TEAM WRT LEADS THE SPRINT CUP, OVERALL AND IN SILVER, AFTER A DOMINANT MISANO WEEKEND

A heatwave, 26,000 fans, and the #32 Skechers BMW M4 GT3 EVO at the front, the second round of the Sprint Cup had it all for Team WRT. Charles Weerts and Kelvin van der Linde won both races at Misano, taking the championship lead and handing Weerts a record-breaking 20th Sprint Cup victory, making him the most successful driver in Sprint Cup history. These two victories extend Team WRT's winning streak at Misano to nine consecutive seasons. There was more to celebrate: Valentino Rossi took a first-ever GT World Challenge pole in front of his home crowd, and the #30 BMW M4 GT3 EVO duo of Lismont and Montenegro scored a win and a podium in the Silver Cup.

At the start of the first race, things got messy fast: a multi-car scrap at the green flag caught out several drivers, Rossi among them, who slipped to fourth but kept his car out of the barriers. His misfortune continued with a ten-second jump-start penalty that dropped the #46 further back, though Hesse moved his way back to sixth. The #32 crew, however, were untouchable all weekend.  Weerts jumped from fourth to the lead and simply stayed there, unchallenged for the rest of the race, with van der Linde keeping the same margin after taking over the car. Further down the order, Pepper and Cordeel scored solid points in seventh with the #31, while Lismont and Montenegro made it a perfect Saturday for the team with an outright Silver Cup win in the #30.

In race two, van der Linde was running second when a lightning-pit stop sent the #32 straight to the front. From there, Weerts cruised to his second win of the weekend and his 20th in Sprint Cup competition. A strong drive backed by a brilliant teamwork from the crew, taking the reigning champions 14 points clear at the top of the championship. After recovering from a tyre issue, the #46 crew looked set for a podium but ultimately finished fourth, losing out the fight on the penultimate lap. The #31 crossed the line in fifth place but was handed a ten-second penalty and classified tenth. The #30 young duo ran second for much of the second race before a time penalty dropped them to third, still enough to send the young pairing away from Misano leading the Silver Cup standings in Sprint, Endurance and combined.

The momentum won't have to wait long to continue. Following a one-weekend break, Team WRT returns with a busy double header: the Silver Cup's French round at Magny-Cours, and the 6 Hours of Road America on the other side of the Atlantic, in Wisconsin.

Vincent Vosse, Team Principal Team WRT: “It’s a nice way to spend a race weekend, with two wins. It has been faultless races from car #32. Car #46 also had a strong Saturday with Vale’s pole position and a great Sunday, but unfortunately Max had the tyre issue and then Vale couldn’t hold Lucas Auer, which was the quickest car on track so we lost the podium one lap from the end. We also had a win and a podium for the silver car, which was great. We come out of this weekend with a lot of points, which is important.”
 
Kelvin van der Linde, driver #32: “It was a really spectacular weekend and I think the best possible way to come back after a difficult start to the season. We needed that and it was well deserved, well executed. On Sunday, we had a real challenge on our hands and the team delivered once again and made it in the pit stop. That made the difference in that race. We are Sprint Cup championship leaders now, that makes us really proud. So thanks to everyone for an amazing job.”

Matisse Lismont, driver #31: "It was a very strong weekend! We didn't have the easiest week, but we put everything together. I'm very happy with our job, Nacho and I, and also the strong performance of the team, such as their strong pit stops. We are well leading the standings so let’s keep the momentum going in Magny-Cours in two weeks,"
 
Max Hesse, driver #46: “It was a bit of a weekend of missed opportunities, I would say. But overall, we have to be happy with it. We were lucky twice, because the first race could have finished immediately. And the tyre failure in Race 2 could have ended much worse. So getting some points is great. But obviously, it’s a shame because we definitely had the pace to win on Saturday, and to be on the podium on Sunday for sure. And there’s no better place to do it for Vale than at home. Unfortunately, this time the luck was not on our side. It’s a bit of a shame, but the team did a mega job. Congrats to car #32 for the double win – it’s great for their championship. Magny-Cours is coming soon, so we’ll focus on that.”
 
Jordan Pepper, driver #31: “I think, it was a trying weekend for us. We maybe did not have quite the pace of #32 and #46, although we showed a lot of promise in free practice and we did really well. We just didn’t capitalise in qualifying and for both races had to fight from the back. We ultimately did get two races in the points, but it’s not where we want to be. We want to be much further up at Magny-Cours and I think we can be. And then on the other side, just proud of the sister car. They did a great job with the double win.”