BMW M Team WRT’s race debut with the BMW M4 GT3 was more than successful. Team principal Vincent Vosse and his crew claimed their maiden victory in their first race with the car. After a thrilling finish, the #7 BMW M4 GT3 took the chequered flag in first place.
This was the first win for the BMW M4 GT3 in a 24-hour race and BMW’s first triumph at the 24H Dubai since Schubert Motorsport’s success in 2011. Third place for the #46 BMW M4 GT3 rounded off a successful weekend for BMW M Team WRT.
The outing in Dubai was organised privately by BMW M Team WRT, in order to prepare for the first official appearance with BMW M Motorsport, the “Bathurst 12 Hours” (AUS) in three weeks.
Alternating at the wheel of the victorious #7 car were BMW M works drivers Jens Klingmann (GER) and Dries Vanthoor (BEL), alongside Mohammed Saud Fahad Al Saud (KSA), Diego Menchaca (MEX) and Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer (FRA). This was Klingmann‘s first victory in a 24-hour race. He was closely involved in the development of the BMW M4 GT3 from the beginning and with his experience of the car, he was able to offer great support to the team in Dubai. The #46 car was driven by BMW M works drivers Valentino Rossi (ITA), Maxime Martin (BEL) and Max Hesse (GER), together with Timothy Whale (GBR) and Sean Gelael (IDN), who was contesting his first race in a GT3 car. For nine-time motorcycle world champion Rossi, it was the first podium with WRT.
Starting from sixth on the grid, the #7 BMW M4 GT3 soon found itself involved in the battle for the lead and, for long stretches of the race, was running in first place. However, the race was destined for a really exciting finish. After numerous Code 60 phases, the #7 car entered the final half an hour in second place. Thanks to a perfect strategy, Vanthoor was able to regain the lead and complete a stunning victory for BMW M Team WRT.
The crew of the #46 car, which started from eighth place, also established itself in the top three early in the race, however it dropped back down the field after two and a half hours, when the car spun into the crash barriers on a circuit that had become slippery due to liquid on the track. After a short check-up in the garage, car #46 was able to rejoin the race and set about working its way back through the field and onto the podium. After 24 hours of racing, Rossi came home in a comfortable third place.
The #14 BMW M4 GT3 run by Danish team Poulsen Motorsport was also running well, but was then forced to retire in the closing stages.
In the GT4 class, the new BMW M4 GT4 also enjoyed a successful start to its debut season. Both cars in the starting field made it onto the podium in their class. The #438 BMW M4 GT4 of Simpson Motorsport crossed the finish line in second place, ahead of Century Motorsport in third place with its new #429 BMW M4 GT4. The RHC-Jorgensen-Strom by Century team, which competed with the previous model of the BMW M4 GT4, failed to finish.
