TEAM WRT CROWNED FANATEC GT SPRINT CUP SILVER TEAMS’ AND DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONS, AND OVERALL VICE-CHAMPIONS

TEAM WRT CROWNED FANATEC GT SPRINT CUP SILVER TEAMS’ AND DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONS, AND OVERALL VICE-CHAMPIONS

13/10/2024

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, finale of the 2024 Fanatec GT Sprint Cup – Team WRT arrived in Barcelona with high hopes, fielding their two full season BMW M4 GT3 entries. Car #32, driven by Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts, and car #30, piloted by Calan Williams and Sean Gelael (stepping in for Sam de Haan), both entered the weekend leading their respective classes, Pro and Silver, ready to fight for the titles.

Overall Category (Car #32):

Vice-Champions: Vanthoor and Weerts arrived with a two-point lead over the Winward Racing Mercedes #48 but, despite a strong season with four victories and three podiums over 10 races, they leave Barcelona having narrowly missed taking another Sprint Cup crown.

Silver Cup Success (Car #30):

Silver Cup Champions: After a stressful weekend, Calan Williams secured the Silver Cup crown, adding another championship to his name following last year’s Gold Cup title with Team WRT and BMW M Motorsport. Despite the absence of regular teammate Sam de Haan, who played a crucial role throughout the season, Williams’ consistent performance, eight podiums, including three victories, out of 10 races, sealed the championship.

Silver Cup Teams’ Champions: Team WRT was also crowned Silver Cup Teams’ champions, alongside the Drivers’ championship, this marks the 61st and 62nd titles in the team’s 15-year history.

Pit Stop Challenge Dominance:

Pit stop Champions: The WRT mechanics delivered yet another dominant performance, winning the Pit Stop Challenge overall ranking for the eighth time in 11 years.

Team WRT leaves Barcelona celebrating their Silver Cup triumph and looking ahead to their next challenge at the FIA WEC finale in Bahrain on November 2nd. The Fanatec GT World Endurance Cup finale is scheduled in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on November 30th.

QUOTES:

Vincent VOSSE, Team Principal Team WRT: “I am very happy for car #30 and Calan, although it’s a shame Sam couldn’t be with us to celebrate a deserved championship title in Silver Class. We must thank Sean for pushing hard after a late call up! The team fought until the end with car #32 but unfortunately, we ended up second in the championship... that is the game. We were lucky to fight until the last race and the last laps but this weekend we simply didn’t have the tools to do better. Congratulations to Winward for taking the crown, it was a pleasure to race against you this season. I also need to praise our teamwork over this weekend, in these very difficult conditions. Winning the Pit Stop Challenge is another achievement for the team, it simply shows how committed the guys are. We are still leading the overall championship, so lets see what we can do in Jeddah at the end of the year.”

Sean GELAEL, driver #30: ”Well I got the call from Vincent, I came, raced on a tyre I have no experience with, and we finished second in race two and won the championship for Calan! So, I’m really happy for the guys. But maybe next time Vincent can give me an extra day notice to prepare (laugh)!”

Calan WILLIAMS, driver #30: "It is a really great way to end the weekend. Obviously taking the Silver Cup drivers’ and teams’ championship is exactly what we came here to do. Sean did a mega job, coming here last minute and keeping a train of competing cars behind in the second stint. That was exactly what we needed him to do. A massive thanks to Sean for stepping up. Obviously, we are all thinking of Sam and wishing him and his family all the best. I am sure he would have performed just as well if he was here. And a huge thank you to the whole team for a mega season”.

Dries VANTHOOR, driver #32: “A tough weekend. As soon as we put the car on the ground on Friday, we were struggling for pace and part of that was completely out of our hands. I think, as a team, we tried everything we could to bring the car into a good window, to have a chance to fight for the title. I’m sorry we couldn’t get close enough to the Mercedes to give the fans a show at the finale. We’ll take second in Sprint, and we’re going into the last Fanatec GT round leading overall, which is a positive for the team. We’ll work hard before Jeddah and give it our all there."

Charles WEERTS, driver #32: “It has been a difficult weekend overall. To come here with a two-point lead and leave with a 10-point deficit is not what we were expecting. As soon as we drove on Friday, we knew it would be a tough weekend. We didn’t really have a chance to fight for the title which is a big shame. But that weekend shouldn’t overshadow a great season overall by the whole crew, by BMW M Motorsport and Dries. I would like to thank them for an amazing Sprint season. And congratulations to the #48 crew of Mercedes for the great effort and for the good fight they gave us until Barcelona. And now we move on, we learn and try again in the next race”.