•    Maxim Dirickx starts season with double podium, including star race one win
•    Dominant Prototype Cup Europe race two victory for rapid Theo Micouris
•    Excellent racing on opening weekend of new championship at chilly Mugello
•    Four event European Season resumes in July at Germany’s Nürburgring

Mugello, Italy (22 March 2026):
Belgian driver Maxim Dirickx is the early points leader of the 2026 Prototype Cup Europe, after a highly successful weekend at Mugello in Italy which delivered two podiums – including a sterling win during the opening race of the category’s new epoch.

Dirickx, driving for the Aust Motorsport team in the No.3 Ligier JS P325, was in brilliant form as he converted second on the grid in Saturday morning’s race to victory, then grabbed the lead straight away in today’s second contest before going on to finish in third place.

Team Virage’s Theo Micouris, who shared the No.74 Ligier with team-mate Dominique Bastien in race one, was entered as a sole driver for Sunday’s contest. Having qualified the car on the race two pole position, the British racer slipped back behind Dirickx initially but grabbed the lead back on the seventh racing lap and went on to dominate after the mid-race pit-stops.

Maxim Dirickx – Race One Winner:
“At the start it was a bit difficult, I was struggling a bit. I stayed calm, I knew the pace was there, I made the best out of it and won so I’m really happy. It was a bit stressful, with dirty air and all [behind Tobias Bille Clausen], but I knew I was a bit quicker so I was just waiting for the right opportunity and then just went for it and made it stick.”

Theo Micouris – Race Two Winner:
“It’s a good feeling. I think we knew we had the pace to do it, so it was about getting the job done today. It was a really good race, I love driving this track so it was good to be back here and get some nice push laps in. It was a little bit less grippy today [than Saturday], not just us, everyone, and the cold temperatures this morning really affected people. It was a little bit sketchy, but a lot of fun!”

After two formation laps the first race of the new Prototype Cup Europe era began with pole qualifier Mattis Pluschkell leading into San Donato at the rolling start in the No.8 BWT Mücke Motorsport Duqueine D09 – seeing off the No.11 GMS Team Ligier of Valentino Catalano, who started third.

As front row qualifier Dirickx slipped back early on, the Hellberg brothers made hay. Within a few corners the No.48 Allay Racing Ligier, with Emil Hellberg aboard, grabbed second from Catalano at Materassi, and Linus in the sister No.43 car then followed his sibling through seconds later. 

Around 10 minutes into the race Linus Hellberg was under huge pressure from Dirickx, who had firmly hit his stride, and moved ahead of Catalano for fourth. Dirickx took third in short order and Catalano also saw his chance to move back past the No.43 Ligier as well.

Dirickx soon challenged for second and passed Emil Hellberg at San Donato before disappearing into the distance with a series of fastest laps. Catalano also continued his forward progress, passing Hellberg for third out of Arrabbiata 2.

Leader Pluschkell, meanwhile, hadn’t put a wheel wrong to build an advantage of 16 seconds as the pit-stops neared – although as he pushed hard on his in-lap for the driver change, the German did run wide through the gravel exiting Arrabbiata 2. 

With 25 minutes to go the leading BWT Mücke car pitted with a 15 second cushion over Dirickx, who remained in the No.3 Ligier as its sole driver. Pluschkell handed over the striking pink No.8 car to Tobias Bille Clausen with the lead reduced to around 11 seconds when he entered the race.

When all stops were completed Dirickx chased down Clausen, while Linus Hellberg lost third due to a spin through Arrabbiata 1. Jacob Erlbacher, now installed in the GMS Team Ligier, moved past the Swedish driver into the podium placings and with just 15 minutes left Dirickx had caught Clausen.

Within a couple of laps he made his move successfully at San Donato and then motored away to a great victory. Clausen saw off Erlbacher by 1.6 seconds, Linus Hellberg finished fourth and was almost caught Markus Pommer in the No.18 BWT Mücke Duqueine which was started by Mads Kjelde Larsen. Emil Hellberg placed sixth from Micouris, the latter setting fastest lap of 1m42.776s. 

Dirickx made a strong start to race two from second on the grid, just able to squeeze ahead into San Danato to lead from pole-qualifier Micouris. Pommer, starting the No.18 BWT Mücke car from third, was also quick away and briefly nosed ahead of his two rivals into the braking zone.

Pommer pressured Micouris’ Team Virage car initially before slipping further away after a couple of laps. Once the Michelin tyres were into their working window, air temperature just five degrees, Micouris pushed and closed right onto the tail of the Aust Ligier. With 10 minutes elapsed, less than 0.3 seconds split the pair while Pommer remained in third but nearly another four seconds adrift.

Emil Hellberg held fourth at this point, having originally dropped behind Linus on the first racing lap, while Clausen in the No.8 Duqueine climbed up to fifth over the course of the first couple of tours – helped by Linus Hellberg slipping back. Erlbacher, meanwhile, didn’t have the start to the race he wanted, running in seventh after an early spin which lost a lot of time.

Back at the front, Micouris got the run he’d been building up for into San Danato on lap seven and cleanly grabbed the lead with a quality pass. When the pit-stop window opened with just over half an hour to run, Clausen pitted as soon as he could from sixth to hand over the No.8 car to Pluschkell while Erlbacher had also pitted from seventh in the GMS car, Catalano climbing aboard.

Pommer, Emil and Linus Hellberg pitted one after the other with 25 minutes to go, from third, fourth and fifth respectively, and the next time around Micouris and Dirickx entered pitlane. The leader had a six second advantage and was also helped due to Dirickx having to serve additional time in the pits, his ‘success penalty’ from the race one victory.

After his stop, Micouris maintained the lead and had a cushion of just under two seconds from Emil Hellberg. Dirickx emerged more than 10 seconds shy of second place with Larsen, now at the wheel of the No.18 Duqueine, fourth ahead of Linus Hellberg.

The race leader was faultless during the remainder of the contest, securing a thoroughly deserved win by over 18 seconds and also taking fastest lap again. Dirickx had closed impressively in the fight for second with the No.48 car of Hellberg, but just missed out on the runner-up spot by 1.1 seconds.

Pluschkell took the flag in fourth, Catalano grabbed fifth on the last lap from Larsen, and Linus Hellberg was seventh. The latter had pitted with a flat spotted and punctured front-right tyre with seven minutes to go, losing position in the process. 

There is now a significant break until the second event of the new Prototype Cup Europe season, a visit to the Nürburgring in Germany during the first weekend of July. The championship will again run as support to the Michelin 24H SERIES European Series. 

For all the latest from Prototype Cup Europe visit www.prototype-cup-europe.com