Latest news with #BMWM4GT3EVO
Newsweek
10 hours ago
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Lamborghini Huracan Turns Into Fireball After Scary Crash
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. At a GT World Challenge race, Lamborghini driver Georgi Donczew was involved in a terrifying accident that developed into a fiery wreck. Donczew was fighting side by side with a BMW car when his car made contact, went into a spin, hit the side of the fence, and caught fire as it lost control. Red flag 🔴 A huge accident for the Grasser Lamborghini. Fortunately, driver Georgi Donczew is out of the car immediately. 📺 | #GTMisano — GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS (@GTWorldChEu) July 20, 2025 As the car rode the barriers, it simultaneously caught on fire and became a fireball that shot across the track. The Lamborghini came to a standstill while still engulfed in flames, but Donczew managed to run out of the car and into safety while a red flag was called on the race. Climax Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO (2) Zhou Bihuang of China and Ralf Aron of Estonia leadsTeam KRC BMW M4 GT3 EVO (89) Ruan Cun Fan of China and Maxime Oosten of the Netherlands and other... Climax Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO (2) Zhou Bihuang of China and Ralf Aron of Estonia leadsTeam KRC BMW M4 GT3 EVO (89) Ruan Cun Fan of China and Maxime Oosten of the Netherlands and other cars during the race 2 of GT World Challenge Asia at Sepang More Photo byThe BMW driver, Darren Leung, was battling with the Huracan and addressed the collision after the fact. "I was glad, as soon as I went down, I saw Georgi in the garage, and he was uninjured," Leung said. "We just kind of exchanged a few words about how scary that moment was. I just think it's one of those things. "I didn't expect him to come from a blind spot and come across the front of me. It's such a high-speed corner. That does stuff to the aero in these cars. It does quite a lot. "I did lift, I lifted as much as I could without losing the car myself, and he obviously had a bigger lift. "It looks like I'm trying to go for a move there, but really, I'm trying to give him the space after he came across the front. There wasn't really anything else I could have done. "The most important thing is that he's okay. If you look at the lap before, I gave him plenty of space in the high-speed section. "Unfortunately, for me, that was the situation that resulted in the tiniest of touches between us which had the biggest consequence. Again, I'm glad he's okay." The on-track battle that led up to the collision was purely a racing incident, but it is a reminder of the constant threat drivers face, even the most skilled. Luckily, Donczew walked away from the scene, but when the car was sitting on fire and he didn't immiedately come out, concern grew for his safety. His health being intact is also a testament to the modern safety precautions, including the fire-proof race suits, that protected him amid the flames.
Observer
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Observer
Al Zubair finishes fourth in Misano race track
MISANO, Italy: Al Manar Racing by Team WRT's Al Faisal al Zubair and German colleague Jens Klingmann overcame the disappointment of a first-lap retirement from race one to finish fourth in the Gold Cup category in race two at the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Series on Sunday. At the wheel of their BMW M4 GT3 EVO, the duo performed well in the practice and qualifying sessions at the demanding Misano track in Italy, but Al Zubair was handed a 10-place penalty on the starting grid for race two after the disappointment of the premature retirement from race one. The second race was red-flagged in the early stages and there was a significant delay while circuit Armco was repaired. It developed into the longest one-hour race in history and took 3hr 18min to complete by the time the safety aspect of the circuit run-off area had been secured. Al Zubair eventually handed over to Klingmann for the final 30 minutes but the Al Manar Racing duo could not make further in-roads and had to settle for fourth place in the Gold Cup category and 20th overall behind the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari, the Saintéloc Racing Audi and the race one-winning Garage 59 McLaren. Al Zubair said: 'It was a long race and I think it was a bit difficult because we had a grid penalty to start. We started P32 (overall) but the car felt mega the whole race. We made it up to P21 in my stint but, unfortunately, we lost a bit of time in the pits, about seven seconds, and that dropped us out of P3 in Gold Cup. We finished P4. After collecting no points in the first race on Saturday, it was difficult and not the best weekend for us. We hope to collect more points at the next one and continue the fight for the championship. In race one, there was a bit of contact at turn six between my team-mate Jens, Chris Lulham and Maxime Martin. We were out of the race but we also got a penalty, so to finish P4 today is a result we should be happy with. Having the car working so well all weekend made it even more frustrating.' Al Manar Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO car Al Zubair and Klingmann made the perfect start to their race weekend by topping the times in the free practice session on Friday afternoon. They ran for 49 laps with a fastest run of 1min 33.026sec to lead the way from Emil Frey Racing and Saintéloc Racing. They then went on to top the Gold Cup times in the evening's pre-qualifying session. Klingmann finished first qualifying in second place behind Lulham in the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari and would line up in second place in the Gold Cup category and eighth overall on the grid for the first of the one-hour races. The Garage 59 McLaren was third. But lady luck determined that Klingmann's challenge for honours in the first of the races would be short-lived: after a twilight start, the German was clouted from behind after a few turns of lap one and was only able to limp to the pits with rear suspension damage before the Al Manar Racing BMW was sidelined. The incident also took out pole sitter Lulham and the Briton's demise paved the way for Louis Prette to secure victory in the Gold Cup section for the Garage 59 McLaren after 36 laps of racing. The Monaco driver came home just ahead of Gilles Magnus in the Saintéloc Racing Audi and Leonardo Moncini in the Tresor Attempto Racing Audi. Ricky Collard retired the Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini after 11 laps. The race one disappointment left Al Zubair with it all to do in Sunday morning's qualifying for the second race. Magnus claimed pole for Saintéloc Racing and the Omani settled into fourth place with a best run of 1min 32.952sec after the BMW had been repaired by Team WRT technicians. Unfortunately, Al Zubair was then handed a five-place penalty on the starting grid, as a result of the incident involving his team-mate in race one. A team appeal had successfully reduced the penalty from an original 10-place drop on the starting grid. The 2025 GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Series resumes with round four at Magny-Cours in France on August 1-3.
Muscat Daily
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Muscat Daily
Al Zubair, Klingmann recover from race one crash to finish fourth in second Sprint Series race at Misano
Misano, Italy – Al Manar Racing by Team WRT's Al Faisal al Zubair and German colleague Jens Klingmann overcame the disappointment of a first-lap retirement from race one to finish fourth in the Gold Cup category in race two at the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Series on Sunday. At the wheel of their BMW M4 GT3 EVO, the duo performed well in the practice and qualifying sessions at the demanding Misano track in Italy, but Al Zubair was handed a 10-place penalty on the starting grid for race two after the disappointment of the premature retirement from race one. The second race was red-flagged in the early stages and there was a significant delay while circuit armco was repaired. It developed into the longest one-hour race in history and took 3hr 18min to complete by the time the safety aspect of the circuit run-off area had been secured. Al Zubair eventually handed over to Klingmann for the final 30 minutes but the Al Manar Racing duo could not make further in-roads and had to settle for fourth place in the Gold Cup category and 20th overall behind the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari, the Saintéloc Racing Audi and the race one-winning Garage 59 McLaren. Oman-based Al Zubair said: 'It was a long race and I think it was a bit difficult because we had a grid penalty to start. We started P32 (overall) but the car felt mega the whole race. We made it up to P21 in my stint but, unfortunately, we lost a bit of time in the pits, about seven seconds, and that dropped us out of P3 in Gold Cup. 'We finished P4. After collecting no points in the first race on Saturday, it was difficult and not the best weekend for us. We hope to collect more points at the next one and continue the fight for the championship. 'In race one, there was a bit of contact at turn six between my team-mate Jens, Chris Lulham and Maxime Martin. We were out of the race but we also got a penalty, so to finish P4 today is a result we should be happy with. Having the car working so well all weekend made it even more frustrating.' Al Zubair and Klingmann made the perfect start to their race weekend by topping the times in the free practice session on Friday afternoon. They ran for 49 laps with a fastest run of 1min 33.026sec to lead the way from Emil Frey Racing and Saintéloc Racing. They then went on to top the Gold Cup times in the evening's pre-qualifying session. Klingmann finished first qualifying in second place behind Lulham in the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari and would line up in second place in the Gold Cup category and eighth overall on the grid for the first of the one-hour races. The Garage 59 McLaren was third. But lady luck determined that Klingmann's challenge for honours in the first of the races would be short-lived: after a twilight start, the German was clouted from behind after a few turns of lap one and was only able to limp to the pits with rear suspension damage before the Al-Manar Racing BMW was sidelined. The incident also took out pole sitter Lulham and the Briton's fall paved the way for Louis Prette to secure victory in the Gold Cup section for the Garage 59 McLaren after 36 laps of racing. The Monaco driver came home just ahead of Gilles Magnus in the Saintéloc Racing Audi and Leonardo Moncini in the Tresor Attempto Racing Audi. Ricky Collard retired the Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini after 11 laps. The 2025 GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Series resumes with round four at Magny-Cours in France on August 1st-3rd.
Times of Oman
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Times of Oman
Al-Manar Racing's Al Zubair, Klingmann finish fourth in second Sprint Series race at Misano
MISANO (ITALY): Al-Manar Racing by Team WRT's Al-Faisal Al-Zubair and German colleague Jens Klingmann overcame the disappointment of a first-lap retirement from race one to finish fourth in the Gold Cup category in race two at the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Series on Sunday. At the wheel of their BMW M4 GT3 EVO, the duo performed well in the practice and qualifying sessions at the demanding Misano track in Italy, but Al-Zubair was handed a 10-place penalty on the starting grid for race two after the disappointment of the premature retirement from race one. The second race was red-flagged in the early stages and there was a significant delay while circuit armco was repaired. It developed into the longest one-hour race in history and took 3hr 18min to complete by the time the safety aspect of the circuit run-off area had been secured. Al-Zubair eventually handed over to Klingmann for the final 30 minutes but the Al-Manar Racing duo could not make further in-roads and had to settle for fourth place in the Gold Cup category and 20th overall behind the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari, the Saintéloc Racing Audi and the race one-winning Garage 59 McLaren. Oman-based Al-Zubair said: 'It was a long race and I think it was a bit difficult because we had a grid penalty to start. We started P32 (overall) but the car felt mega the whole race. We made it up to P21 in my stint but, unfortunately, we lost a bit of time in the pits, about seven seconds, and that dropped us out of P3 in Gold Cup. 'We finished P4. After collecting no points in the first race on Saturday, it was difficult and not the best weekend for us. We hope to collect more points at the next one and continue the fight for the championship. 'In race one, there was a bit of contact at turn six between my team-mate Jens, Chris Lulham and Maxime Martin. We were out of the race but we also got a penalty, so to finish P4 today is a result we should be happy with. Having the car working so well all weekend made it even more frustrating.' Al-Zubair and Klingmann made the perfect start to their race weekend by topping the times in the free practice session on Friday afternoon. They ran for 49 laps with a fastest run of 1min 33.026sec to lead the way from Emil Frey Racing and Saintéloc Racing. They then went on to top the Gold Cup times in the evening's pre-qualifying session. Klingmann finished first qualifying in second place behind Lulham in the Emil Frey Racing Ferrari and would line up in second place in the Gold Cup category and eighth overall on the grid for the first of the one-hour races. The Garage 59 McLaren was third. But lady luck determined that Klingmann's challenge for honours in the first of the races would be short-lived: after a twilight start, the German was clouted from behind after a few turns of lap one and was only able to limp to the pits with rear suspension damage before the Al-Manar Racing BMW was sidelined. The incident also took out pole sitter Lulham and the Briton's demise paved the way for Louis Prette to secure victory in the Gold Cup section for the Garage 59 McLaren after 36 laps of racing. The Monaco driver came home just ahead of Gilles Magnus in the Saintéloc Racing Audi and Leonardo Moncini in the Tresor Attempto Racing Audi. Ricky Collard retired the Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini after 11 laps. The race one disappointment left Al-Zubair with it all to do in Sunday morning's qualifying for the second race. Magnus claimed pole for Saintéloc Racing and the Omani settled into fourth place with a best run of 1min 32.952sec after the BMW had been repaired by Team WRT technicians. Unfortunately, Al-Zubair was then handed a five-place penalty on the starting grid, as a result of the incident involving his team-mate in race one. A team appeal had successfully reduced the penalty from an original 10-place drop on the starting grid. The 2025 GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Series resumes with round four at Magny-Cours in France on August 1st-3rd.
Times of Oman
23-06-2025
- Automotive
- Times of Oman
Al Zubair's Manar Racing by Team WRT sets sights on golden weekend at Spa
MUSCAT: Oman's Al-Faisal Al-Zubair returns to the scene of one of his greatest racing achievements when he joins forces with Jens Klingmann, Ben Tuck and Neil Verhagen to compete in the Gold Cup category at this weekend's Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa at the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the Belgian Ardennes region. Last year, Al-Zubair, Dominik Baumann, Mikaël Grenier and Philip Ellis guided their Al-Manar Racing Mercedes to seventh overall and victory in the Gold Cup section. On this occasion, the new team quartet head to Spa topping the standings in the Teams' and Drivers' Championships and will tackle the third round of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup powered by AWS in their Al-Manar Racing by Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO. Al-Manar Racing by Team WRT leads the Teams' Championship by two points from Racing after the opening two endurance rounds at Paul Ricard and Monza. Al-Zubair, Klingmann and Tuck hold a similar cushion in the Drivers' Championship. Points are awarded for positions after six, 12 and 24 hours at the season's flagship event at Spa and the talented 24-year-old American driver Neil Verhagen has been recruited as the fourth driver for the Belgian weekend. Al-Zubair said: 'Looking forward to Spa 24. This is the biggest race of the year for all of us. It is an important race for us to make sure we gather all the points, especially with it being a 24-hour race with points available at six hours, 12 and 24. It will be important for the championship for us to collect as many as possible during the race. 'It is looking very good in the championship at the moment. We are currently second in Sprint and first in Endurance. It has been a great start. Monza was fantastic to carry on the momentum and take it into Spa. We are all prepared and the team knows what it is doing, as they have shown multiple times this year. 'We also have Neil Verhagan on the car. He's a BMW driver who will be joining us and we are excited that he is with us as the fourth driver. Hopefully, it's a race that is even better than last year, if that is possible!' Seventy-three GT3 cars have been entered across the various classes and will take to the track over the weekend in the presence of several members of the Belgian Royal Family. Amongst Al-Manar Racing by Team WRT's Gold Cup rivals are CSA Racing, Herberth Motorsport, the Racing Aston Martin, the Tresor Attempto Racing Audi and the Garage 59, Optimum Motorsport and Team RJN McLarens. The GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup powered by AWS shares the circuit with the GT4 European Series powered by RAFA Racing Club, the GT2 European Series, the Lamborghini Super Trofeo and McLaren Trophy Europe. On-track action on the demanding 7.004km circuit gets underway with free practice from 11.20hrs on Thursday (June 26th) and precedes pre-qualifying from 17.40hrs and four qualifying sessions between 21.15hrs and 22.21hrs. Additional night practice will then be allowed from 23.05hrs. A quiet Friday for the GTWC entrants sees Super Pole set for 16.10hrs and then a warm-up session permitted from 20.05hrs. The 24-hour race then gets underway at 16.30hrs on Saturday afternoon and finishes at the same time on Sunday. TEAMS – latest Gold Cup standings 1. Al-Manar Racing by Team WRT 44pts 2. Racing 42pts 3. CSA Racing 33pts 4. Tresor Attempto Racing 24pts 5. Team RJN 21pts 6. Optimum Motorsport 16pts 6. Paul Motorsport 16pts 8. Herberth Motorsport 12pts, etc DRIVERS – latest Gold Cup standings 1. Al-Zubair/Klingmann/Tuck 44pts 2. Lulham/Vermeulen/King 42pts 3. Gachet/Rougier/Kell 33pts 4. Mancini/Øgaard/Cazzaniga 24pts 5. Barr/Foster/Buncombe 21pts, etc
