VICTORY, PODIUMS AND PIT STOP MASTERCLASS DEFINE TEAM WRT'S ZANDVOORT SPRINT SUCCESS
Zandvoort, The Netherlands - May 18th, 2025 – Team WRT returned to action this weekend for the second round of the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup, held at the iconic Zandvoort circuit. Fielding three BMW M4 GT3 EVOs, one in each of the Pro, Gold, and Silver categories, the team faced a challenging weekend overall, as regulatory adjustments on performance made qualifying particularly difficult. Yet, through pit stop excellence, WRT emerged with an overall victory, two class podiums, and a new Pitstop Challenge win thanks to the fastest stop across both races.
RACE HIGHLIGHTS
- Adverse regulatory conditions meant all three cars started from deep in the field in both races. However, the team capitalised on clean races and pit stop execution to climb the order when it mattered.
- In Race 1, Charles Weerts and Kelvin van der Linde delivered a strong recovery drive in the #32 BMW, fighting from P19 on the grid to P5 overall, salvaging valuable championship points. In the Gold Cup, Al Faisal Al Zubair and Jens Klingmann (#777) made up 20 positions overall to finish P3 in class, thanks in part to the fastest pit stop of the race. Meanwhile, the #30 Silver Cup car retired on the opening lap after Gustav Bergström was caught in a rival’s incident.
- Race 2 saw the team shine again in the pits. Starting P9, the #32 BMW entered the pits in P6 to jump straight into the lead following a lightning-fast tyre change by the pit crew, a move that would prove decisive in securing victory. The AlManar Racing by WRT #777 once again delivered in the Gold Cup, fighting forward to secure a P3 in class, achieving a second podium in the weekend. The #30 Silver Cup car recovered from its tough Saturday with a clean run to P7 in class, adding crucial points to the championship tally.
- The pit crews were the stars of the weekend, with the #32 crew winning the Pitstop Challenge (fastest pit stop across both races), while the #777 crew recorded the fastest stop of Race 1.
Leading across the board
Team WRT leaves Zandvoort leading all three major GT World Challenge Europe championships: 'Overall Team and Driver' standings, 'Endurance Cup Team and Driver' standings, 'Sprint Cup Team and Driver' standings. The GT World Challenge Europe continues in two weeks with the second round of the Endurance Cup at Monza scheduled on June 1st.
QUALIFYING 1QUALIFYING 2RACE 1RACE 2FIGURES
- Number of cars on the grid: 41 (13 Pro, 5 Gold, 11 Silver, 12 Bronze)
- Manufacturers: 10
- Number of WRT cars: 3 (1 Pro, 1 Gold, 1 Silver)
- 36 laps in Race 1, 37 laps in Race 2
FACTS
Qualifying 1 for Race 1:
#30 P39 overall, P10 in class (Gustav Bergström)
#32 P19 overall, P12 in class (Charles Weerts)
#777 P32 overall, P5 in class (Al Faisal Al Zubair)
Qualifying 2 for Race 2:
#30 P26 overall, P9 in class (Gilles Stadsbader)
#32 P9 overall, P7 in class (Kelvin van der Linde)
#777 P21 overall, P4 in class (Jens Klingmann)
Starting drivers Race 1:
#30 Gustav Bergström
#32 Charles Weerts
#777 Al Faisal Al Zubair
Starting drivers Race 2:
#30 Gilles Stadsbader
#32 Kelvin van der Linde
#777 Jens Klingmann
RACE 1 RESULTS
PRO
1/ Müller - Niederhauser (Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)) 36 laps
2/ Engstler - Pepper (Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2) + 5.858s
3/ Auer - Engel (Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO) + 13.633s
4/ Evrard - Magnus (Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II) + 17.224s
5/ van der Linde - Weerts (BMW M4 GT3 EVO) + 25.114s
GOLD
1/ Evrard - Magnus (Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II) 36 laps
2/ Lulham - Vermeulen (Ferrari 296 GT3) + 17.772s
3/ Al Zubair - Klingmann (BMW M4 GT3 EVO) + 18.305s
4/ Moncini - Ogaard (Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II) + 33.124s
5/ Prette - Smalley (McLaren 720S GT3 EVO) DNF
SILVER
1/ Aka - Companc (Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II) 36 laps
2/ Gazeau - Panis (Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO) + 3.480s
3/ Klymenko - Lecertua (Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II) + 4.711s
4/ Day - Pauwels (Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO) + 5.416s
5/ Hartog - Pieris (Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)) + 14.980s
DNF. Bergström - Stadsbader (BMW M4 GT3 EVO)
RACE 2 RESULTS
PRO
1/ van der Linde - Weerts (BMW M4 GT3 EVO) 37 laps
2/ Klymenko - Lecertua (Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II) + 12.429s
3/ Engstler - Pepper (Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2) + 12.872s
4/ Goethe - Kirchhöfer (McLaren 720S GT3 EVO) + 13.174s
5/ Müller - Niederhauser (Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)) + 14.168s
GOLD
1/ Lulham - Vermeulen (Ferrari 296 GT3) 37 laps
2/ Moncini - Ogaard (Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II) + 3.411s
3/ Al Zubair - Klingmann (BMW M4 GT3 EVO) + 9.630s
4/ Evrard - Magnus (Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II) + 12.471s
5/ Prette - Smalley (McLaren 720S GT3 EVO) + 22.158s
SILVER
1/ Klymenko - Lecertua (Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II) 37 laps
2/ Aka - Companc (Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II) + 1.935s
3/ Jansen - Oosten (BMW M4 GT3 EVO) + 5.328s
4/ Day - Pauwels (Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO) + 6.152s
5/ Gazeau - Panis (Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO) + 8.366s
7/ Bergström - Stadsbader (BMW M4 GT3 EVO) + 23.410s
Vincent VOSSE, Team Principal Team WRT: “A positive weekend that leaves us at the top of the championship. It is impressive considering where we were on the grid for both races! Once again, the crews had the perfect coordination and did a mega job. It’s thanks to them that we took the win in Race 2. I would like to thank them all once again; without their efforts, this result would have been much harder to achieve.I’m super happy with the win but also proud of the double podium of Jens and Al Faisal in car #777! A frustrating Race 1 for car #30, but they bounced back in the second race. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for even better competitiveness at the next round!"
Kelvin VAN DER LINDE, driver #32: “Another really positive weekend. Even without the outright pace, we delivered when it mattered most. Once again, the team made a huge difference in the pit lane, I’m super proud of them. That’s going to be the key to our success this year, especially while we’re still chasing more performance in qualifying. At the end of the day, execution is everything, and right now, we’re getting that right!”
Charles WEERTS, driver #32: “It was a tricky weekend with no real pace, but we executed both races perfectly. The guys nailed the pit stops again, and thanks to that, we ended up in strong positions: P5 yesterday and a win today. We’re now leading the championship, that’s mega! Huge thanks to WRT, BMW, and Kelvin for the great work.”
Al Faisal AL ZUBAIR, driver #777: “A positive weekend in Zandvoort with a double P3. I’m happy with how the races went overall. Qualifying made things tough. We started both races on the back foot so we had to rely on strong strategy and pit stops. Luckily, the team delivered, as always. We scored solid points for the championship.”
Jens KLINGMANN, driver #777: "It wasn’t an easy weekend, and we honestly didn’t expect to end up on the podium twice. But this championship is all about consistency and keeping it clean, and that’s exactly what we did. Double P3 was the best we could achieve this weekend, and we can definitely be proud of that. A big shoutout to the pit crew, they made the difference once again. Looking forward to Monza!”
Gustav BERGSTRÖM, driver #30: “Definitely one of the toughest weekends we’ve had, we struggled with the car. Race 1 was unfortunate, I had no chance to avoid the incident. Race 2 was much better, I’m quite happy with my pace and I managed to keep some Pro cars behind. We were unlucky in the pit stop with heavy traffic, which is a shame… but that’s racing sometimes!”
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