One peak after the other, like in the Tour de France: less than two weeks after the 24 Hours of Le Mans, endurance racing fans and the motorsport community are already preparing for the other summit race of the season, the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.
With 70 cars entered and competition closer than ever, the 79th running of the legendary race in the Belgian Ardennes will certainly live up to its reputation as the most prestigious GT race in the world. For Team WRT, it is also a home race, the one closest to the heart of the squad and the perfect occasion to host friends, family, partners, and guests. Team WRT will be present with its three BMW M4 GT3 EVOs entered in the Endurance Cup of the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS.
It will be a busy weekend for Team WRT as the US arm of the squad will be racing the 6 Hours of the Glen, the sixth round of the IMSA Series that Team WRT is campaigning for the first time, with the BMW M Hybrid V8.
Five weeks ago, Team WRT lived a sweet moment at its home track as it clinched its maiden Hypercar win in the FIA World Endurance Championship with the BMW M Hybrid V8. Replicating that success on home soil is the crew’s ambition at the eve of the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, a race that Team WRT has contested since its first year of activity in 2010, winning it twice, in 2011 and 2014.
Team Principal Vincent Vosse is eager to add a third trophy to the collection but also conscious that winning a 24-hour race entails variables that you cannot master: « Spa is, of course, our home race and one that has been crucial in the growth of our team. It’s the most beautiful GT race in the world and always an important moment in the GT season, but it’s also a very difficult one to win. Victory has eluded us since 2014, sometimes narrowly. What I can say is that we have prepared well, as always, and we have three top cars and driver line-ups, two in Pro and one in Silver. If we are given the possibility to fight for victory, we will be there. From here we will be following and encouraging our colleagues at Watkins Glen, as Team WRT’s American squad will be busy racing in the third IMSA Series endurance race of the year, after Daytona and Sebring. We are doing well for our maiden full season in the US, and it would be great to have good results on both sides of the Atlantic! »
One factor that could play a greater role this year is the weather, due to the heatwave currently affecting much of Europe, and the heavy storms forecast for the weekend. This could have a significant impact on a race which counts double towards the championship, as points are also awarded at the six- and twelve-hour marks.
In the Pro class, Team WRT, which currently sits third in the overall GT World Europe standings, enters two cars for its regular crews: Jordan Pepper, Kelvin van der Linde and Charles Weerts in car #32, and Dan Harper, Max Hesse and Valentino Rossi in car #46.
In the Silver Cup, car #30 regulars Amaury Cordeel, Matisse Lismont and Ignacio Montenegro are joined, as per the special rules of the race, by a fourth driver, Mathieu Detry, who will be the fourth Belgian in Team WRT’s line-up, demonstrating once more the team’s commitment to support young and national talent. Team WRT currently leads the overall standings in the Silver Cup, and so are Lismont and Montenegro in the Drivers’ rankings, thanks to their Sprint Cup win in Race 2 at Brands Hatch.
Beyond the sporting challenge, Team WRT’s home race at Spa will also be marked by a number of meaningful moments away from the stopwatch.
Among the team’s special guests this weekend will be Liam, an 18-year-old living with a serious illness whose dream is to meet Valentino Rossi. In collaboration with Make-A-Wish Belgium South, that dream will become a reality.
Earlier this year, Team WRT also joined forces with Drive for Charity and the Leuven Cancer Institute to support cancer research and patients through a series of initiatives, including a fundraising campaign and a visit to the team’s headquarters in Bierset for patients undergoing treatment or in remission. That partnership will continue at Spa. On Friday, five patients will be welcomed at the circuit for a behind-the-scenes experience. They will discover life inside the team, meet the Belgian drivers and follow the Superpole session from within the WRT environment.
As always, the team’s home race will also be a major gathering point for partners, guests, friends and families. No less than 1200 guests will be entertained during the week, either at the team’s hospitality, with a warm family atmosphere, or at the VIP Villa at La Source, more business oriented. Activities will include simulator experiences, safety lane tours along the race track and pitbox tours with dedicated WRT guides.
Last but not least, BMW and Team WRT fans will have plenty to enjoy throughout the week. The fan-favourite BMW M3 Touring will be showcased in front of the Team WRT hospitality area, while more than 4,000 goodies will be handed out during autograph sessions, the traditional Wednesday evening parade in Spa city centre, and a variety of fan-focused activities around the paddock over the race weekend.
Charles WEERTS, driver #32: « The 24 Hours of Spa is a home race for the team, but also for me personally. It really means a lot. It will be my eighth participation, and I have already had some good moments, climbing up to the podium in 2021 with a second and P3 in 2024. Visiting the top step of the podium is, of course, the objective I pursue. We have everything to be competitive: the car, the line-up, the team. We need to have the speed during the race and a bit of luck, as always. »
Valentino ROSSI, driver #46: « We are all very excited ahead of this race, and ready to give the maximum. It’s the ‘big one’ of the season and the biggest race in GT3 racing, on top of being the home race for the team. It’s always difficult, during the practice sessions, to understand the level of competitiveness of everyone, but we know that the competition is very close. We hope to be competitive and able to fight at the top. It’s my fifth participation, I’m starting to have some experience, something absolutely needed in endurance racing. »
Matisse LISMONT, driver #30: « It’s Spa, our home race, and we have three Belgians in our car, I think we can be quite confident with our package. We have been strong since the start of the season, and our approach to the race and our motivation don’t change. We can achieve a good result in the Silver Cup and maybe also overall. It’s about being safe, surviving, and having no penalties. We know it’s a tricky race, with storms forecast for Saturday night, but it’s always fun to drive here and be surrounded by so many fans. »
Amaury CORDEEL, driver #30: « I’m really happy to be here for my first-ever 24-hour race. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time, and I can’t wait to get started. Together with Mattise, Ignacio and Mathieu, I think we have a strong line-up and all the ingredients to fight for a good result. We’ll give it everything we’ve got, both for ourselves and for the team. Racing at home makes it even more special, and with the support of the fans around us, we’ll be pushing harder than ever to bring home a great result. »
Mathieu DETRY, driver #30: « I’m super happy to be part of the WRT family again in car #30. I am really grateful for the opportunity and the trust. It’s my second participation; last year I won in the Pro-Am class, and I look forward to contributing to the #30 crew’s efforts, which is fighting for the Silver Cup title, and this is also something we need to look after. We know that the race is long, difficult, and will be closely fought, so the important thing will be to arrive unscathed by Sunday noon, and then everything is possible. »