Two victories in the GT World Challenge Europe: Charles Weerts and Kelvin van der Linde unbeatable.

Misano. Two Sprint races, two commanding victories: Charles Weerts (BEL) and Kelvin van der Linde (RSA) proved unbeatable during the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Cup weekend at Misano (ITA). Driving the #32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO for Team WRT, they claimed victory in both the Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon races, taking over the lead in the Sprint Cup championship standings in the process. Local hero Valentino Rossi (ITA) thrilled fans by securing his first-ever GT World Challenge pole position in Saturday’s qualifying session. Together with teammate Max Hesse (GER), he finished sixth and fourth in the #46 BMW M4 GT3 EVO. Team WRT also celebrated a successful weekend in the Silver Cup, with the #30 BMW M4 GT3 EVO scoring one victory and one third-place finish.

In scorching summer temperatures, the second Sprint Cup weekend of the season proved physically demanding for everyone involved. The opening race got off to a dramatic start, with several cars making contact. Rossi was also caught up in the incident, dropping to fourth place, but he was able to continue. Meanwhile, Weerts stormed from fourth on the grid into the lead, a position he and van der Linde never relinquished. Rossi then had to serve a ten-second penalty during the pit stop for a jump start before handing the car over to Hesse who fought his way back to sixth place. However, a full course yellow period followed by a safety car prevented him from gaining any further positions in the closing stages.

On Sunday, van der Linde started from second on the grid, while Hesse lined up fourth. They quickly settled into second and third places respectively. Thanks to another outstanding pit stop, Team WRT managed to move the #32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO into the lead during the tyre change and driver swap. Weerts then drove confidently to his second victory of the weekend. With his 20th Sprint Cup win, he also became the outright record holder for the most victories in the history of the Sprint Cup. Towards the end of his stint, Hesse suffered a tyre issue. Nevertheless, both he and Rossi initially managed to hold on to third place. Only in the closing laps was Rossi unable to fend off the relentless pressure from Lucas Auer (AUT) in the Mercedes, leaving Hesse and Rossi to finish fourth.

In Team WRT’s third Pro Cup entry, the #31 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Jordan Pepper (RSA) and Amaury Cordeel (BEL) shared driving duties. They finished seventh in the opening race. In race two, they had worked their way up to fifth place but received a ten-second penalty after Pepper forced a rival off the track while battling for position. As a result, the duo was classified tenth.

In the Silver Cup, Matisse Lismont (BEL) and Ignacio Montenegro (ARG) celebrated victory in Saturday’s race with the Team WRT #30 BMW M4 GT3 EVO. On Sunday, they spent much of the race running second but, following a time penalty, ultimately secured third place on the podium. In the Gold Cup, Team KPX Motorsport finished fifth and eighth with the #77 BMW M4 GT3 EVO. In the Bronze Cup, Augusto Farfus (BRA) teamed up with Darren Leung (GBR) in the #991 BMW M4 GT3 EVO entered by Paradine Competition. The pair finished fourth and eighth respectively.

Reactions after the races at Misano:

Vincent Vosse, Team Principal Team WRT: “It’s a nice way to spend a race weekend, with two wins. It has been faultless races from car #32. Car #46 also had a strong Saturday with Vale’s pole position and a great Sunday, but unfortunately Max had the tyre issue and then Vale couldn’t hold Lucas Auer, which was the quickest car on track so we lost the podium one lap from the end. We also had a win and a podium for the silver car, which was great. We come out of this weekend with a lot of points, which is important.”

Charles Weerts (#32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Team WRT, Race 1: 1st place, Race 2: 1st place): “It has been a great weekend here after a pretty difficult season so far so I am really happy to finally score some big points. Sunday’s win came down to the team. Kelvin had a great qualifying and a great first stint, and then to jump in and to take the lead in the box – I’m really happy and thankful to the crew. We are definitely pleased and let’s keep it up like this.”

Kelvin van der Linde (#32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Team WRT, Race 1: 1st place, Race 2: 1st place): “It was a really spectacular weekend and I think the best possible way to come back after a difficult start to the season. We needed that and it was well deserved, well executed. On Sunday, we had a real challenge on our hands and the team delivered once again and made it in the pit stop. That made the difference in that race. We are Sprint Cup championship leaders now, that makes us really proud. So thanks to everyone for an amazing job.”

Max Hesse (#46 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Team WRT, Race 1: 6th place, Race 2: 4th place): “It was a bit of a weekend of missed opportunities, I would say. But overall, we have to be happy with it. We were lucky twice, because yesterday the race could have finished immediately. And for me today, with the tyre failure, it could have ended much worse. So getting some points is great. But obviously, it’s a shame because we definitely had the pace to win yesterday, and to be on the podium today for sure. And there’s no better place to do it for Vale than at home. Unfortunately, this time the luck was not on our side. It’s a bit of a shame, but the team did a mega job. Congrats to car #32 for the double win – it’s great for their championship. Magny-Cours is coming soon, so we’ll focus on that.”

Valentino Rossi (#46 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Team WRT, Race 1: 6th place, Race 2: 4th place): “It’s a great shame about the missed podium, mainly because even yesterday, without the penalty, we could have finished second. Today, at the end, I tried to resist, but the other car was too fast and they beat me on the last lap. That’s a great shame. We also had a problem with the tyre at the end of Max’s stint that made us lose a few seconds. There’s nothing we could do, but that’s how it is.”

Jordan Pepper (#31 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, Team WRT, Race 1: 7th place, Race 2: 10th place): “I think, it was a trying weekend for us. We maybe did not have quite the pace of #32 and #46, although we showed a lot of promise in free practice and we did really well. We just didn’t capitalise in qualifying and for both races had to fight from the back. We ultimately did get two races in the points, but it’s not where we want to be. We want to be much further up at Magny-Cours and I think we can be. And then on the other side, just proud of the sister car. They did a great job with the double win.”