BMW M4 GT3 wins at Imola – strong race for the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8.

Imola. A great result for BMW M Motorsport and Team WRT at the second round of the FIA ​​World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC). The “6 Hours of Imola” (ITA) ended with two victories for the BMW M4 GT3 in the LMGT3 class. Augusto Farfus (BRA), Sean Gelael (INA) and Darren Leung (GBR) emerged winners ahead of their colleagues Maxime Martin (BEL), Valentino Rossi (ITA) and Ahmad Al Harthy (OMA). It was the first victory for a BMW M Motorsport car in the history of the FIA ​​​​WEC. The BMW M WRT team also celebrated success in hypercars. After a difficult start in Qatar, Robin Frijns (NED), René Rast (GER) and Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) showed a very good performance, they fought for the podium for a long time and finally crossed the finish line in sixth place.

The weather, with rain starting towards the halfway point of the race, made the race a strategic game. However, all BMW M Motorsport teams made the right decisions when choosing tires and were rewarded with excellent results. The BMW M Hybrid V8 showed significant improvements compared to the start of the season and was able to stay competitive under all conditions. On a wet track, the podium was close to last driver van der Linde, but problems at the final pit stop and a subsequent car penalty pushed the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 back to a still-strong sixth place. The #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 with Raffaele Marciello (SUI), Dries Vanthoor (BEL) and Marco Wittmann (GER) in the cockpit was unlucky and innocently involved in a collision at the start. However, after repairs that lasted about an hour, the team managed to get the car back on track for the necessary test kilometers.

The celebration was even bigger in the LMGT3 category. Both BMW M4 GT3 crews continued to use light tires when the rain started making the right decision. No competitor could match their pace and they secured a convincing one-two win. A BMW M Motorsport car has never won a race in this series since the FIA ​​​​WEC was founded in 2012.

Voices after the Imola race:

Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “That was a very positive FIA ​​​​WEC event at Imola. We have made a big step forward in the supercars after a difficult start in Qatar. We had the pace to get a top result on our own. I am pleased that the number 20 was able to stay in the leading group in the race All of them, even under difficult conditions. The early crash of number 15, which was not our fault, was a shame. Many thanks to BMW M Team, who rebuilt the car and got it back on track. This allowed us to finish the race and collect the data important to improve. Things couldn’t have been better for the LMGT3 garage. Congratulations to all the drivers and crew for a very strong performance. Many thanks to everyone at BMW M Motorsport for a very successful weekend!”

Vincent Vosse (Team Principal BMW M Team WRT): “What a great weekend for our LMGT3 crew! Qualifying and the race went very well and we did the little things right. Augusto and Maxime stayed on wet tracks and were able to show incredible speed. That gave us a good lead and eventually gave us the double win. And hypercars, after the big disappointment in Qatar, this time we were in the window where we belong. We are taking it one step at a time and we have already done some very good things here. We will continue at the next race at Spa-Francorchamps.”

Sheldon van der Linde (BMW M WRT Team, #20 BMW M Hybrid V8, 6th place): “It ended up being one of the hardest and craziest jobs I’ve ever done. I thought several times that I was going to lose the car. I knew I had to bring it home so we could get a really good result. Luckily it worked. The team has done a great job improving the car a lot since Qatar. We can very proud of that. Thank you all!”

Marco Wittmann (BMW M WRT Team, #15 BMW M Hybrid V8, 18.
Square): “It was a bad start where some of our competitors misjudged the situation a bit. I was hit on the back and spun around. That was really annoying. The guys did a great job repairing the car and getting us back on track. This allowed us to collect important test kilometers. My contribution after the repair was The car felt good and we could definitely get a few places. We have to build on that. I hope we have better luck next time.”

Augusto Farfus (WRT Team, #31 BMW M4 GT3, 1.
Square): “I am very happy and proud. We showed today that this championship is about having the best team and not the best car or the best individual driver. During my stint, the track was always wet at different levels, and there was always a question of which tires were better. We stayed on slicks the whole time and I felt really good in the BMW M4 GT3. The team always stayed calm and did everything right in the end. It’s my son’s birthday today – I couldn’t have given him a better present.”

Sean Gelael (WRT Team, #31 BMW M4 GT3, 1.
Square): “Iam so happy! Darren qualified the car well in fourth place on Saturday and drove a strong first qualifying session. I had a bit of fun afterwards and was able to get some time. Then I handed it over to Augusto, who got excited and put pressure on Maxime. It was really bad today.”

Darren Leung (WRT Team, #31 BMW M4 GT3, 1st place):
“A win in my second FIA WEC race – that’s unbelievable! We did a great job as a team. The turbulent start phase was difficult for me, but I finished it very well and I was able to hand over the car to my teammates in good condition.

Maxime Martin (WRT Team, #46 BMW M4 GT3, 2nd place
Square): “A great result for the team. We had a strong car and decided on a bold strategy. That made the difference in the end. Congratulations to the #31 crew for their victory! We have collected a lot of points and will continue to work hard in the next race.”

Valentino Rossi (WRT Team, #46 BMW M4 GT3, 2.
Square): “I am very happy with the double win for Team WRT, for BMW M Motorsport and my first podium in the FIA ​​​​WEC. We already had a strong car in qualifying on Saturday, and Ahmad got a good third place on the grid. of the race we decided to stay out on slicks. Augusto was a bit faster than Maxime at the start. However, I’m very happy with the result.”

Ahmad Al Harthy (Team WRT, #46 BMW M4 GT3, 2nd place):
“My first podium with the WRT Team – that’s an amazing feeling! Many thanks to the team for a great job. We took a calculated risk and it paid off in the end.