29 November 2025
Shadow Debut and Steely Determination Earn Albion Algarve a Landmark Double Podium
Albion Algarve Celebrates First Double Podium at Nürburgring After Dramatic Mixed-Weather Race
Following an impressive second-place finish in Week 5 of the 24 Hours Global Endurance Tour at Daytona, the Albion Algarve squad arrived at the Nürburgring for the final round of the IMSA Endurance Series, marking the competitive debut of the Shadow satellite team.
Qualifying
The main AAGP entry, driven by Connor Jupp, set the benchmark with a storming pole position of 1:55.565, edging out the #21 DWR x SimCoach Setups machine driven by Ryan Delany by just 9 thousands of a second. In contrast, Easton struggled in the wet conditions and could only manage P8, 2.422 seconds off pole after an incomplete second flying lap.
Technical issues in the AAGP garage cost Jupp dearly. After failing pre-race scrutiny, he was forced to start from the pit lane.
Race Start
The opening laps were largely calm, but Easton capitalized on several non-starters ahead and executed a sharp move on the inside of Sam Griffiths (#18 OSD Racing) into Turn 1 to climb to P4. Griffiths reclaimed the position on Lap 6 when a mistake from Easton exiting the Schumacher-Esses left the door open.
Meanwhile, Jupp began the race nearly 30 seconds behind the next LMP2 car and first had to clear the GT3 traffic. He completed this task midway through Lap 4 and he could finally get his head down.
Early Chaos on Slicks
By Lap 10, Jupp had closed in on the #32 Club Tropicana Drinks GT, whose driver Ben Guiney became the first to gamble on slicks; this move backfired immediately. Guiney locked up into Turn 1, collided with a GT3, and spun. Another slide over the wet white line at Turn 5 resulted in him veering into the path of another GT3 and a subsequent meatball flag.
Lap 14 saw the #18 OSD Racing entry pit from P4 to switch to slicks. A straight-on moment at Turn 1 and a spin at Turn 9 initially suggested the change was premature, but once his tyres were up to temperature, the advantage was clear to see.
Both Cars Switch to Dry Tyres
Both Albion Algarve machines stopped at the end of Lap 16. Easton managed the transition smoothly, but Jupp’s stint became increasingly challenging amid heavy traffic. A series of incidents followed:
- Lap 18: Spin and front-end damage after contact with a GT3
- Two corners later: Off into the gravel
- Lap 21: Straight on at Turn 1
- Lap 23: Another spin at the Dunlop Hairpin
Frustrated, Jupp radioed, “I’m going to box… pointless doing this…” but he pressed on as he still held P7.
Mid-Race Developments
Easton maintained strong pace but was rapidly reeled in by Dylan Bittmann in the #167 GermanSimRacing Blue entry. Bittmann passed on Lap 25 and go on to claim victory.
Lap 27 brought progress for Jupp as he moved into P6 when Sameer Arshad (#46 Eitha Racing) ran wide after clipping a wet kerb at Turn 3.
On Lap 33, Gurkan Demir (#48 Hercales Performance Gamma, P3 at the time) ran straight on at Turn 1, where damp patches still lingered off the racing line. Both Bittmann and Easton slipped past.
Final Stint
At the end of Lap 42, both AA cars pitted. Trowbridge took over the Shadow entry as Easton’s stint ended. Still finding grip in the tricky conditions, Trowbridge was quickly caught by Jupp, who completed a clean overtake into Turn 3 on Lap 49.
One lap later, Jupp attempted a move on the struggling #4 Top Tier Motorsport car. Riley Blunt defended into the final chicane, resulting in contact that spun the #4 car around.
As conditions remained difficult, Trowbridge continued to lose ground while working through back markers. Still, the team maintained P3 and P4.
A late twist arrived when Delany in the #21 exceeded the incident limit and received a black flag, promoting Jupp to P2. Delany then pitted as Trowbridge closed rapidly, and the #21’s troubles worsened with yet another black flag.
A Historic Finish
With the pressure eased, both Jupp and Trowbridge managed their pace to the end, securing Albion Algarve’s first-ever double podium - an impressive P2 and P3 finish in a challenging, incident-filled race.
RACE RESULTS
GTP
Pos
No
Team Name
Drivers
1.
#43
Taylor Mills Racing
N Debacquer
2.
#71
Myrmica Group M Academy
M Surhanak
3.
#2
FCT iRacing Team
M Urrios
LMP2
1.
#167
GermanSimRacing #Blue
D Bittman, D Brizic
Pos
Team Name
No
Drivers
2.
#8
Albion Algarve GP
C Jupp
3.
#223
Albion Algarve Shadow
A Trowbridge, M Easton
4.
#21
DWR x SimCoach Setups
R Delaney
5.
#46
Eitha Racing Team
S Arshad, G Kohler
6.
#20
Grow Racing Team Yellow
R Pinho
7.
#18
OSD Racing
S Griffiths
8.
#121
Iron Lads
J Radix, N Patterson
9.
#4
Top Tier Motorsport - LMP2
R Blunt
10.
#48
Heracles Performance Gamma
G Demir
11.
#32
Club Tropicana Drinks GT
B Guiney
12.
#6
GermanSimRacing #Cyan
D Bittman
GT3
Pos
No
Team Name
Drivers
1.
Delta V Racing
#221
E Gioannini
3.
#12
Drago Racing Team
G Andre, A Faria
2.
#399
SRP Racing by STK
N Cinquini
Race Replay
See the replay of Connor Jupp's perspective during the race.