Indianapolis. Victory for BMW M Team WRT and the BMW M4 GT3 at
the Indianapolis 8 Hour, the fourth and penultimate race of the
Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC) season. BMW works drivers
Philipp Eng (AUT), Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), and Dries Vanthoor
(BEL) secured a triumph at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway
(USA) with a 53 second margin. With this third consecutive IGTC win
following the Kyalami 9 Hour (RSA) in February and the 24 Hours of
Spa-Francorchamps (BEL) in July, BMW defended its lead in the
manufacturer’s standings ahead of Mercedes. Eng remains second in
the driver’s championship but closed the gap on the top spot. BMW M
Motorsport will compete in the season finale in Abu Dhabi (UAE) in
December, contending for titles in both categories.
The #30 BMW M4 GT3 started from fourth position, but Eng managed to
take the lead in the first corner. The BMW M Team WRT trio temporarily
lost the lead when they received a drive-through penalty for exceeding
the maximum stint duration. However, with excellent speed – the BMW M4
GT3s tyre wear was reduced significantly by cooler temperatures on
race day – Eng staged a comeback from fourth to second place. Leading
the race with a little over two hours remaining was the #31 BMW M4 GT3
with the WRT trio of Augusto Farfus (BRA), Maxime Martin and Charles
Weerts (both BEL). However, Farfus collided with another car while
attempting to overtake a lapped opponent, damaging the front
suspension of his car. BMW M Team WRT managed to repair the damage but
lost more than ten laps in the process. Nevertheless, the joy of the
team’s first victory in the USA clearly overshadowed the setback.
North American BMW M Motorsport teams BimmerWorld and ST Racing also
competed in Indianapolis but faced their fair share of issues.
Samantha Tan (CAN), BMW works driver Neil Verhagen and Jake Walker
(both USA) finished in 12th place, while Bill Auberlen,
Robby Foley and Chandler Hull (all USA) retired from the race shortly
before the end.
The ‘Gulf 12 Hours’, the IGTC season finale, will take place on
9th/10th December in Abu Dhabi.
Reactions after the race:
Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport):
“Congratulations to BMW M Team WRT and our BMW M works
drivers Philipp Eng, Sheldon van der Linde and Dries Vanthoor on their
victory at the Indianapolis 8 Hour! This marks the third consecutive
win for the BMW M4 GT3 in the Intercontinental GT Challenge following
the double victory at Kyalami and the triumph at the 24h
Spa-Francorchamps. This once again highlights the global strength of
our GT3 car. It’s a pity that the sister car had to retire while
leading due to a collision because it was also performing
exceptionally well until that point. Thanks to all drivers, team
members and BMW M Motorsport staff for their efforts! This includes
the North American teams of BimmerWorld and ST Racing, who gave good
performances despite their misfortunes in the race. Now, we focus on
the upcoming tasks, including the season finale of the
Intercontinental GT Challenge in Abu Dhabi in December.”
Vincent Vosse (Team Principal, BMW M Team WRT): “It’s
a great feeling to win a race in the USA for the first time with BMW M
Team WRT. We had two very strong cars, and it was a big help that tyre
wear was low on this track and in these temperatures. That gave us an
advantage over our competitors. The setback is the retirement of our
second car because we were on course for a double victory, but such
mistakes happen. We’re racing at the highest level and take
corresponding risks. That’s racing. Now, let’s see what we can achieve
in the title fight in Abu Dhabi.”
Philipp Eng (#30 BMW M4 GT3, 1st place):
“Hats off to the fantastic performance of our team. They
truly deserve this victory. Yesterday, they worked on the car for a
long time, and today, everyone did a perfect job. I managed to keep
the driver’s championship title fight open. Now it all comes down to
the showdown in Abu Dhabi.”
Sheldon van der Linde (#30 BMW M4 GT3, 1st place):
“I’m thrilled to win this race at the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway on my very first attempt! We realised early this weekend that
we had a good car here, and the team did a fantastic job. What a
moment to kiss the ‘Bricks’!”
Dries Vanthoor (#30 BMW M4 GT3, 1st place):
“What a great victory! Thanks to BMW M Motorsport, the team
and my fellow drivers! After the mistake with the stint time, which we
paid for with a drive-through penalty, we didn’t give up, fought hard,
and were rewarded in the end.”
Augusto Farfus (#31 BMW M4 GT3, 17th place):
“The collision was my fault. I decided to make the move and
overtake the lapped car in front of me on the inside. I went too deep
into the corner and hit the Ferrari that was still in front of me and
the car I intended to overtake. It’s extremely unfortunate because we
had the race under control at that point. Unfortunately, it was very
difficult to overtake lapped cars in general. When you have to fight
to get past them, such mistakes can unfortunately happen. I’m sorry
for the team and my fellow drivers.“
