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The International GT Open travels across Europe, welcoming both professional and amateur drivers in GT3 cars. It’s a perfect proving ground for those looking to take the next step in their careers, a path several GT Cup Series drivers have already followed. Most recently, Antal Zsigo and Dennis Waszek made headlines by winning the opening race of the Barcelona round.
Last weekend, Barcelona hosted the penultimate round of the 2025 GT Open season, where Zsigo enjoyed his best result yet. Former GT Cup Series champion has been contesting selected GT Open weekends this year. He had already appeared in two earlier rounds, sharing Racing Trevor’s BMW M4 GT3 with BMW factory driver Max Hesse, the pair finishing third in the Pro-Am category at the Red Bull Ring.
In Barcelona, Zsigo teamed up with another GT Cup Series champion Dennis Waszek. Entered in the Am class, the duo enjoyed a hugely successful outing, winning the first one-hour race and finishing second in the next. Their combined results earned them the most points of any Am crew over the weekend.
Another familiar name from the GT Cup Series in GT Open is Czech outfit ISR Racing, competing in the championship for the second year with Filip Salaquarda and Libor Milota, both former GT Cup Series champions (Milota in GT3 in 2022, Salaquarda in 2023).
The Czech pair made their GT Open debut last season in an Audi R8 LMS Evo II, entering the ultra-competitive Pro-Am category. After a tough start to 2024, they have steadily built on their experience, regularly finishing in the points. They celebrated their first class victory at Hockenheim and added podiums in Hungary, Austria, and most recently in Spain. Salaquarda and Milota now sit third in the standings, battling to hold off a Swiss Mercedes crew for the bronze medal position.
The success of GT Cup Series winners in GT Open is proof of how talented and well-prepared its drivers are. The championship has become a launchpad to international competition, where grids regularly feature more than 20 cars. A glance at the GT Open entry list reveals many other familiar GT Cup Series names: Czechs Petr Fulín and Jiří Navrátil, Polish racers Krystian Korzeniowski and Marcin Jedliński, Slovak father-and-son duo Jiří and Christian Malchárek or Austrians Ernst Kirchmayr and Philipp Baron.
The final round of the International GT Open will take place at Monza on 18–19 October.
