WRT will field Neil Verhagen alongside Valentino Rossi and Max Hesse at the GT World Challenge Europe finale in Portimao. The American driver takes Dan Harper’s place after Harper was ruled out of the season’s final round.

Portimao is an endurance event, so each car will use a three-driver line-up rather than the two drivers used in Sprint Cup rounds. Rossi and Hesse formed WRT’s Sprint pairing in 2026, while Harper joined them for the endurance races. WRT said Harper will miss the finale because it clashes with the penultimate round of the FIA World Endurance Championship in Barcelona. Moving the GTWCE race to Saturday avoided a direct clash between the events, but it did not remove the problem for a driver competing in both series.

Verhagen’s GT racing record

The 25-year-old Verhagen is an FIA Gold-rated driver from the United States and a two-time class winner at the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring. In the 2026 edition, he finished fourth overall in a BMW M3 Touring, sharing the car with Jens Klingman, Ugo de Wilde and Connor De Phillippi.

Verhagen first appeared in GT World Challenge Europe in 2022 with ROWE Racing BMW, taking second place at the Spa 12 Hours. He finished runner-up at Monza in 2023 and last raced in the series in 2025. He also competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship with Paul Miller Racing in BMW machinery. Earlier this season, he won the 24 Hours of Daytona’s GTD Pro class with Harper. Three additional podiums, including third place at Petit Le Mans, helped secure Verhagen the IMSA title.