Dirickx Clinches Prototype Cup Europe Title

Photo: RacingPixels/Creventic

Maxim Dirickx clinched the inaugural Prototype Cup Europe title in last weekend’s season finale at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

The 22-year-old Belgian topped both the overall and Prototype Cup Europe Junior standings ahead of title rival Valentino Catalano.

Dirickx and teammate Nigel Moore also handed the teams title to Aust Motorsport with a near-perfect weekend at Spa in their No. 3 Ligier JS P325 Toyota.

The pairing finished on the podium in the opening 55-minute race of the weekend, before completing the season in style with a win in Race 2 later in the day.

The title race was separated by just three points going into the finale as Catalano bested Dirickx in the last round at Monza, taking the championship lead.

GMS Team’s lineup of Catalano and Dani Soufi mounted a strong defence against the Aust Motorsport pairing, but it was not enough to capitalize on their title lead. Dirickx finished the season just eight points ahead of Catalano.

Third place in the overall championship went to Allay Racing’s Emil Hellberg after he took his second overall win of the season.

The Swedish racer also claimed title glory in the Prototype Cup Europe Trophy for FIA Bronze-rated drivers after taking a clean sweep of class wins in every race this season.

Hellberg took his second overall win of the year in Race 1 at Spa, eventually finishing the weekend with a 40-point advantage over his brother Linus with whom he co-founder the Allay Racing squad.

Soufi finished the season in fourth place ahead of Moore in fifth. Neither driver participated in the opening round at Mugello so did not score as many points as their title-contending teammates.

BWT Mücke Motorsport’s duo of Mattis Pluschkell and Tobias Bille Clausen secured a joint sixth place finish in the championship as the highest-placed Duqueine D09 Toyota in the field.

The 2027 Prototype Cup Europe season is scheduled to kick off at Mugello in late March.

Finlay Ringer

Finlay Ringer is a freelance motorsport journalist covering the 24H Series for Sportscar365. He is also a journalism student at City St George's, University of London, and has contributed to publications such as The Race and Autocar.