SUCCESS IN BRANDS HATCH FOR TEAM WRT: Overall victory, 2 Silver class podiums, and Pitstop Challenge triumph!

SUCCESS IN BRANDS HATCH FOR TEAM WRT: Overall victory, 2 Silver class podiums, and Pitstop Challenge triumph!

05/05/2024

Team WRT made a strong return to the iconic old-school circuit of Brands Hatch, notching an impressive four podium finishes, including an overall win, in front of numerous team guests.

In race 1, Team WRT's cars #32 and #30 delivered stellar performances, with the Belgian duo of Charles Weerts and Dries Vanthoor clinching a well-deserved overall victory, while local driver Sam De Haan and his Australian teammate Calan Williams secured a commendable second place in the Silver class. Despite starting from P14, car #46 surged to P7, showcasing the team's performance. However, a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane saw them relegated to 15th place.

Race 2 saw all WRT cars starting from further back on the grid, but witnessed some remarkable comeback performances by the Belgium-based team. Car #30 secured its second podium of the weekend with a third-place finish in class, while car #32 battled through the field, claiming seventh position. Unfortunately, the fan’s favorite car #46 encountered a steering issue, leading to its premature retirement.

In both races, the WRT pit crews showcased their expertise with lightning-fast and precise pitstops, with the crew of car #32 taking the first 'Pitstop Challenge' victory of the season.

With eyes already turning towards the upcoming races, the team's focus now shifts to Spa, their home race, for the third round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

RACE 1 RESULTS:
PRO
1. Vanthoor – Weerts (BMW M4 GT3) 39 laps
2. Green – Lappalainen (Ferrari 296 GT3) + 0.633s
3. Engel – Auer (Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo) + 1.208s
4. Gamble – Goethe (McLaren 720S GT3 EVO) + 2.703s
5. Gazeau – Panis (Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo) + 4.620s
15. Martin – Rossi (BMW M4 GT3) + 8.475s

SILVER
1. Gazeau – Panis (Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo) 39 laps
2. De Haan – Williams (BMW M4 GT3) + 0.483s
3. Donno – Fleming (Ferrari 296 GT3) + 0.846s
4. Hudspeth – Machiels (Ferrari 296 GT3) + 1.301s
5. Cook – Klymenko (Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II) + 1.887s

RACE 2 RESULTS:
PRO
1. Auer – Engel (Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo) 43 laps
2. Altoe – Vermeulen (Ferrari 296 GT3) + 2.563s
3. Gounon – Götz (Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo) + 11.946s
4. Aka – Feller (Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II) + 12.784s
5. Lappalainen – Green (Ferrari 296 GT3) + 13.133s
7. Vanthoor – Weerts (BMW M4 GT3) + 22.547s
DNF. Martin – Rossi (BMW M4 GT3) + 6 laps

SILVER
1. Donno – Fleming (Ferrari 296 GT3) 43 laps
2. Gazeau – Panis (Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo) + 1.522s
3. De Haan – Williams (BMW M4 GT3) + 3.964s
4. Hudspeth – Machiels (Ferrari 296 GT3) + 17.391s
5. Barr – Gustavsen (Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo) + 27.55s

QUOTES
Vincent VOSSE, Team Principal Team WRT: “A positive weekend, we can’t complain. We won race 1, and we've scored some points in race 2! From where we’ve started, it was difficult to do better given the BOP situation. Finishing P7 for #32 was the best we could hope after those qualifying sessions. Double podium in Silver class was the very positive side of the weekend. And of course, the pitstop challenge which helped us again to win races and to gain some positions on a track where it is very difficult to overtake. That was very great, congrats to the crews!”

Calan WILLIAMS, driver #30: “First weekend in the Sprint Cup and racing with Sam. It's been a positive weekend overall. We've come away with good results and I think we'll achieve even more in the future rounds. I'm definitely excited for the rest of the season. Looking forward to do even better in Misano!”

Sam DE HAAN, driver #30: “Overall a good first weekend. Calan's pace is great, the team is fantastic, we executed everything we could to finish with two podiums, which is also great. But next time on the top spot!”

Charles WEERTS, driver #32: “It's been a good weekend. I'm very happy with the win in the first race. It was mainly thanks to Dries' great qualifying session and the mega job from the pitstop crew. It was just bringing the car home! It is good points for the championship. We knew that the second race was going to be more difficult, starting in the middle of the pack, on a track where it's difficult to overtake. But we did the best out of it after a tricky start where I got blocked. The gap was too big and without any safety car it was difficult to come back. Anyway, we take the good points and we focus on the next one”.

Dries VANTHOOR, driver #32: “A decent weekend in Brands Hatch. Very happy with our victory. We did a really good job there. A big thanks to everyone for the great job. We knew that the second race was going to be more difficult as it's difficult to overtake. At the end, finishing P7 and getting points is the most important. We will qualify better next time!”

Maxime MARTIN, driver #46: “Not the weekend we were expecting but it's always nice to come here and race on an old school track. It was still a very positive weekend for the team, they had a victory with the sister car. We had some good fights and good fun. Let's see what Misano brings!”

Valentino ROSSI, driver #46: “We came back in Brands Hatch as it's here that I did my first podium with the BMW M4 but this time it was more difficult! Yesterday we suffered a lot but today it was better. Unfortunately, I had a problem with the steering in the second race, where I had to retire and we also had a penalty for speeding in the pitlane, in race 1. Anyway we suffered more than we expected but it was still a pleasure to race in Brands Hatch! Let's see what we can do in Misano!”