Opening-lap carnage strikes GTWC Monza race in frightening pile-up

What was expected to be a thrilling start to the GT World Challenge Europe race at Monza quickly descended into mayhem, with a massive opening-lap collision involving numerous cars. The chaos unfolded after Maxime Martin's GetSpeed Mercedes made contact in the pack following an aggressive move during the charge towards the first chicane.

The incident rapidly escalated into a large-scale pile-up, leaving several teams with significant damage and ending the races of multiple contenders almost instantly. Among the notable casualties were Alessio Rovera's #51 AF Corse Ferrari, both HRT Ford Mustangs, the #80 Lionspeed Porsche, the #10 Boutsen VDS Porsche, the #59 Garage 59 McLaren and the #007 Comtoyou Aston Martin.

In total, around twelve cars were caught up in the accident, making it one of the most dramatic moments of the weekend and severely reshuffling the order before the race had even properly begun. The race remained unpredictable long after the opening-lap pile-up. Although Martin initially found himself at the head of the field following the first Safety Car intervention, the stewards soon deemed him responsible for the incident and issued a hefty three-minute penalty, dropping the GetSpeed Mercedes out of contention.

Further drama unfolded midway through the event when the #3 Verstappen Racing/2 Seas Motorsport Mercedes GT3 ran into trouble. Chris Lulham was forced off the circuit at Ascari after suffering a mechanical failure, prompting yet another neutralisation period and adding to an already chaotic afternoon at Monza.

However, another big talking point arrived in the closing stages. With the podium positions seemingly settled, a collision at the first chicane on the final green-flag lap completely changed the complexion of the race. Kelvin van der Linde's #32 BMW made contact with the #9 Porsche of Alexei Nesov, triggering a spectacular chain-reaction accident involving multiple cars. The crash also collected the #25 Saintéloc Audi and the #97 Rutronik Porsche, while the #87 Winward Mercedes - running second at the time - was dramatically flipped over in the melee.

As a result, the race finished behind the Safety Car, freezing the order and handing victory to the #66 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi. The crew of Rocco Mazzola, Sebastian Ogaard and Ariel Levi not only secured the overall win but also topped the Silver Cup classification. The #48 Winward Mercedes of Lucas Auer, Maro Engel and Luca Stolz finished second overall and emerged victorious in the Pro category, while the #555 CSA Racing McLaren completed the podium places.

Just behind the leading trio, the #2 Boutsen VDS Porsche and the #98 Rowe Racing BMW rounded out the top five after surviving a race that delivered incidents, penalties and dramatic twists from start to finish.