Latest news with #BMWM4GT3Evo
Muscat Daily
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Muscat Daily
Zubair's Al-Manar car racing clinches podium & fourth place in France
France – International racer Faisal bin Khalid al Zubair, representing Al-Manar Racing in collaboration with Team WRT, delivered a standout performance at the Magny-Cours round of the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe – Sprint Cup, securing a podium finish and placed 4th in the Gold Cup category. Al Zubair and his teammate Jens Klingmann clinched second place in the first race after initially finishing third. The result was upgraded following a penalty imposed on a competing team, solidifying their place on the podium. In the fiercely competitive series, which features 40 cars from top global teams and manufacturers, the duo's performance boosted Al-Manar Racing's standing in the championship. In the opening race, Klingmann began from fourth on the grid and gained early ground before handing over the BMW M4 GT3 Evo to Al Zubair. Under the Magny-Cours night lights, Al Zubair maintained a strong pace to secure a second-place finish, just behind Garage 59. The second race saw Al Zubair advance from sixth to fifth early on before being briefly overtaken. Klingmann took over during the driver change and attempted a late push, but yellow flag conditions in the closing laps prevented further progress. The team ultimately finished in fourth place, with Saintéloc Racing taking the win. Speaking after the race, Al Zubair said, 'It was a tough race, and I believe we got the most out of the BMW, especially with the added weight due to performance balancing. Securing second in Race 1 gave us crucial points, but the title race is getting tighter.' Following this round, Al-Manar Racing holds 'fifth place' in the 'Gold Cup Teams standings' with 68.5 points. Emil Frey Racing leads with 90 points, followed by Saintéloc Racing (87.5) and Garage 59 (80). The team now prepares for the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup at the Nürburgring in Germany, scheduled for August 29–31.
Muscat Daily
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Muscat Daily
Al Zubair's Al-Manar Racing clinches podium and fourth place in France
France- International racer Faisal bin Khalid al Zubair, representing Al-Manar Racing in collaboration with Team WRT, delivered a standout performance at the Magny-Cours round of the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe – Sprint Cup, securing a podium finish and placed 4th in the Gold Cup category. Al Zubair and his teammate Jens Klingmann clinched second place in the first race after initially finishing third. The result was upgraded following a penalty imposed on a competing team, solidifying their place on the podium. In the fiercely competitive series, which features 40 cars from top global teams and manufacturers, the duo's performance boosted Al-Manar Racing's standing in the championship. In the opening race, Klingmann began from fourth on the grid and gained early ground before handing over the BMW M4 GT3 Evo to Al Zubair. Under the Magny-Cours night lights, Al Zubair maintained a strong pace to secure a second-place finish, just behind Garage 59. The second race saw Al Zubair advance from sixth to fifth early on before being briefly overtaken. Klingmann took over during the driver change and attempted a late push, but yellow flag conditions in the closing laps prevented further progress. The team ultimately finished in fourth place, with Saintéloc Racing taking the win. Speaking after the race, Al Zubair said, 'It was a tough race, and I believe we got the most out of the BMW, especially with the added weight due to performance balancing. Securing second in Race 1 gave us crucial points, but the title race is getting tighter.' Following this round, Al-Manar Racing holds 'fifth place' in the 'Gold Cup Teams standings' with 68.5 points. Emil Frey Racing leads with 90 points, followed by Saintéloc Racing (87.5) and Garage 59 (80). The team now prepares for the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup at the Nürburgring in Germany, scheduled for August 29–31.
Belfast Telegraph
02-08-2025
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Dan Harper: I'm focused and ready to go again in SportsCar Championship bid
Harper continues his Stateside programme at the 4.04-mile track with Paul Miller Racing and fellow BMW M Motorsport works driver Max Hesse from 8pm BST. The Hillsborough native has not had the easiest of introductions, with time penalties at both Laguna Seca and Detroit denying him a shot at a podium result. A moment for Hesse at July's Canadian Tire Motorsport Park round, where the German was momentarily punted off the track, also cost them precious points in the GTD Pro class. There have been some positives, however, notably at the Six Hours of the Glen back in June where the young duo co-drove their BMW M4 GT3 Evo to a first-ever victory. It was a remarkable outcome considering Harper picked up a one-minute stop-and-go penalty for crossing the red pit-exit light following a pit stop, dropping him to last place. 'From the high of Watkins Glen, we went to Canada hoping to battle for another podium finish but sadly it just did not click for us,' he reflected. 'However, we just had to try and make the best of the situation and salvage as many Championship points as possible. 'It was a strange one for us, but you have those weekends every so often. The focus now is all about resetting and going again.' As part of their preparations for tomorrow's two-hour, 40-minute sprint race, Paul Miller Racing tested at the track last month and both Harper and Hesse deemed it a very worthwhile exercise. 'It was great to get to grips with the circuit for the first time and that knowledge and experience means we can hit the ground running,' said Harper. 'The BMW felt really good around the high-speed circuit, so we have no reason to think that we cannot go there and get a good result this weekend. After a pretty tough round in Canada, we are even more determined to be back fighting at the front in the GTD Pro class.'
Belfast Telegraph
21-06-2025
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Dan Harper reveals what he must do to get back in SportsCar Championship fight
Hopes of solid points-scoring finishes at the previous two rounds at Laguna Seca and Detroit were scuppered when the BMW M4 GT3 Evo Harper co-drives with Max Hesse incurred drive-through time penalties. Those setbacks have left the Paul Miller Racing team-mates on the backfoot in the GTD Pro class and find themselves having to play catch-up in the title fight. After four rounds, they are sixth in the standings (1,128 points) — 170 shy of AO Racing Porsche's Klaus Bachler and Laurin Heinrich. A recent test at Saturday's 3.41-mile, 11-turn venue, has given Harper cause to be optimistic. 'It is a really cool track and one I immediately enjoyed as I got to grips with it,' reflected Harper. 'The way the BMW felt at the test, I really think the track should suit the car this weekend — we seemed to be quite competitive compared to all the other teams that were out there. 'Fingers crossed it will be a good weekend for us because after Laguna Seca and Detroit, we need to get back on the right path in the Championship by finishing on the podium again. 'We need to go out and score some big points,' continued the 24-year-old. 'We have fallen behind a bit, so we really need a good run of results in the next few races.' A total of 56 cars are entered – and in the case of GTD Pro, Harper and Hesse make up a 10-strong field. 'I have been enjoying the challenge of IMSA,' said Harper. 'We have been a competitive force from the start, but have had some bad luck and made a couple of small mistakes so far. We need to move on from those and have a clean second half of the year.'
Belfast Telegraph
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Strong qualifying puts us in hunt to savour 24 Hours of Le Mans delight, insists Charlie Eastwood
Eastwood and team-mates Rui Andrade and Tom Van Rompuy picked up the pace when it really mattered ahead of the marathon event in France and will start from the third row of the grid. Although they still have some work to do, particularly in respect of extracting extra speed from their TF Sport-run machine around the 8.467-mile Circuit de la Sarthe, the trio are in the ballpark in the build-up to the biggest motorsport meeting on the calendar. In Thursday's two-stage Hyperpole session, Eastwood successfully advanced out of the 12-car field with the second-fastest time, recording a 3:54.646 lap, which was followed by Andrade's career-best GT time at Le Mans – a 3:55.740 effort – on his final circuit to stay in sixth spot. From there, the yellow and black car has a decent chance of climbing up through the field during the opening exchanges of the race, which is due to get under way at 3pm BST. Starting ahead of them is the pole-sitting Heart of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage, the No.21 factory AF Corse Ferrari 296 and the No.46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 Evo thanks to a superb lap by the former MotoGP race winner and title holder Valentino Rossi. A strong result would also help reignite Eastwood's FIA World Endurance Championship campaign as Le Mans offers two sets of points scoring opportunities across the 24 hours. 'Clearly, the top couple of cars are super-fast, but we have not been the sixth-fastest car since we've been here all week. I think all three of us did a really good job,' reflected Eastwood, who triumphed in his class in 2020 when he was part of the Aston Martin Racing family. 'We are not the fastest, but we are definitely not the slowest – we are in the mix for sure and I feel that we can definitely fight from sixth on the grid come race day. 'The Corvette and the team have been super-faultless. 'We have been tuning the car more and more to a good place. 'As we have in the last couple of races, we have executed really well up to now. We just need to make sure we continue to execute this weekend as well.'
