PODIUM FOR TEAM WRT IN CHAOTIC LONE STAR LE MANS
September 7th, 2025
PODIUM FOR TEAM WRT IN CHAOTIC LONE STAR LE MANS
After a long summer break, the FIA World Endurance Championship was back this weekend in Austin, Texas, for Round 6 of the 2025 season. The Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) proved to be one of the most eventful races of the year, with rain, multiple Safety Cars, Full Course Yellows, and a red flag adding to the challenge for all competitors.
RACE HIGHLIGHTS
- The #46 BMW M4 GT3 EVO of Ahmad Al Harthy, Valentino Rossi and Kelvin van der Linde started from P4 on the grid but had to recover from a drive-through penalty early in the race. A key strategic call to switch from rain to slick tyres allowed the crew to climb into podium contention in rapidly changing track conditions. The car eventually finished third on track but was later promoted to second place after a post-race penalty for the winning Ferrari.
- The sister LMGT3 car of Yasser Shahin, Timur Boguslavskiy, and Augusto Farfus also had a solid drive overall. The same slick tyre strategy gave them a big jump 45 minutes from the end of the race, allowing them to run just behind the #46. The car crossed the line fourth in class but was later handed a time penalty for contact with another car during the race, which dropped them to ninth in the final classification.
- Tougher outing in the Hypercarc class, with car #20 forced to retire after just over one hour due to an electrical isolation issue in the hybrid system, ending its race prematurely. Car #15, driven by Magnussen, Marciello, and Vanthoor reached the chequered flag in P12.
LOOKING AHEAD
Next on the calendar for Team WRT is a return to Japan for one of the most iconic races in endurance GT racing: the 1000 KM of Suzuka, scheduled for September 14th. This round marks the fourth event of the 2025 Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC) and carries particular significance as Suzuka rejoins the calendar after a six-year absence. The last edition was held in 2019, and it was Team WRT who took the win.
