Nürburgring. A thrilling Endurance race in the GT World
Challenge Europe powered by AWS at the Nürburgring (GER) ended
successfully for the BMW M Motorsport crews in all categories.
Kelvin van der Linde (RSA), Charles Weerts (BEL) and Jordan Pepper
(RSA) finished second overall with the Team WRT #32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO.
In the Silver Cup, the crew of the #30 BMW M4 GT3 EVO – Matisse
Lismont (BEL), Ignacio Montenegro (ARG) and Amaury Cordeel (BEL) –
clinched the Endurance Cup title with second place in the race.
Meanwhile, the trio of Jens Klingmann (GER), Tim Tramnitz (GER) and
Ugo de Wilde (BEL) took the lead in the Endurance standings of the
Gold Cup with the #998 BMW M4 GT3 EVO of ROWE Racing.
The three-hour race on the Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit was
characterised by several Safety Car periods. Starting from eighth on
the grid, Pepper, Weerts and van der Linde steadily worked their way
up the field. The reward: second place and the crew’s first podium of
the Endurance Cup season. Their team-mates Max Hesse (GER), Valentino
Rossi (ITA) and Dan Harper (GBR) also finished in the top ten, taking
ninth place in the #46 BMW M4 GT3 EVO.
In the Silver Cup, Lismont, Montenegro and Cordeel underlined their
ambitions of securing the title with pole position. Once again, they
delivered a flawless race, finishing second in their category and
thereby becoming Endurance champions.
For ROWE Racing, taking the lead in the Gold Cup provided a bright
spot on a difficult weekend. Klingmann, de Wilde and Tramnitz, who had
claimed class victory at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (BEL),
finished fourth in their category with the #998 BMW M4 GT3 EVO. This
was enough to move them into first place in the Endurance standings.
Their team-mates Raffaele Marciello (SUI), Augusto Farfus (BRA) and
Jake Dennis (GBR) had already struggled in qualifying. In the race,
the trio in the #98 was unlucky with a Full Course Yellow period and
dropped far down the field. They eventually crossed the finish line in
38th place.
The Oman Racing by Century Motorsport #42 BMW M4 GT3 EVO finished
fifth in the Bronze Cup. Paradine Competition finished seventh in both
categories with its two BMW M4 GT3 EVOs, the #992 in the Silver Cup
and the #991 in the Bronze Cup.
Reactions after the race.
Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “It was a
pretty eventful three hours of racing, but our crews and teams were
able to get a lot out of it. Second place and, therefore, the first
Endurance podium of the season for the #32 Team WRT car is a great and
well-deserved result. Congratulations to Matisse Lismont, Ignacio
Montenegro and Amaury Cordeel on clinching the Silver Cup title with
one round to spare. Together with Team WRT in the #30, they are having
an impressive season. There are also still title chances in the Gold
Cup for our works drivers Ugo de Wilde, Tim Tramnitz and Jens
Klingmann and ROWE Racing. They now head into the October finale in
Portimão as championship leaders – the perfect starting position!”
Vincent Vosse (Team Principal, Team WRT): “It was a
positive weekend. I am very happy with second place for the #32, as
well as another podium and the Endurance Silver Cup title for the #30
crew. I am proud of our young trio, who have had an incredible season
so far. This title is thoroughly deserved.”
Hans-Peter Naundorf (Team Principal, ROWE Racing):
“We had imagined the weekend very differently. Somewhere along the
way, we took a wrong turn with the set-up. We were unable to make up
for that in the race either. Then we were also unlucky when we made
our pit stop under green and lost a lot of time as a result. After
that, it was just a gamble. If we want to take something positive away
from the weekend, it is the fact that we have taken the overall lead
in the Gold Cup.”
Charles Weerts (#32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Team WRT, 2nd
overall): “I’m super happy that, in what has been such a
difficult season so far, we have finally made it onto the podium in
the Endurance Cup. My team-mates and the team did a great job and
delivered a perfect race.”
Kelvin van der Linde (#32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Team WRT, 2nd
overall): “I’m very happy that we managed to secure the
team’s first Endurance Cup podium of the season. It is more than
deserved. We managed to set up the car so that it worked well over the
full distance at the Nürburgring. That hasn’t always been the case in
the past in the GT World Challenge. I’m also pleased with the
important points in the overall standings.”
Jordan Pepper (#32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Team WRT, 2nd
overall): “That was a long time coming. It has been such a
difficult year for us in the Endurance Cup so far. The weekend started
difficult, but on Sunday we executed the perfect race. We didn’t have
the pace for the win, but P2 is a great result. I’m very proud of the
team. Hopefully we have turned a corner now and can take this momentum
into the rest of the season, when my #32 team-mates Kelvin and Charles
fight for the Sprint Cup title.”
Max Hesse (#46 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Team WRT, 9th
overall): “I’m pretty satisfied with the result. The race was
a bit of a rollercoaster for us. I think we could have achieved more
than ninth place, but at least we scored some points. Congratulations
to the team, which did a great job, and to the #32 crew on the podium!”
Augusto Farfus (#98 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, ROWE Racing, 38th
overall): “We lacked the pace throughout the entire weekend.
Nevertheless, the team gave everything in the race and opted for a
risky strategy. It looked good at times, but, without another yellow
period, we had to make another pit stop shortly before the end and
dropped far down the field. We won here last year, but this time we
leave empty-handed. Now we are focusing on the season finale.”
Matisse Lismont (#30 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Team WRT, 2nd place and
Silver Cup title): “A very positive weekend! We dominated
almost every session and took P1 in qualifying as well. The race was a
little unfortunate at the end, finishing P2, but I’m still very, very
happy with the performance from everyone. I’m very proud of the whole
team. That’s already one championship in the bag, and now we move on
to Zandvoort to try and secure the Sprint Cup title and the overall
Silver Cup title as well.”
Tim Tramnitz (#998 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, ROWE Racing, 4th place Gold
Cup): “It’s a little disappointing that, for the first time
this season, we didn’t make it onto the Gold Cup podium. But things
still look good for us in the championship. Personally, I really
enjoyed racing in Germany again in front of the home fans.”