BMW M Motorsport left the Nürburgring round of GT World Challenge Europe with a podium in the overall classification and a class championship already decided. Kelvin van der Linde, Charles Weerts and Jordan Pepper brought the Team WRT #32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO home second in the three-hour Endurance race, while the #30 crew wrapped up the Silver Cup Endurance title with a round still to run. ROWE Racing also moved to the top of the Gold Cup Endurance standings ahead of the October finale in Portimão.

The Endurance round of the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS at the Nürburgring turned into a productive afternoon for BMW across almost every class. The three-hour race on the Grand Prix circuit was interrupted by several Safety Car periods, and the teams that judged those interruptions well were rewarded.

A first Endurance podium of the season for the #32

Kelvin van der Linde, Charles Weerts and Jordan Pepper started the Team WRT #32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO from eighth on the grid and worked their way forward through the field to finish second overall. It was the crew’s first Endurance Cup podium of a season that has otherwise been hard going for them.

“That was a long time coming. It has been such a difficult year for us in the Endurance Cup so far. The weekend started difficult, but on Sunday we executed the perfect race. We didn’t have the pace for the win, but P2 is a great result,” said Jordan Pepper.

Van der Linde pointed to set-up work as the difference. The car, he said, “worked well over the full distance at the Nürburgring” — something the team has not always managed in this championship.

Their team-mates Max Hesse, Valentino Rossi and Dan Harper added a top-ten finish, taking ninth in the #46 BMW M4 GT3 EVO.

Silver Cup settled with a round to spare

Matisse Lismont, Ignacio Montenegro and Amaury Cordeel converted pole position into second place in the Silver Cup, and that was enough to make them Endurance champions in the class before the season is over.

“We dominated almost every session and took P1 in qualifying as well,” Lismont said. “The race was a little unfortunate at the end, finishing P2, but I’m still very, very happy with the performance from everyone.” The trio still has the Sprint Cup and overall Silver Cup titles to chase at Zandvoort.

Gold Cup lead for ROWE Racing on an awkward weekend

ROWE Racing had a harder time of it. Jens Klingmann, Tim Tramnitz and Ugo de Wilde — class winners at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps — finished fourth in the Gold Cup with the #998 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, breaking a run of class podiums but doing enough to take over the lead in the Endurance standings.

The sister #98 of Raffaele Marciello, Augusto Farfus and Jake Dennis had a weekend to forget. After a difficult qualifying, the crew was caught out by a Full Course Yellow period and slipped down the order, eventually crossing the line 38th.

“We had imagined the weekend very differently. Somewhere along the way, we took a wrong turn with the set-up,” team principal Hans-Peter Naundorf said. “If we want to take something positive away from the weekend, it is the fact that we have taken the overall lead in the Gold Cup.”

Elsewhere in the customer ranks, the Oman Racing by Century Motorsport #42 BMW M4 GT3 EVO was fifth in the Bronze Cup, and Paradine Competition finished seventh in both of its classes — the #992 in Silver and the #991 in Bronze.

What it means for the title run-in

With one class championship already secured and the Gold Cup lead in hand, BMW heads to the remaining rounds in a stronger position than the season’s form suggested. Andreas Roos, Head of BMW M Motorsport, called the Portimão finale “the perfect starting position” for the Gold Cup contenders, while Team WRT principal Vincent Vosse said he was “proud of our young trio” in the #30.

The Sprint Cup title fight continues at Zandvoort, with the Endurance Cup season closing in Portimão in October.

Facts: BMW M4 GT3 EVO at the Nürburgring

  • Race: GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS, Endurance Cup, Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit
  • Distance: three hours
  • Best overall result: 2nd, #32 Team WRT (van der Linde / Weerts / Pepper), from 8th on the grid
  • Other finishes: 9th overall #46 Team WRT; 38th overall #98 ROWE Racing
  • Silver Cup: 2nd in class and Endurance title for #30 Team WRT (Lismont / Montenegro / Cordeel), from pole
  • Gold Cup: 4th in class for #998 ROWE Racing (Klingmann / Tramnitz / de Wilde), now leading the Endurance standings
  • Bronze Cup: 5th for #42 Oman Racing by Century Motorsport; 7th for #991 Paradine Competition
  • Next rounds: Zandvoort (Sprint Cup), Portimão finale in October

Source: www.press.bmwgroup.com