DOUBLE SUCCESS FOR TEAM WRT WITH IMSA PODIUM AND SPRINT CUP CLASS WIN

It was a successful weekend for BMW M Team WRT, starting in Europe at Brands Hatch where Silver drivers Matisse Lismont and Ignacio Montenegro opened the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup season with a class victory. The positive momentum extended across the Atlantic, where Philipp Eng and Marco Wittmann secured a hard
fought P3 in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, marking the team’s second podium of the season.

SILVER CUP VICTORY AND STRONG POINTS HAUL IN GT WORLD CHALLENGE EUROPE SPRINT CUP

Team WRT opened the 2026 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup season with strong points for the four entries at Brands Hatch, highlighted by a Silver Cup victory and a Pro Cup podium. Despite challenging qualifying sessions, Race 1 confirmed the team’s competitiveness. In the Pro Cup, reigning champions, Kelvin van der Linde and Charles Weerts in the #32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO delivered a strong recovery drive from P12 to secure P3, while the #31 of Jordan Pepper and Sprint debutant Amaury Cordeel, climbed from P14 to P4. Valentino Rossi and Max Hesse on the #46 also showed strong pace, finishing P5 but a penalty affected its final result. In race 2, the Pro Cup cars continued to collect valuable points with #32 finishing P6, #31 P7, and #46 narrowly missing the podium in P4. In the Silver Cup, Matisse Lismont and Nacho Montenegro delivered a very competitive weekend in the #30 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, crossing the line P1 in both races. A penalty for a yellow flag infringement in Race 1 resulted in P2 in class, but the pair responded strongly in Race 2, delivering a flawless drive to secure a dominant P1 in class and P8 overall.

HARD-FOUGHT PODIUM IN IMSA AT LAGUNA SECA

After a challenging build-up to the race, the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8 delivered a strong comeback drive. Starting from 10th on the grid for the 2-hour and 40-minute race, Philipp Eng and Marco Wittmann steadily climbed through the field. A well managed strategy and flawless execution allowed Marco Wittmann to run in third position after the final pit stop, where he held firm through a tightly contested closing stint to secure a well-earned podium. This result marks the fourth top-5 finish in four races and the second podium of the IMSA season for Team WRT's American programme, following the third place
achieved by the sister #24 car at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Starting from fourth position, Dries Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde delivered a strong opening stint, as they rapidly progressed into the lead within the first hour. But a full course yellow period just after their first pit stop compromised their strategy and had a significant impact on the final outcome. Despite strong pace, the car ultimately crossed the line in ninth position.

NEXT STOP: SPA!

BMW M Team WRT heads into its home race at Spa-Francorchamps for the 6 Hours with strong momentum and full commitment across both programmes. The two BMW M Hybrid V8s return with complete driver line-ups, including Dries Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde rejoining the WEC crews. In LMGT3, the BMW M4 GT3 EVO entries arrive with
momentum after the #69 victory at Imola.