Lema Racing stepping up to full season
Lema Racing is gearing up for its first full season in the GT4 European Series powered by RAFA Racing Club this year, with drivers Mark Kastelic and Elias Niskanen returning to share its first Mercedes-AMG GT4.
The Slovenian team made an eye-catching debut in the championship last year with a one-off appearance at Monza. The team came agonisingly close to securing a podium finish before a puncture robbed Kastelic and Niskanen of a secure second place.
Now the team will be back for a full attack, with both drivers aiming high in the Silver category.
Slovenian teenager Kastelic, 17, will be one of the youngest drivers on the grid and graduates to GT4 following a successful karting career in which he competed at both European and World championship level. He was third in last year’s GT4 Italy points in his first season of GT4 racing.
Finnish driver Niskanen, 24, is already highly decorated, having been a champion in Finnish Formula Ford and Formula Open, runner-up in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe Pro-Am class in 2020 and was Iberian Supercars champion in 2022.
The team is also close to finalising drivers for a planned second car. The team will also twin its GT4 Europe programme with campaigns in both GT4 Italy and Iberian Supercars.
Mark Kastelic says: “This season will be extremely difficult. It is a new challenge for me and for the team, but I am confident that we are absolutely ready to compete at the highest level. I really enjoy the Mercedes-AMG, which suits me well and I appreciate the weight ratio and front-engined concept, which provides me with more grip at the front of the car. I hope that by the end of the season we can finish in the top five, but quietly, I am also hoping for a podium in some of the races this year.”
Elias Niskanen says: “I am starting my fourth year with Lema Racing and have seen the team develop year by year. Every time I enter a championship, I do so seriously, and the goal is always to win. But you also have to be realistic. There are teams with years of experience on the tracks and in the championship. I will be happy if we reach the podium during the season, and if we can be among the top five by the end of the year.”
Lema Racing team manager Jaka Marinsek adds: “We are thrilled to announce our participation in the GT4 European Series. With Mark and Elias behind the wheel we are ready to take on the competition and fight against the best teams and drivers. The season looks promising, and we can’t wait to hit the track, especially because this year we are proud to have Mapetrol as our general sponsor, a brand that fuels performance and innovation on and off the track. We are also in the final stages of finalising the drivers for our second Mercedes-AMG GT4, and we are confident that we will enter the championship with a strong two-car team.”
JW Raceservice debut with Porsche
Highly experienced Porsche squad JW Raceservice will make its GT4 European Series powered by RAFA Racing Club debut this season, with newcomers Bas Visser and Jurriaan de Back sharing its 718 Cayman RS CS GT4.
The Dutch team is a regular frontrunner in both the Porsche Carrera Cup Benelux and Sprint Challenge Southern Europe. It also has experience of competing in series such as Belcar and the Dutch Supercar Challenge.
The all-Dutch driver pairing of Visser and de Back will also be making their GT4 Europe debuts in the all-new Silver Cup entry.
Visser, 25, will enter his first year of GT racing this term. Having begun his career in the BMW Compact Cup he most recently raced in the Dutch Mazda MX-5 Cup and enjoyed outings in an Audi RS3 TCR, both with the JW Raceservice team.
Despite his young age de Back, 17, has already gained valuable experience racing Porsches. He began his car racing career in the Porsche Sprint Challenge Benelux in 2023, and last season ran a dual campaign in both the Sprint Challenge Southern Europe and Carrera Cup Benelux, finishing fourth in the Carrera Cup Rookie Championship standings in a 911 GT3 Cup run by JW Raceservice.
JW Raceservice team manager Imke Dippel says: “We are excitedly counting down the days to the start of the new season and our first appearance in the GT4 European Series. It’s an incredible chance for us to demonstrate our dedication and passion for racing. We’re ready to embrace every challenge that comes our way.”
