24h Spa: BMW M4 GT3 Takes Third Place

Following a third-place finish at the Nürburgring and a second-place result at Le Mans, theBMW M Team WRT added another remarkable achievement by finishing third at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. At the iconic race, Sheldon van der Linde, Dries Vanthoor, and Charles Weerts secured he third podium spot. This achievement marked a significant milestone for BMW M Team WRT, as it was their first podium at their home race in collaboration with BMW M Motorsport.

The #998 BMW M4 GT3, piloted by ROWE Racing, was in contention for a top finish and held second place until a late additional pit stop pushed them back to sixth. The race, which started in warm sunshine, faced multiple disruptions due to heavy rain showers, leading to several hours of neutralization behind the safety car.

Drivers Augusto Farfus, Dan Harper, and Max Hesse managed to lead the race on Sunday morning, even after a drive-through penalty during the night. Unfortunately, a slow puncture forced an early final pit stop, causing Hesse to exceed the maximum stint duration by a minute. This necessitated an additional pit stop, dropping them from second to sixth place.

The #32 BMW M4 GT3 team capitalized on this misfortune. Starting from 23rd place, van der Linde, Vanthoor, and Weerts eventually moving up to fifth. With the #998’s pit stop and a competitor’s time penalty, they climbed to third, securing BMW M Team WRT’s first home race podium with the BMW M4 GT3.

The #46 BMW M4 GT3, driven by Valentino Rossi, Raffaele Marciello, and Maxime Martin, was also a strong contender for the podium. However, an accident involving Rossi, followed by a lengthy repair and a penalty, relegated them to 24th place. The second ROWE Racing car, driven by Philipp Eng, Marco Wittmann, and Nick Yelloly, retired early due to a technical defect in the cooling circuit.

In the Bronze category, the #991 BMW M4 GT3 from Century Motorsport, driven by Connor De Phillippi, Pedro Ebrahim, Darren Leung, and Toby Sowery, finished in ninth place. The #30 BMW M4 GT3 of Team WRT, with Ahmad Al Harthy, Sam De Haan, Jens Klingmann, and Calan Williams behind the wheel, was a strong contender for a podium finish in the Bronze class before encountering issues.

First published by https://www.bmwblog.com

24h Spa: BMW M4 GT3 Takes Third Place

24h Spa: BMW M4 GT3 Takes Third Place

24h Spa: BMW M4 GT3 Takes Third Place

24h Spa: BMW M4 GT3 Takes Third Place

24h Spa: BMW M4 GT3 Takes Third Place