Latest news with #WRT
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.
Arab News
24-03-2025
- Automotive
- Arab News
Oman's Al-Zubair ready for new racing challenges in Europe
MUSCAT: Having won the opening race of the 2025 Middle East Trophy at the Dubai 24 Hour in January, Omani driver Al-Faisal Al-Zubair of Al-Manar Racing is now set to take on a new challenge in one of Europe's most prestigious GT racing championships. The announcement that Al-Manar will race at the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe came at a ceremony on Sunday night held under the patronage of Kamil bin Fahd bin Mahmood Al-Said, the secretary-general of the General Secretariat of the Omani Council of Ministers. The start of the 2025 season marked a new chapter for Al-Zubair and Al-Manar Racing team as they teamed up with a new partner, the WRT team. The team began their partnership with a win at Dubai Autodrome, and will now participate in the endurance and sprint races at the Fanatec GT World Challenge. This will be the first time that Al-Zubair has taken part in sprint races after only participating in endurance races last year. Speaking during the ceremony, at which he was joined by key partners, sponsors, dignitaries, media, family and friends, Al-Zubair said: 'I am proud to announce my 2025 racing program, which started off perfectly with a new team and a new car, including our victory in the Dubai 24 Hour. 'I am delighted to be carrying the flag of the Sultanate of Oman and the Arab world, and my goal is to build on last year's achievements. 'Last year I finished second but in the 2025 season Al-Manar Racing will partner with the world's most important and best GT team, WRT, so it's only natural that our goal is to achieve first place. The victory in Dubai came at the perfect time in my first participation with the team, and it provided a morale boost and a great boost for the season. 'For the past three years I have driven a Mercedes, and in 2025 I will move to a BMW GT3 Evo, which I will use to compete in all rounds of the Fanatec GT World Challenge. 'This season is different from last year as I will participate in all 10 rounds of the Fanatec GT Challenge, which includes the long endurance races and the short sprint races where I will compete for the sprint and endurance championship titles, as well as the overall championship title.' He added: 'My teammates, German racing driver Jens Klingmann and British racing driver Ben Tuck, will alternate with me in the team, and our goal is to win the Gold Cup title. I am eagerly awaiting the start of the season at the Paul Ricard Circuit in France next month.' Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe is renowned for its fiercely competitive field and demanding race tracks, providing the ultimate test of endurance, speed, and precision. The rounds include a number of races, starting in France and then continuing to Britain, Belgium and Italy, along with other locations.
Muscat Daily
01-03-2025
- Automotive
- Muscat Daily
Potential podium slips from grasp for Al Harthy, Rossi and Van Der Linde in FIA WEC opener
Muscat – The first round of the FIA World Endurance Championship season started impressively but ended in disappointment for Ahmad al Harthy, Valentino Rossi and Kelvin van der Linde at Lusail in Qatar on Friday, when a realistic podium challenge ultimately became an 11th place finish. After a strong qualifying performance from Team WRT's No.46 BMW M4 LMGT3, where Oman's Al Harthy was sixth fastest to progress to the all-important Hyperpole session in which Rossi achieved eighth on the LMGT3 grid for the Qatar 1812km, hopes were justly high for the 10-hour encounter. Everything began incredibly well on race day with Al Harthy moving up from the fourth row of the grid into the podium placings, during a sensational triple stint throughout the first third of the race at the Middle Eastern track. Team-mates Rossi and van der Linde shared the remainder of the contest but their challenge was stunted due to an as-yet unidentified issue with the car, which badly impacted pace, and some track limits penalties later on. 'I was really, really happy with the way I drove during the first three hours of the race,' said Al Harthy. 'We decided to keep me in the car as we were climbing up the order, we were surprised by the pace and where we were so that was a very positive part of the race. 'Unfortunately, we picked up a problem, which we are going to analyse, where we lost the pace of the car after my stint and when Valentino and Kelvin were in the car – it was clear we were suffering with an issue so WRT and BMW are going to investigate. We finished the race, which was important for us to do, and we know we have the package for Imola and we're looking forward to that.' Al Harthy lined-up eighth on the LMGT3 grid for the start of the race, the highest placed of the BMWs, and quickly moved up a place into seventh after a clean start. Running strongly, he broke into the top six after just 10 minutes of action and with half an hour gone he was into fifth position. Fifth swiftly became fourth as he moved towards podium contention and with 50 minutes elapsed the No.46 BMW M4 was only six seconds shy of third. Following the first pit stops Al Harthy stayed in the car for a double stint, continuing to lap impressively and consistently. With 50 laps complete, one hour and 45 minutes gone, the OQ Group, Sohar International, Omantel, BMW Oman, Oman Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and Experience Oman supported driver had closed to within two seconds of the podium. At the end of hour two, as the next batch of pit-stops played out, Al Harthy moved into second and then briefly the lead of LMGT3 early in hour three. The No.78 Lexus RC F reclaimed first place after emerging from its stop, with the Omani comfortably holding second for the bulk of the next hour prior to the next pit visit – concluding an outstanding triple stint for the Bronze graded racer. Rossi took his first miles of the race next, moving up from seventh when he joined the action into the top six. When the Safety Car was deployed at the mid-point of the contest, Rossi handed over the No.46 car to van der Linde and he rose as high as second position in hour seven. With the South African and Italian team-mate Rossi sharing the concluding hours, pushing hard for the best possible finish under the night skies of Qatar, it became obvious there was an issue which had begun to impact the pace of the BMW. Coupled with two drive-through penalties for track limits infringements, this had a significant bearing on the end result. As the final hour neared, van der Linde had moved back up into ninth place before making a pit-stop with just over three quarters of an hour to go. After re-emerging in 11th he moved up into 10th, but a 30 second stop/go penalty followed with only 15 minutes to go meaning he ended in 11th spot. There is now a seven week break in the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship calendar ahead of round two of the season, the 6 Hours of Imola, which will take place over the weekend 19th/20th April in Italy.
