BMW M TEAM WRT STRIKES GOLD ON TWO CONTINENTS: MAIDEN IMSA WIN, FOUR TITLES IN ZANDVOORT

From Zandvoort to Indianapolis, BMW M Team WRT closed out a landmark double-header. Dries Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde claimed the Belgian squad's new North American GTP Programme's first-ever overall win, while Matisse Lismont and Ignacio Montenegro clinched the triple crown, sweeping every title on offer in the GT World Challenge Europe Silver Cup. This result brings Team WRT's title tally to 78.

ZANDVOORT: A TRIPLE CROWN FOR LISMONT AND MONTENEGRO

The Silver Cup pairing of Matisse Lismont and Ignacio Montenegro delivered the standout result of the weekend. Already crowned Endurance Cup champions earlier in the season, the young duo added both the Sprint Cup and Overall titles to their name at Zandvoort, taking a win and a runner-up finish in the #30 BMW M4 GT3 EVO. A remarkable achievement, made even more so by the fact that two rounds remain before the season is out.

It was a tougher story in Pro Cup, where all three WRT crews struggled. The best result of the weekend came from Valentino Rossi and Max Hesse, who brought the #46 home in 4th on Sunday. No other Pro Cup entry cracked the top ten: Rossi and Hesse finished 12th on Saturday, while Kelvin van der Linde and Charles Weerts retired on Saturday before finishing 15th on Sunday. These results cost the duo the lead in the drivers' championship. Jordan Pepper and Amaury Cordeel had the toughest weekend of all, retiring from both races after being caught up in incidents. Despite the Pro Cup struggles, the team's overall points haul was enough to move Team WRT to the top of the teams' standings of the combined championship. 

Last but not least, the #46 mechanics added another highlight to the weekend, clocking the fastest pit stops in both races to win the Pit Stop Challenge.

INDIANAPOLIS: MAIDEN WIN FOR THE IMSA CREW

Across the Atlantic, the team hit a major milestone: BMW M Team WRT's first overall victory with the BMW M Hybrid V8 on North American soil. At the penultimate round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Dries Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde took the #24 to the top step at Indianapolis, capping off the 2-hour-40-minute race in style.

It marked the team's fourth podium of its debut GTP season in IMSA and its first win. A stellar opening stint from Vanthoor saw him fight off the GTP pack behind him to hold P3 heading into the first pit stop, and the #24 gained a further position during the stop. In the closing moments of the race, Sheldon pulled off an incredible move on the #31 Cadillac to snatch the lead before crossing the line victorious at the Brickyard for his first IMSA win.

The sister #25 car had a tougher weekend: Philipp Eng and Marco Wittmann were handed a drive-through penalty for contact, and had to settle for P10.