Nathan Vanspringel Shows Strong Pace Despite a Frustrating Weekend at Misano

Nathan Vanspringel returned to GT4 European Series action at Misano with Academy Motorsport for the fourth round of the 2026 season.

Sharing the No. 61 Ford Mustang GT4 with Erik Evans, Nathan arrived in Italy determined to build on the promising pace shown during the previous round at Spa-Francorchamps.

While the final results did not reflect the car’s true potential, the weekend once again demonstrated that Nathan and the Mustang have the speed to compete much further up the field.

Promising Pace, Difficult Qualifying

The Ford Mustang GT4 looked competitive from the opening sessions around the Misano World Circuit.

However, qualifying proved costly for the No. 61 crew. Multiple lap times were deleted for exceeding track limits, leaving the car without a representative time during the second qualifying session.

As a result, Nathan and Erik faced a difficult starting position for the second race of the weekend, making their task significantly harder before the lights had even gone out.

A Penalty Compromises Race One

Nathan and Erik completed all 34 laps of the opening race, crossing the line in 16th position.

Their final classification was affected by a 20-second penalty for track limit infringements. Without the additional time, the No. 61 Mustang would have finished several positions higher and much closer to the top ten.

The pace was clearly stronger than the final result suggested. With a best lap of 1:42.992, the Academy Motorsport pairing remained competitive with several cars fighting further up the order.

It was a frustrating outcome, but one that showed the potential was there.

Front-Running Speed in Race Two

Starting from the back of the grid in Race Two, Nathan and Erik knew they would need a strong and consistent performance to recover positions.

The Mustang immediately showed encouraging speed.

The No. 61 recorded a best lap of 1:42.205, only 0.338 seconds away from the fastest lap of the entire race. The time was also quicker than those recorded by several cars that eventually finished inside the top ten.

Unfortunately, the comeback ended prematurely.

After completing 25 laps, the Mustang was forced to stop and could not reach the chequered flag. The exact reason for the retirement was not officially confirmed, bringing another difficult weekend to a disappointing conclusion.

More Potential Than the Results Suggest

On paper, Misano was a challenging round for Nathan Vanspringel.

A track limits penalty affected the opening race, deleted qualifying laps forced the car to start from the rear, and a late retirement prevented Nathan and Erik from converting their speed into a strong finish.

However, the raw performance tells a more encouraging story.

Finishing a lap within four tenths of the fastest time of Race Two shows that Nathan continues to have the pace required to compete near the front of the GT4 European Series field.

The next step will be turning that speed into a complete and trouble-free weekend.

Nathan also took time after the event to thank the entire Academy Motorsport team for the work carried out behind the scenes.

“Motorsport can be cruel sometimes, but we’ll keep our heads high, keep pushing, and give everything we have. Our time will come.”

Looking Ahead to Zandvoort

Following Misano, Nathan and Erik sit 14th in the Silver Cup standings with 25 points.

The GT4 European Series will return at Zandvoort from 18 to 20 September 2026, giving the No. 61 crew another opportunity to convert its increasingly evident speed into the result it deserves.

Misano may not have delivered the outcome Nathan wanted, but it provided another clear indication that the performance is there.

Now, the focus turns to Zandvoort.