BMW M TEAM WRT READY FOR ITS FIRST TIME AT THE 24 HOURS OF SPA

BMW M TEAM WRT READY FOR ITS FIRST TIME AT THE 24 HOURS OF SPA

28/06/2023

Three weeks after Le Mans, the excitement for endurance racing is back with the other ‘big one’, the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, the world’s highlight of GT3 racing. The great race on the Cathedral of the Ardennes is on stage at an unusual date, one month earlier than traditional, but it retains all its magic and prestige and will have its usual weight in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS. The number of entries, 71, proves how competitive the 75^th running of the race will be.

For BMW M Team WRT, of course, it is always a very special race, in front of home supporters, friends and family; even more so this year which will see the Belgian squad fielding, for the first time, the BMW M4 GT3 racers. The objective is to fight for victory, which would be the third after the successes of 2011 and 2014 and a total of eight podium finishes. Last year, the Belgian squad won the Silver Cup and took second in the Gold Cup.

The four cars will be entrusted to the usual line-ups and seeking honours in the Pro, Gold and Bronze classes. Good results would be crucial to stay in the hunt for the various Fanatec GT titles, overall and in the classes. At the moment, the ranking where BMW Team WRT is best-placed is the overall Teams’ one, where it lies in third position, 12 points from the top.

Ahead of the busy week, Team Principal Vincent Vosse reflects: “Spa comes earlier this year and right after Le Mans, but it is always a great pleasure and a big responsibility to be part of this race which means so much to us. We will have on track four cars, two in Pro and one each in the Gold and Bronze classes, all seeking for top honours. The objective is to fight at the forefront, which is also what it is expected from us. It’s now eight years we haven’t won, we have been very close to a third win many times but eventually lacked that very little thing that makes the difference. We hope to be luckier this time. After 13 participations, this will be the first defending the colours of BMW. I feel very proud to represent the manufacturer that is by far the one that has taken most wins at Spa.”

Niklas Kruetten: “I am very much looking forward to Spa, it’s the top moment of the year for me, so definitely ready to get going. With Calan and JB, who have already won the class last year, we have a very good package. If we stay out of trouble, we can really have a good shot at it.”

Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer: “I’m very excited about the upcoming weekend, it’s the biggest event on the calendar. Last year we were quite successful in our category and I hope we’ll be able to do it again. I am confident in the team and in the car, of course, you cannot predict what can happen in such a long race, but I am very positive.”

Calan Williams: “I’m really looking forward to the Spa 24 Hours, it’s certainly going to be the greatest event I’ve ever competed in, and I can’t wait for the challenge it will present. 24 hours is going to be a serious test of drivers, teams and cars. I’ve done a serious amount of preparation, and I’m eager to get out on track.”

Adam Carroll: “I have been really looking forward to Spa 24, our biggest and toughest race of the season, and also the biggest GT3 race in the world. I believe that if we have a clean race, we can come away with a proper result, can’t wait to race with Tim and Lewis, we will be giving it everything we have.”

Lewis Proctor: “I’m looking forward to the big one this week. It’ll be a tough race as always but we are confident as a line-up and team that we can get a top result.”

Tim Whale: “I’m super excited for my first ‘big one’, the Spa 24 Hours. It’s a dream come true to be on the grid, I’m very aware that it’s a big challenge, but I’m looking forward to it.”

Sheldon van der Linde: “I’m really looking forward to being back with Team WRT for a very special race. Obviously, it’s their home race and one we all want to win very badly and tick off the bucket list altogether. I’m feeling good, confident for the race, we had a good test there a few weeks ago, we have a good car and a good line-up with Dries and Charles, so we are very very motivated to go for the top step.”

Dries Vanthoor: “I’m very much looking forward to Spa, and we are all very keen to try to have a good result and hopefully win the race. The test was promising, the car is good, everybody is motivated and of course, with Sheldon and Charles, we have a strong line-up. I came close to winning it once and I really want to win it. It would be a nice story to win with BMW for our first time, but it’s a tough race, as we know, and first, we have to survive to be there at the end. We’ll push hard to make it work and let’s see what we can do”.

Charles Weerts: “Spa 24 is definitely the peak of the season for me, so I really look forward to drive in what is almost my garden. We had good tests there, hopefully the car remains competitive for the race. We know the competition will be extreme, it will be an interesting race to watch. The team is definitely well-prepared and the car is good, everything is in our hands. My objective is to win, we got very close to it in 2021, we’ll push hard to climb the extra position, and hopefully we’ll have also that bit of luck that you need to succeed in a race like this one.”

Augusto Farfus: “Spa is a very special race to me, already led twice the race in the final moments, then I had an engine failure once and a puncture… So, it’s definitely in my bucket list, and hopefully we can be competitive and put a good show together with Maxime and Vale, as the team come from some very strong rounds.”

Maxime Martin: “I am very happy to be back at Spa with BMW, with which I won in 2016, after having raced for some years with other manufacturers. It’s going to be a big challenge and we’ll have to take weather conditions into account as always at Spa. I am happy to be back with Augusto, whom I know well, and Vale, we have a strong line-up and a strong car.”

Valentino Rossi: “We come to Spa, the most important race of the year and the biggest in GT3 racing, with more than 70 cars, on the best track for cars in the world. It will be my second time at Spa, I enjoyed it much last year and it is fantastic to be back again. The level is so high, with the best drivers and cars in the world. I preferred the older date, but it doesn’t change much. We are in good shape, we were quite fast in the tests and we have a strong line-up. We’re ready to give the maximum.”

Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe – Endurance Cup - Round 3
CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium – 1-2 July 2023

Timetable (Local time – CEST)

Tuesday 27 June 2023
14:55-17:55 Bronze test

Thursday 29 June 2023
11:20-12:50 Free Practice
18:10-19:10 Pre-qualifying
21:20-22:41 Qualifying
23:00-00:30 Night Practice

Friday 30 June 2023
15:35-16:05 Superpole

20:35-21:05 Warm up

Saturday 1 July 2023
16:30 Race start

Sunday 2 July 2023
16:30 Race end

BMW M Team WRT entry (BMW M4 GT3)
#30 Niklas Kruetten (DE) – Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer (FR) – Calan Williams (AU) Gold
#31 Adam Carroll (GB) – Lewis Proctor (GB) – Tim Whale (GB) Bronze
#32 Sheldon van der Linde (ZA) – Dries Vanthoor (BE) – Charles Weerts (BE) Pro
#46 Augusto Farfus (BR) – Maxime Martin (BE) – Valentino Rossi (IT) Pro