THREE PODIUMS AND GOLD CUP WIN FOR TEAM WRT AT BRANDS HATCH
It was a profitable begin of the 2023 Fanatec GT World Problem Europe Dash Cup season for Group WRT at Manufacturers Hatch, because the squad took three general podiums and one Gold Cup win. Will probably be a memorable weekend additionally as a result of Valentino Rossi signed his first Fanatec GT podium by ending second along with Maxime Martin in race two, whereas reigning champions Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts netted two third finishes. Niklas Kruetten and Calan Williams scored their maiden win within the Gold Cup in race two, ending at a powerful seventh place general.
Group WRT Principal Vincent Vosse was very comfortable on the finish of the weekend: “There are podium finishes that style as candy as victories, and those taken listed here are of that sort. This was our first dash race with the brand new BMW M4 GT3 and we had a really constructive final result. Everyone did a terrific job; the drivers had been implausible and the pit stops, good. Clearly, Vale was very comfortable together with his first podium, and I really feel very proud that he conquered it with us and in a dash race. I additionally wish to stress the nice weekend of our younger guys within the Gold Cup, who gained race two taking a terrific seventh general. On the entire, we lacked top-speed tempo with respect to a few of our rivals, and we must deal with enhancing in that space.”
It was not a straightforward begin to the weekend for the BMW M4 GT3s, as they had been fighting tempo and remained within the second third of the time sheets of the 2 free follow periods. In qualifying for race one, issues obtained higher for automotive #32, with Charles Weerts qualifying fifth, whereas Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer (#31), Valentino Rossi (#46) and Calan Williams (#30) took 18th, twentieth and twenty first on the grid, respectively.
Race one, with no main incidents and no yellow intervals, was a typical Manufacturers Hatch race, with nearly no chance to overhaul. Weerts stabilized in sixth place after the beginning, whereas Simmenauer was in a position to climb to seventeenth and Williams was working twenty first, fourth within the Gold Cup. The 4 vehicles maintained these positions as much as the pit cease, with Weerts and Rossi pitting in lap 19, one lap sooner than their teammates. Well timed and excellent pit stops allowed Vanthoor to be third firstly of the second stint, with Neubauer 14th proper forward of Martin and Kruetten. The Belgian diminished considerably the hole with the 2 leaders however positions didn’t change for any of the Group WRT vehicles.
After post-race one selections, Maxime Martin obtained promoted from fifth to 3rd on the grid of race two, whereas Kruetten additionally gained a place as much as eighth, with Vanthoor thirteenth and Neubauer twenty first.
Firstly of race two, Martin managed to struggle for the lead however couldn’t materialise, and saved very near the leaders within the first a part of the race, whereas Vanthoor climbed as much as ninth after swapping positions with Kruetten, and Neubauer was fifteenth. In lap 14, shortly earlier than the opening of the pit cease window, the security automotive needed to intervene to permit the restoration of a automotive from the gravel lure. On the restart, Neubauer managed to realize one place.
Vanthoor and Neubauer dived into the pits as quickly because the window opened, adopted later by Martin and Kruetten. One other good pit cease allowed Rossi and Weerts to be in second and third firstly of the second stint, whereas Williams was seventh and main the Gold Cup and Simmenauer dropped to 18th after struggling a spin. The closing laps remained uneventful for Rossi and Williams, whereas Weerts needed to struggle to retain his third place, and Simmenauer completed fifteenth regardless of being despatched off-track by a rival.
Valentino Rossi (#46): “I’m so comfortable about this second place and first podium! We obtained shut some instances final yr and in Monza at the beginning of the season, and eventually, it got here. All of us did an excellent job, the group, myself and Maxime, who put a mega lap time in qualifying. The pit stops had been good, and the result’s this podium, which is much more rewarding, as Dash Cup races are tougher.”
Maxime Martin (#46): “To complete second is in fact an excellent end result. I had a clear begin [to race two] and will keep in third place. The tempo was good and improved after the security automotive. We had an excellent pit cease and Vale did a implausible stint, bringing the automotive residence safely. It’s the primary podium for Vale and the primary in Dash for me, so we’re very comfortable and I believe we are able to purpose at extra good outcomes through the season.”
Dries Vanthoor (#32): “A double podium is an excellent end result, and, truthfully, greater than what we anticipated after qualifying, after we had been hoping to be within the high 5. In race two, I had an excellent begin and later the security automotive helped a bit, but it surely’s actually a group effort, with the boys doing nice pit stops in each races. Trying on the entire season, the Dash Cup will likely be an excellent problem for us, however this weekend proves that if we struggle arduous, put together effectively, and don’t quit, we are able to do effectively.”
Charles Weerts (#32): “I’m very pleased with the end result. Actually, I didn’t suppose we may take two podiums as we speak, however we did a terrific job and will extract the utmost out of each races. I wish to thank the mechanics as a result of they did an excellent job within the two pit stops. We at the moment are second within the standings, not removed from the highest, and that’s nice information.”
Calan Williams (#30): “It’s an effective way to begin the season within the Dash Cup, with a win. I’m actually pleased with that, the group did a terrific job all weekend and the automotive was nice. We confirmed we’ve got the tempo on monitor and within the pit stops, and that allowed us to have these nice outcomes.”
Nicklas Kruetten (#30): “We didn’t know what to anticipate since neither Calan nor I had raced right here earlier than, however I felt snug with the automotive since free follow one and we solely needed to do some set-up changes. Within the high-speed corners, the automotive was actually superb. For race two, I certified sturdy, we managed to have a clear race, the group made an ideal pit cease and known as us in on the proper second. That’s how we gained the race and I believe that if we maintain going like this, we can have extra alternatives this yr to win races and hopefully the title.”
Fanatec GT World Problem Europe powered by AWS Dash Cup – Spherical 1
Manufacturers Hatch, United Kingdom, 14 Could 2023
Race 1 outcomes:
1. Marciello-Boguslavskiy (Mercedes AMG GT3) 42 laps
2. Drudi-Feller (Audi R8 LMS) + 0s616
3. Vanthoor-Weerts (BMW M4 GT3) +3s683
4. Légeret-Haase (Audi R8 LMS) +27s432
5. Lappalainen-Altoè (Ferrari 296 GT3) +28s251
14. Neubauer-Simmenauer (BMW M4 GT3) +58s883
15. Martin-Rossi (BMW M4 GT3) +59s241
16. Kruetten-Williams (BMW M4 GT3) +59s703 (4th in Gold)
Race 2 outcomes:
1. Drudi-Feller (Audi R8 LMS GT3) 41 laps
2. Martin-Rossi (BMW M4 GT3) +3s769
3. Vanthoor-Weerts (BMW M4 GT3) +4s659
4. Goethe-Kjaergaard (McLaren 720S GT3) +5s317
5. Légeret-Haase (Audi R8 LMS GT3) +7s692
7. Kruetten-Williams (BMW M4 GT3) +15s108 (1st in Gold)
15. Neubauer-Simmenauer (BMW M4 GT3) +45s259
