Hockenheimring, round three of the Sprint Cup – The intense heat set the stage for a demanding weekend, but WRT rose to the occasion with their two BMW M4 GT3 entries. Despite a difficult qualifying session for race one, both cars, #30 and #32, showcased remarkable resilience and skill, executing perfect drives and achieving the fastest pitstop times allowing mechanics of car #30 to win the pitstop challenge, outperforming all other teams.
Race 1 highlights:
Double podium finish: Vanthoor/Weerts scored P2 overall, while De Haan/Williams finished 2nd in class (5th overall).
Exceptional performance: Both Team WRT BMW M4 GT3s displayed a strong comeback, demonstrating the team’s prowess and strategic excellence.
Race 2 highlights:
Podium success: Vanthoor/Weerts clinched another overall podium finish, P2.
Class victory: Car #30 triumphed with a class victory, and 5th overall.
Team WRT leaves the Hockenheimring leading the overall Fanatec GT Series (Team and Drivers’), the overall Sprint Cup series (Team and Drivers’) and the Silver class Sprint Cup standings (Team and Drivers’).
FIGURES
Number of cars on the grid: 32 (10 Pro, 6 Gold, 7 Silver, 9 Bronze)
Manufacturers: 8
Number of WRT cars: 2 (1 Pro, 1 Silver)
36 laps in Race one, 35 laps in Race two
FACTS
Qualifying 1 for race 1:
#30 P12 overall, P2 in class (Calan Williams)
#32 P19 overall, P6 in class (Charles Weerts)
Qualifying 2 for race 2:
#30 P23 overall, P6 in class (Sam De Haan)
#32 P3 overall, P2 in class (Dries Vanthoor)
Starting drivers race 1: #30 Calan Williams – #32 Charles Weerts
Starting drivers race 2: #30 Sam De Haan – #32 Dries Vanthoor
Race 1
Great start for both cars
#30 gained two positions on the opening lap, #32 gained four places
Strong stints from Williams and Weerts
Positions before pitstops: #30 P2 in class (P5 overall), #32 in P6
Driver change to Vanthoor (#32), De Haan (#30)
Two fastest pitstops overall for #32 and #30 crews
Positions after pitstops: #32 in P2, #30 P1 in class (P4 overall)
Great stints from Vanthoor and De Haan
End of race 1: #32 in P2, #30 P2 in class (P5 overall)
Race 2
Clean start for both cars
FCY and short Safety Car for car stopped on track: 40 minutes to go
Positions before pitstops: #32 in P3, #30 P4 in class (P13 overall)
Driver change to Weerts (#32), Williams (#30)
Positions after pitstops: #32 in P2, #30 P1 in class (P7 overall)
Crew #30 wins the ‘Pitstop Challenge’
End of race 2: #32 in P2, #30 P1 in class (P5 overall)
RACE 1 RESULT
OVERALL
1. Engel – Auer (Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo), 36 laps
2. Vanthoor – Weerts (BMW M4 GT3), + 1.089
3. Green – Lappalainen (Ferrari 296 GT3), + 7.669s
4. Donno – Fleming (Ferrari 296 GT3), + 15.333
5. De Haan – Williams (BMW M4 GT3), + 19.902s
SILVER
1. Donno – Fleming (Ferrari 296 GT3), 36 laps
2. De Haan – Williams (BMW M4 GT3), + 4.569s
3. Klymenko – Paverud (Audi R8 LMS), + 24.109s
4. Gazeau – Panis (Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo), + 31.233s
5. Hudspeth – Machiels (Ferrari 296 GT3), + 41.485s
RACE 2 RESULTS:
OVERALL
1. Green – Lappalainen (Ferrari 296 GT3), 35 laps
2. Vanthoor – Weerts (BMW M4 GT3), + 6.333s
3. Engel – Auer (Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo), + 6.908s
4. Goetz – Gounon (Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo), + 15.461s
5. De Haan – Williams (BMW M4 GT3), + 15.872s
SILVER
1. De Haan – Williams (BMW M4 GT3), 35 laps
2. Gazeau – Panis (Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo), + 23.036s
3. Hudspeth – Machiels (Ferrari 296 GT3), + 35.584s
4. Donno – Fleming (Ferrari 296 GT3), + 35.718s
5. Barr – Gustavsen (Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo), + 38.735s
QUOTES
Vincent VOSSE, Team Principal Team WRT: « That was a very positive weekend. A double podium in both classes, and on top of that a victory for Calan Williams and Sam De Haan – that’s a great success. We regained the lead in the overall Sprint Cup standings with Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts on Sunday, which of course makes us happy. I would like to highlight once again the performance of our crews during the pit stops, which gained us several places mainly on Saturday, but also on Sunday. »
Calan WILLIAMS, driver #30: « Really good weekend overall. Our race pace was stronger than our qualifying pace. Happy with the second race especially, it was great fun! We definitely didn’t expect to win in Silver and finish fifth overall from where we started on the grid. Awesome job by Sam and looking forward to the next one! Nice to be leading the Silver standings at this stage in the season! »
Sam DE HAAN, driver #30: « A very strong weekend overall for Calan and I. I think the only downfall was quali today for me, I didn’t really maximize the potential. But, in the races we executed everything pretty perfectly. I’ve got to say the pit stops were perfect, we gained so much time in the stops so I’m really happy with that. We stayed consistent and ended up near the front. Car was great, Team was great, happy days! »
Charles WEERTS, driver #32: « After the problems we faced in the first qualifying, we can be very satisfied with the outcome of the weekend and the lead in the overall standings. In Saturday’s race, I had a lot of fun when I was able to make up 13 positions during my stint. On Sunday, we were a bit more on the defensive in terms of speed, but we defended our second place well. Many thanks to the team and to Dries for a great weekend. »
Dries VANTHOOR, driver #32: « Very good weekend for us! It was better than we expected and hoped for, especially after we had a difficult start to the weekend. But as always, we worked well as a team and we pushed in the right direction. It was a strange weekend with a lot happening and a lot changing for our car, but at the end we always made sure that the set up was as good as possible. Finishing second in both races is very good, and especially going into the summer break leading the championship – we can be happy with this! We keep working and keep pushing for the next ones ».