move up to 49th overall and 11th in class.
The second FCY was also relatively short-lived, and Di Amato immediately resumed his charge, setting new personal best lap times for the team. Once again, however, his progress was interrupted. At the 92-minute mark, the #54 and #9 cars ended up in the gravel at Turn 13 after the #54 spun and made contact with the #9, triggering another FCY. This time, the neutralisation worked in Di Amato's favour, as the Safety Car was subsequently deployed, bunching up the field and bringing the cars ahead back within reach.
The race resumed with 118 minutes elapsed. Di Amato immediately overtook the Comtoyou Aston Martin and, with several retirements having reshuffled the order, moved up to 45th overall and 10th in class. However, the extended neutralisation meant his stint was already nearing its conclusion. At the two-hour mark, he handed the Audi over to Nesov. Another well-timed pit stop helped the team gain further ground, moving them up to 44th overall and ninth in class.
Nesov continued to increase the pace and close in on the cars ahead. Although he initially lost a position to Getspeed Team Dubai at the start of his stint, he quickly settled into a rhythm and continued to make progress against the other Bronze Cup entries.
With 33 minutes remaining, several cars—including the #46 BMW entry featuring Valentino Rossi—were suddenly spotted stopped at the side of the track with their lights off. With darkness having already fallen, race control quickly deployed another FCY. The race resumed ten minutes later, with Nesov running 42nd overall and 10th in class. He immediately passed the Herberth Motorsport car and continued to close the gap to the competitors ahead. With 16 minutes remaining, he also overtook the Lionspeed Mercedes, moving Tresor Attempto Team up to 38th overall and eighth in class.
Seventh place in the Bronze Cup initially appeared out of reach, but the #11 Aston Martin was handed a penalty on the final lap and dropped back. Nesov capitalised on the opportunity to secure seventh place in class and 36th overall, bringing the team's season to a positive conclusion.
The Portimão finale marked the end of Schreiner's first season in the GT World Challenge Europe. Although the campaign did not produce major victories, it provided valuable experience in a championship that was entirely new to her. Unfamiliar race formats, consistently fierce competition—including Platinum- and Gold-rated drivers competing in the Bronze Cup—technical problems and unfamiliar circuits all contributed to a challenging debut.
Nevertheless, Schreiner secured several points-scoring finishes and recorded performances that brought her close to the top five in class. Among the season's highlights were her hard-fought battles against some of the leading names in GT racing, including her duel with Lucas Auer at Monza. Auer struggled to find a way past the German until another competitor spun at the first chicane, forcing Schreiner to slow and allowing him to get through.
Her pace was also impressive at Spa-Francorchamps before an engine failure brought her race to an end. At Magny-Cours and Zandvoort, better opportunities to overtake could potentially have translated into even stronger results. These performances highlighted the progress she made throughout the season, even when the final results did not fully reflect her potential.
As with any racing driver, Schreiner's ultimate ambition is to fight for victories, and she may naturally have hoped for more from her debut campaign. However, the season should not be viewed as a disappointment. Instead, it offered encouraging signs of progress and demonstrated that she could compete in a demanding international GT championship while continuing to adapt to its challenges.
Schreiner's plans for next season have yet to be confirmed, although discussions are ongoing. Following a debut campaign that showed considerable promise despite its share of setbacks, her next step will be one to watch.
