TEAM WRT seeks third win at Spa 24 Hours

SROSPA24

Jun 26

The 76th running of the 24 Hours of Spa will celebrate its centenary anniversary as it was in 1924 when the legendary race took place for the very first time. It will be the second round of the season in the Endurance Cup of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS, but the one awarding the most points. The locals, Team WRT, won the 2011 and 2014 editions of THE RACE! Since then, the Belgian team has always been fighting at the front and wants to win again!”

BMW M Team WRT celebrates its home race in the Ardennes with cars in special designs.

To mark this special edition, cars #32 and #46 will sport a special livery inspired by the emblematic BMW cars entered in the 80’s and 90’s with, among others, Thierry Tassin at the wheel.

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📷 © Courtesy of Team WRT.

The German manufacturer is by far the one with the most wins at the 24 Hours of Spa. The first one was in 1965, with an 1800ti driven by Pascal Ickx and Gérard Langlois. The following year the victors were a 2000ti, with Hubert Hahne and another Ickx, a 21-year-old Jacky who would become the great champion we know and a national hero in his home country. Jacky will be the official starter of the race this year and will do the official opening lap before the race in the company of his brother Pascal, the oldest living winner of the race.

The two BMW M Motorsport teams competing in the Pro category have already achieved five Spa victories – ROWE Racing three (2016, 2020, 2023) and BMW M Team WRT two (2011, 2014).

Three entries for Team WRT

The Belgian squad will field its usual three-BMW M4 GT3 entry.

In car #46, the one which took fourth in France, will be Raffaele Marciello, Maxime Martin and Valentino Rossi, while car #32 is entrusted to Sheldon van der Linde, Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts. In car #30, competing in the Bronze Cup with the OQ by Oman Racing livery, Ahmad Al Harthy, Sam De Haan and Jens Klingmann will be joined by Calan Williams, as a fourth driver is foreseen by the sporting regulation in this class for the 24-hour race.

Two drivers with previous wins with Valentino Rossi

Two drivers who have already visited the top step of the podium, Raffaele Marciello, who won it in 2022, and Maxime Martin, who conquered it in 2016 at the wheel of a BMW M6 will be joined by Valentino Rossi in #46 car.

Raffaele Marciello has a rational view of things: “I see Spa, together with Le Mans and the Nürburgring, the top 24 Hours race in the world and it is definitely the biggest GT3 race, also because of the amazing track. Winning it two years ago, after having been close in previous years and having been a poleman, felt like a reward. What do you need to win it? Certainly, a good BoP, and then to stay out of trouble, which is difficult because of traffic, of having to pass slower drivers in similar cars. You have to stay calm, and also cope with the night and weather conditions that can change rapidly as we know. The objective is to stay in the lead lap until the last hour, and then you fight.”

Quite obviously, Maxime Martin has a more emotional relationship with the race: “For me, the 24 Hours of Spa is the most important race, it means home race and also a family history that has been spanning over two generations. This will be my 18th participation, I’m almost a veteran by now, and I have won it only once. I’ve often been in a good position to win it but I have been also quite unlucky. Still, I love this race more than any other. When I won it in 2016, it was a great personal satisfaction, and I also felt proud to continue the family tradition. There is no golden receipt to win it: you need a good car, a good team, good teammates, a faultless race, and some luck, like for any other 24-hour race.”