GT World Challenge Europe: Chaotic race in Monza.

Monza. The BMW M works drivers experienced an unfortunate second Endurance Cup round of the season in the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza (ITA). In a race defined by numerous full-course yellows and accidents, Augusto Farfus (BRA), Raffaele Marciello (SUI), and Jake Dennis (GBR) finished fifth as the highest-placed BMW M Motorsport trio in the ROWE Racing #98 BMW M4 GT3 EVO. Kelvin van der Linde, Jordan Pepper (both RSA), and Charles Weerts (BEL) were for a long time on course for victory thanks to strong strategic decisions from Team WRT, but had to drop out of the fight for the podium shortly before the end due to an unfortunate Full-Course Yellow at the wrong moment.

Their teammates, including local hero Valentino Rossi (ITA), also endured a bitter race. In a chaotic opening phase, in which several frontrunners were eliminated in a major multi-car crash, the Italian initially gained several positions. Shortly afterwards, however, he had to retire the #46 BMW M4 GT3 EVO due to a clutch failure.

The #998 BMW M4 GT3 EVO of ROWE Racing initially crossed the finish line in fourth place in the Gold Cup but benefited from a post-race penalty imposed on a rival. As a result, Jens Klingmann, Tim Tramnitz (both GER) and Ugo de Wilde (BEL) were retrospectively classified third in class, securing a podium finish just as they had at the season opener in Le Castellet (FRA).

There was also reason to celebrate for Oman Racing by Century Motorsport: Ahmad Al Harthy (OMA), Javier Sagrera (ESP), and Calan Williams (AUS) secured third place in the Bronze Cup category with the #42 BMW M4 GT3 EVO finishing on the class podium.

The race ended with an unfortunate incident. At the restart after a Safety Car period shortly before the end of the three-hour race, Kelvin van der Linde misjudged his braking point into Turn 1 and collided with the Porsche ahead. The Porsche spun and collected several other cars. Two of the drivers involved were subsequently checked at the Medical Center. Following the race, the stewards issued a penalty to van der Linde and the #32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, resulting in the loss of their seventh-place finish.

Reactions after the race.

Kelvin van der Linde (#32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Team WRT): “A big apology to all the drivers involved in the accident. It was a very unfortunate situation. I misjudged the braking into Turn 1 on the Safety Car restart and tried to avoid contact. Unfortunately, there was another car on my left, which meant I made contact with the Porsche and caused it to spin. The outcome is very bad and something no one wants to see. I am truly sorry, and I am relieved that both drivers were okay when I saw them at the Medical Center.“

Raffaele Marciello (#98 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, ROWE Racing, 5th place): “It was a crazy race with far too many accidents. Considering our bad luck today, finishing P5 is a good result in the end. Even if it is not particularly meaningful, we compare quite well to the other Pro-class cars.”

Ugo de Wilde (#998 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, ROWE Racing, 3rd place Gold Cup): “Considering we started from 46th on the grid, it was a strong recovery. It was a race with many incidents, lots of strategic decisions and, of course, you needed a bit of luck. In the end, we still picked up important points for the championship in the Gold Cup. As a team we worked very well together and will take the lessons learned to be as well prepared as possible for Spa.”