Six days after clinching multiple titles in Barcelona, Team WRT wrapped up its Intercontinental GT Challenge campaign in style, securing both the Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ Championships with a victory and a double podium finish at the Indianapolis 8 Hour.
The #46 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, shared by Valentino Rossi, Charles Weerts, and Kelvin van der Linde, took the win after a dramatic race that was heavily impacted by weather. The sister #777 car, with Al Faisal Al Zubair, Raffaele Marciello, and Augusto Farfus behind the wheel, crossed the line in third position. This result also seals the Manufacturers’ crown for BMW and confirms Kelvin van der Linde as the 2025 IGTC Drivers’ Champion.
This marks Team WRT’s third consecutive win at the iconic American venue and the 70th title in the Belgian squad’s history. It finally caps off a trophy-laden IGTC campaign, following WRT’s one-two in Bathurst and winning the Suzuka 1000km.
RACE HIGHLIGHTS
The final round of the IGTC season gathered 25 cars from eight manufacturers, with WRT fielding two BMW entries in the Pro category.
Qualifying saw strong showings from both crews. The #777 topped Q1 with Marciello and secured P2 in the Pole Shootout. The #46 was third in the shootout with Van der Linde.
The #777 started with Al Faisal Al Zubair, while Valentino Rossi opened the race for the #46. Both drivers kept it clean in the opening hour.
Farfus and Weerts maintained momentum during the second and third hours, with the cars running P2 and P3 approaching mid-distance.
In hour four, Marciello overtook for the race lead, followed closely by Van der Linde.
A violent thunderstorm and lightning brought out the red flag just after the halfway mark, halting the race for 2 hours and 25 minutes. When racing resumed, under full course yellow, with just over 85 minutes remaining, changing track conditions and pit strategy became crucial with teams to calculate their final driver stints within a 65-minute max window.
A bold move from No. 46 engineer resetting Van der Linde 65-minute maximum stint length one lap earlier than the rest of the grid allows car #46 to take the lead.
OVERALL
1/ Van der Linde, Rossi, Weerts (BMW M4 GT3 EVO) 198 laps
2/ Engel, Kalender, Stolz (Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO) +0.805
3/ Farfus, Marciello, Al Zubair (BMW M4 GT3 EVO) +2.542
4/ Daly, Koch, De Phillippi (BMW M4 GT3 EVO) +10.448
5/ Heylen, Picariello, Sedgwick (Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)) +33.069
Vincent VOSSE, Team Principal Team WRT: « It is a great way to finish the Intercontinental GT Championship with a win in Indianapolis, the third one in a row. Unfortunately we made a mistake with the #777 by not calling them in at the right time. I feel very sorry for Lello but it is how it is. However, I am so happy that we are able to bring this trophy to BMW and of course I am also very happy for Kelvin of course. It is a great job from the team to have two BMWs on the podium. Thanks to SRO for this championship, they did a great effort this year. »
Valentino ROSSI, driver #46: « I am really happy. It was a great weekend. These type of races I enjoy a lot and I also learn a lot. I think I did a good job in the first two hours. I think, all weekend the #777 was faster than us. They were very unlucky. But I am very happy about the weekend and about how I drove. »
Kelvin VAN DER LINDE, driver #46: « It was a difficult race for the team. The #777 deserved the win, they were stronger the whole week. Sometimes you have bad luck in races. Unfortunately the weather decided the race today. Apart from that, four out of five victories is a very unique year for BMW M Motorsport and Team WRT. We need to enjoy and celebrate that. It doesn’t happen every year. And I am very proud to be a small piece of history in my first year for BMW. »
Charles WEERTS, driver #46: « Obviously I am very happy for BMW to get the championship done in Indianapolis. The race was a bizarre one with the thunderstorm and the rain which prevented us from really racing, unfortunately. The #777 was very strong the whole weekend and in front of us before the red flag. They definitely deserved the win today. But the most important thing is that BMW won. »
Raffaele MARCIELLO, driver #777: « We had a lot of fun with my teammates. There is just a nice atmosphere within BMW. The main goal was to secure the championhsip for BMW, and we did, which I am very happy about. We won many races this season and I am very happy for Kelvin. He deserves it. But of course it hurts and we will try again next year. »
LOOKING AHEAD
After an intense 9-week stretch of races across Europe, Asia, and North America, Team WRT now turns its focus to the final round of the FIA World Endurance Championship at Bahrain on November 8th, where four cars (two in Hypercar, two in LMGT3) will represent the team in the season’s WEC closing act.
Luna de Wilde,