Historic GP Zandvoort 2026: Masters Gentlemen Drivers & Pre-66 Touring Cars

Yelmer Buurman claimed overall victory in the combined Masters Gentlemen Drivers & Pre-66 Touring Cars race at Zandvoort, guiding his Ferrari 250 LM to a controlled win after an eventful one-hour contest that featured two Safety Car interventions. Buurman completed 28 laps and finished just under six seconds clear of Nicky Pastorelli’s Ferrari 250 GTO, while John Spiers and Nigel Greensall completed the overall podium in their TVR Griffith.

The opening laps saw immediate drama as Bas Jansen and Chris Chiles briefly visited the gravel in their Shelby Cobra while Nicolai Kjærgaard spun his Lotus Elan but managed to continue. Shortly afterwards, Abraham Bontrup’s AC Cobra came to a halt on circuit, triggering the first Safety Car period of the race.

When racing resumed, Buurman and Pastorelli quickly established themselves at the front of the field, both circulating consistently in the 1m56s range. Behind them, Spiers and Greensall held firm in third, maintaining pressure on the leading Ferraris while keeping the chasing pack at bay.

Further interruptions followed when Armand Adriaans and Erwin van Lieshout stopped at Turn 11, bringing out a second Safety Car. Earlier, Loris Hezemans had also seen his race compromised after issues with the Bizzarrini, while Olivier Hart’s rapid Shelby Cobra Daytona eventually dropped out after running strongly and setting one of the fastest laps of the race before retirement.

Among the Masters Gentlemen Drivers entries, Buurman took victory ahead of Pastorelli and the pairing of Spiers and Greensall. Nicolai Kjærgaard finished fourth overall in the Lotus Elan 26R, while Bas Jansen and Chris Chiles rounded out the top five after recovering from their early off-track excursion.

In the Pre-66 Touring Cars category, Alan and Geoffrey Letts emerged as the leading finishers in their Ford Lotus Cortina, completing 27 laps to secure victory. Henk and Thijs van Gammeren’s Ford Falcon Sprint showed promising pace before retiring, while Bontrup’s AC Cobra was another early casualty after stopping on track in the opening phase of the race.

At the front, however, the result never looked in doubt. Buurman combined pace and consistency throughout the race to take a deserved victory, leading home Pastorelli and Spiers after a competitive and incident-filled encounter around the Zandvoort dunes.