Perfect weekend for WRT at Misano

Text: Rick Kiewiet

Images: SRO

The Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli hosted the second weekend of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Sprint Cup. It turned out to be a perfect weekend for WRT BMW, with both poles and both wins shared between the #46 of Valentino Rossi and Maxime Martin, and the #32 of Vanthoor and Weerts.

Race 1

Valentino Rossi and Maxime Martin claimed victory in the first race at Misano, fending off a late charge from their teammates Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts. Martin started from pole and held the lead through the initial corners. Behind him, Marvin Dienst in the #54 Dinamic GT Porsche moved up to second, while Vanthoor advanced to fourth.

The first stint saw Vanthoor pushing hard to catch Martin. He first had to pass Ben Green in the #14 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari, which he did after several laps of intense pressure. Vanthoor then set his sights on Dienst, who was within two seconds of Martin. The #46 team opted for an early pit stop, followed by Vanthoor a lap later. Both stops were executed with precision, and Rossi emerged with a three-second lead over Weerts.

As the race progressed, Weerts closed the gap to Rossi, and the tension peaked when Weerts drew alongside Rossi on the straight. However, Rossi held his ground, taking the chequered flag just 0.275 seconds ahead to secure back-to-back wins at Misano. Thierry Vermeulen and Giacomo Altoè in the #69 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari completed the podium, climbing from 11th on the grid. The #48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG, driven by Maro Engel and Lucas Auer, made an impressive comeback from 21st to finish fifth.

The Silver Cup victory went to the #30 Team WRT BMW, driven by Calan Williams and Sam De Haan, who finished sixth overall. The #52 AF Corse Ferrari and the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG rounded out the Silver Cup podium. Gilles Magnus and Paul Evrard secured a second consecutive Gold Cup win in the #25 Saintéloc Racing Audi, while the Bronze Cup was won by the #54 Dinamic GT Porsche.

Race 2

In the second race, held after sunset and under the lights, Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts turned the tables to take victory and move to the top of the Sprint Cup standings. Weerts started from pole and maintained the lead, despite a safety car intervention following opening-lap incidents. Once racing resumed, Weerts showed quick pace, handing over to Vanthoor at the stops with a comfortable lead.

Vanthoor faced pressure from Lucas Auer and Maro Engel in the #48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG, who ran second after the pit stops. Maxime Martin, now in the #46 BMW, chased Engel, creating a three-way battle. Vanthoor managed to hold off Engel, finishing 1.9 seconds ahead. Martin finished just 0.5 seconds behind Engel, securing third place.

The #69 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari, driven by Giacomo Altoè and Thierry Vermeulen, finished fourth. The #96 Rutronik Racing Porsche achieved its best result of the season in fifth, followed by the #159 Garage 59 McLaren and the #14 Emil Frey Racing Ferrari. Team WRT’s #30 BMW, driven by Sam De Haan and Calan Williams, secured another Silver Cup win, while the #26 Saintéloc Racing Audi and the #52 AF Corse Ferrari completed the Silver Cup podium.

In the Gold Cup, Simon Gachet and Lucas Légeret led an Audi podium sweep for CSA Racing. The Bronze Cup was claimed by Sky Tempesta Racing, with Jonathan Hui and Eddie Cheever delivering a composed performance to finish 17th overall.

With the Sprint Cup taking a break, the teams will now prepare for the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa Prologue before resuming their campaign at Hockenheim in July. Vanthoor and Weerts will head to Germany with a slender lead, aiming to secure their fourth series title.