Latest news with #WRT
Observer
15-07-2025
- Automotive
- Observer
Al Harthy finishes 10th in Brazil race
• Oman's Ahmad al Harthy back in the points in Rolex 6 Hours of Sao Paolo • Team WRT racer and team-mates Rossi and van der Linde drive faultlessly • Top 10 finish achieved after generally challenging FIA WEC event in Brazil High determination and an immense amount of effort from Ahmad al Harthy, Valentino Rossi and Kelvin van der Linde resulted in a very hard-fought top 10 finish in the Rolex 6 Hours of Sao Paolo on Sunday, July 13, as the second half of the FIA World Endurance Championship got underway. Contesting an uphill battle all weekend at the famous Brazilian track, the Team WRT trio and the squad itself maximised the performance available to them with the No.46 BMW M4 LMGT3 after overcoming a difficult qualifying on Saturday, July 12. Never giving in, fantastic teamwork and consistency of performance meant the squad did manage to come away from round five of the FIA WEC season inside the points-paying top 10, a result Al Harthy says was the most which could realistically be achieved this time around at Interlagos. Qualifying, normally such a strong suit for Al Harthy and the Team WRT squad, didn't work out as planned and so the team had to settle for 14th on the grid. The session was incredibly close though, with Al Harthy only missing out on the top 10 cut-off for the Hyperpole session by 0.2 seconds. Al Harthy took the start of the race but after maintaining position initially, he was elbowed down to 17th place. Battling back with strong focus, he was back inside the top 15 with less than 20 minutes of the race elapsed and close behind the sister BMW. Both WRT cars gained two spots each shortly after and Al Harthy then made his first pit-stop from 13th before the end of hour one. Van der Linde took over and when the action settled he was in 12th position, as the team's strategy began to unfold. Climbing through to fifth with one hour and 45 minutes completed, before the end of hour two OQ Group, Sohar International, Omantel, Oman LNG, BMW Oman, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth (MoCSY), and Experience Oman supported Al Harthy returned to the driving seat. Holding sixth position initially, and driving well around the 4.3-kilometre counterclockwise Interlagos track, he concluded his second run nicely inside the top eight as the differing strategies of the teams played out. Van der Linde took over later in hour three with the car in 10th place when he emerged, and the South African reeled off a series of great passes. With three hours and 45 minutes in the book van der Linde had moved up into third and at the next stop Rossi climbed into the BMW for his first miles of the race. When the race order settled once more he held sixth place and after the team's fifth pit-stop, with just under 90 minutes to go, Rossi remained behind the wheel and emerged eighth in LMGT3. Climbing into the top six as the strategies again mixed the order, van der Linde returned to the No.46 car with just half an hour remaining and ultimately finished in 10th position, the highest placed of the BMW entries and a deserved championship point. 'I think it was a very strong race for us, we managed to make up so many positions throughout the six hours and to finish with a championship point makes all of the effort worth it. We know we're not the most competitive car at the moment but hopefully things can change quickly for Austin. We executed a perfect race, I would say one of the best executed in terms of teams, so that's a very proud thing for us and we all drove perfectly as well. Now we have a bit of time to analyse all of the data and hopefully have a more competitive car when we arrive at the Circuit of the Americas for the next round of the championship.' Al Harthy said From South America, the FIA World Endurance Championship will head north next to the United States of America for round six of the season, the Lone Star Le Mans at COTA in Austin, Texas, over the weekend September 6-7. Rolex 6 Hours of Sao Paolo LMGT3 Race Result: 1st Jose Maria Lopez / Clemens Schmid / Petru Umbrarescu (Akkodis ASP Team / Lexus RC F) 2nd Charlie Eastwood / Tom Van Rompuy / Rui Andrade (TF Sport / Corvette Z06) 3rd Eduardo Barrichello / Valentin Hasse Clot / Anthony McIntosh (Racing Spirit of Leman / Aston Martin Vantage AMR) 4th Michelle Gatting / Rahel Frey / Celia Martin (Iron Dames / Porsche 911 GT3 R) 5th Finn Gehrsitz / Arnold Robin / Yuichi Nakayama (Akkodis ASP Team / Lexus RC F) 10th Ahmad al Harthy / Valentino Rossi / Kelvin van der Linde (Team WRT / BMW M4) 2025 FIA WEC LMGT3 Driver Standings (after Rd5): 1st Riccardo Pera / Richard Lietz / Ryan Hardwick, 89pts 2nd Alessio Rovera / Francois Heriau / Simon Mann, 76pts 3rd Ben Keating / Daniel Juncadella / Jonny Edgar, 66pts 14th Ahmad al Harthy / Valentino Rossi / Kelvin van der Linde, 22pts 2025 FIA WEC LMGT3 Team Standings (after Rd5): 1st Manthey 1st Phorm (Porsche 911 GT3 R), 89pts 2nd Vista AF Corse (Ferrari 296), 76pts 3rd TF Sport (Corvette Z06), 66pts 13th Team WRT (BMW M4 LMGT3), 22pts
Muscat Daily
15-07-2025
- Automotive
- Muscat Daily
Points return for Al Harthy and Team WRT at Rolex 6 Hours of Sao Paulo
Muscat – Oman's Ahmad al Harthy and his teammates – Valentino Rossi and Kelvin van der Linde – delivered a gritty and determined performance to secure a hard-earned top-10 finish at the Rolex 6 Hours of Sao Paulo on Sunday, as the FIA World Endurance Championship entered its second half. Contesting an uphill battle all weekend at Interlagos, the Team WRT trio and the squad maximised the performance available to them with the No.46 BMW M4 LMGT3 after overcoming a difficult qualifying on Saturday. 'I think it was a very strong race for us, we managed to make up so many positions throughout the six hours and to finish with a championship point makes all of the effort worth it,' said Al Harthy. 'We know we're not the most competitive car at the moment but hopefully things can change quickly for Austin. 'We executed a perfect race, I would say one of the best executed in terms of teams, so that's a very proud thing for us, and we all drove perfectly as well. Now we have a bit of time to analyse all of the data and hopefully have a more competitive car when we arrive at the Circuit of the Americas for the next round of the championship.' Al Harthy took the start of the race, but after maintaining position initially, he was elbowed down to 17th place. Battling back with strong focus, he was back inside the top 15 with less than 20 minutes of the race elapsed and close behind the sister BMW. Both WRT cars gained two spots each shortly after and Al Harthy then made his first pit-stop from 13th before the end of hour one. Van der Linde took over and when the action settled he was in 12th position, as the team's strategy began to unfold. Climbing through to fifth with one hour and 45 minutes completed, before the end of hour two OQ Group, Sohar International, Omantel, Oman LNG, BMW Oman, Oman Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and Experience Oman-supported Al Harthy returned to the driving seat. Holding sixth position initially, and driving well around the 4.3-kilometre counterclockwise Interlagos track, he concluded his second run nicely inside the top eight as the differing strategies of the teams played out. Van der Linde took over later in hour three with the car in 10th place when he emerged, and the South African reeled off a series of great passes. With three hours and 45 minutes in the book van der Linde had moved up into third and at the next stop Rossi climbed into the BMW for his first miles of the race. When the race order settled once more he held sixth place and after the team's fifth pit-stop, with just under 90 minutes to go, Rossi remained behind the wheel and emerged eighth in LMGT3. Climbing into the top six as the strategies again mixed the order, van der Linde returned to the No.46 car with just half an hour remaining and ultimately finished in 10th position. The FIA World Endurance Championship will now head to the United States of America for round six of the season, the Lone Star Le Mans at COTA in Austin, Texas, over the weekend of September 6-7.
News.com.au
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- News.com.au
Team WRT seal GT Challenge victory with fast pit stop in race 2 in Zandvoort
Team WRT seal GT Challenge victory with fast pit stop in race 2 in Zandvoort
Muscat Daily
20-04-2025
- Automotive
- Muscat Daily
Dominant first pole of FIA WEC season for Al Harthy and Rossi
Muscat – Ahmad al Harthy and Team WRT teammate Valentino Rossi combined perfectly to deliver a sensational first LMGT3 class pole position of the FIA World Endurance Championship season at Imola in Italy on Saturday, ahead of Sunday's second race of the 2025 campaign. Omani racer Al Harthy took the main qualifying session at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari and was exceptional throughout, ultimately recording the provisional pole position time of 1m42.731 seconds to ensure the No.46 BMW M4 LMGT3 progressed to the all-important Hyperpole. Italian hero Rossi took over the car for the second session, and he produced a best of 1m42.355 seconds to seal the class pole position for today's 6 Hours of Imola, sparking electrifying celebrations among his home fans. 'I'm absolutely delighted with pole, first being fastest in my session and then Valentino fastest in Hyperpole here in Italy,' said Al Harthy. It's fantastic to achieve our first pole position with BMW and WRT in FIA WEC and it's obviously the best place to start the race, I really am delighted. 'Thank you for all of the amazing support we have, our incredible partners, this pole is the first step in us trying to accomplish the results we are all aiming for on the track. I'm really looking forward to the race, Imola is an old school circuit so we do have to be careful and make sure we have the best execution possible,' he added. Quick from the off in the first two free practice runs on Friday, the Team WRT trio of Al Harthy, Rossi and Kelvin van der Linde ended session one third fastest with a lap of 1m43.453 seconds. Carrying that level of performance through to session two, the No.46 BMW was third again with an improved 1m43.186 seconds, only 0.2 seconds shy of the top. Following the third practice on Saturday morning, where the team ended sixth fastest, OQ Group, Sohar International, Omantel, Oman LNG, BMW Oman, Oman Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and Experience Oman supported racer Al Harthy prepared for the short 12 minute qualifying session with the clear aim of trying to progress the car to the subsequent Hyperpole. Immediately pumping in good pace, Al Harthy went fastest on his first full lap with a time of 1m48.984 seconds and the next time around – his first true flyer – the Omani smashed his previous time with a lap of 1m43.718 seconds to remain on top. Quicker still he lowered his best to a 1m43.032 seconds lap,before then dipping below the 1m43 second barrier with a tremendous effort of 1m42.731 seconds to completely dominate the session and end qualifying some 0.7 seconds clear. Rossi took over from Al Harthy for the 10-minute Hyperpole session and he went to the top of the times with his first lap of 1m43.836 seconds, before then slicing eight tenths of a second off his previous best to remain fastest with a time of 1m43.011 seconds. Slipping to fourth with just three minutes to run, Rossi made a final push and delivered a fantastic 1m42.355 seconds to take pole.
Observer
27-03-2025
- Automotive
- Observer
Al Faisal showcases his BMW M4 GT3 Evo to the public
Oman's Al Faisal al Zubair and Al Manar Racing Team unveiled their new car, the BMW M4 GT3 Evo, to the public ahead of their participation in the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance and Sprint Cups this season, where Al Faisal remains the only Arab competitor in the Gold Class. The car is currently on display at City Centre Seeb until April 3, giving the public a chance to get an up-close look before it returns to the global racetracks, where Al Faisal and his team are set for an extraordinary season spanning ten races. The season's official launch was announced recently at a major press conference attended by both local and international media representatives. Fans will have a rare opportunity to explore the BMW M4 GT3 Evo, the latest car Al Faisal will drive in the upcoming season. Having previously raced with Mercedes and, before that, Porsche, and being the only racer to win back-to-back Porsche BWT GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East titles in 2018 and 2019, this marks an exciting new challenge as he joins the world-renowned WRT team for the 2025 GT World Challenge Europe, competing in both endurance and sprint races. Fans will have a rare opportunity to explore the BMW M4 GT3 Evo, the latest car Al Faisal will drive in the upcoming season Al Faisal's debut with WRT was already historic, as he became the first Omani driver to claim victory in the prestigious Dubai 24 Hours race. 'I am very excited to introduce the new car to the public before the season begins. It is a great chance for fans to see it up close and learn more about its technical features and modifications. This is also an opportunity to showcase the GT World Challenge, one of the most thrilling and competitive motorsport disciplines, featuring a diverse lineup of manufacturers,' Al Faisal al Zubair said. The action kicks off with the opening round of the Endurance Cup at the Paul Ricard circuit in France on April 11-13. The 2025 season will include ten high-profile races on some of the world's most renowned circuits. Al Faisal is determined to make his mark in the upcoming season with his new team and car. After an impressive run last year, where he consistently reached the podium, his biggest achievement was winning the Gold Class at the CrowdStrike Spa 24 Hours, making him the only Arab driver to secure this title. He also ended the season as vice-champion of the GTWC Gold Cup 2024, securing four podiums in five races.
