A YEAR OF SUCCESS ON AND OFF TRACK FOR TEAM WRT

A YEAR OF SUCCESS ON AND OFF TRACK FOR TEAM WRT

12/01/2025

2024 saw tremendous accolades achieved and solid foundations laid for the Belgian team’s future.

W Racing Team was proclaimed as the winner of the SRO Sustainability Award. It is the third time in four years that the Belgian squad sees its efforts for a more sustainable racing activity recognised. This important prize adds nicely to the ones conquered on the tracks in another successful season in GT3 racing, which yielded five more titles in Fanatec GT competitions and the Drivers’s title in the Intercontinental GT Challenge for Charles Weerts. 2024 marked also the first campaign in the highly competitive Hypercar category of the FIA WEC for BMW M Team WRT and its BMW M Hybrid V8. Steady progress throughout the season allowed the new outfit to post its first podium of the season in the penultimate round and finish in the final top five of the standings.

RACING ACTIVITIES

Hypercar Racing

The maiden season in the FIA World Endurance Championship for the BMW M Hybrid V8 and Team WRT yielded no surprise: it was a year of learning and development, in a highly well-attended and competitive environment, but also one which ended with very promising performances, as progress was constant along the journey of the inevitable ‘learning curve’.

BMW M Team WRT ended an encouraging fifth in the Constructors’ standings and in the final rounds, the leap forward in performance, both in qualifying and race, was evident. The highlight of the season was the first podium finish conquered at the 6 Hours of Fuji ​ with Dries Vanthoor, Raffaele Marciello and Marco Wittmann, while Robin Frijns, Rene Rast and Sheldon van der Linde had a more troubled season.

GT3 Racing

Team WRT was present in the FIA WEC also in the no less competitive LMGT3 category with two BMW M4 LMGT3, too often penalised by the regulation arithmetic in terms of top speed. This resulted in frustrating qualifying performances, thankfully overturned in the races by the quality of the work of drivers, pit stop crews and strategists.

Eventually, car #31 of Augusto Farfus, Sean Gelael and Darren Leung finished fourth in the standings, taking along the way a win in Imola, in front of the sister car, and a second place at Le Mans. Car #46 of Ahmad Al Harthy, Maxime Martin and Valentino Rossi took three podium finishes, second in Qatar and Imola, third at Fuji, finishing sixth in the final standings.

In the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS, Team WRT stood up to its reputation of being one of the top winning teams. This year, five titles were added to the already rich collection of trophies: the Teams’ Overall and Sprint Cup crowns, a double Team and Driver title in the Silver Cup of the Sprint Cup as well as the Pit Stop Challenge title.

Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts finished runners-up in both the Overall and Sprint Cup, and so did WRT as a team in the Endurance Cup, while Calan Williams was the one clinching the champion Silver driver in the Sprint Cup right ahead of his teammate Sam De Haan, who couldn’t share the top honours with the Australian after missing the last round due to personal reasons.

One of the most memorable moments was the fantastic overall win at Monza in the Endurance Cup of the Bronze class trio composed of Sam De Haan, Ahmad Al Harthy and Jens Klingmann, but great race wins were secured also in the Sprint Cup by Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts, Brands Hatch 1, Misano 2 and Magny-Cours 1, and by Maxime Martin and Valentino Rossi in Misano’s Race 1, repeating the 2023 success at Vale’s home track and bringing to the team a double win in the weekend.

More trophies came away from SRO-promoted series: Charles Weerts was crowned Champion in the Intercontinental GT World Challenge, ahead of teammates Dries Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde. The trio took podium finishes at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, where they finished third, and at the Indy 8 Hours, where they claimed victory. In both instances, they scored victory points towards the IGTC standings, being the first classified among entrants to the global series.

Team WRT also finished on the podium at the FIA World GT Cup in Macau, with Sheldon van der Linde finishing third in his second outing in the iconic race.

Car Manufacturing Activity

As widely known, racing is not the only activity of WRT connected with motorsport. The manufacturing and chassis-building activity, which today employs 42 people and generates a turnover of 10 million euros, continued to consolidate in 2024: 103 chassis were built, of which 62 were painted in the new internal painting facility opened in 2023.

The production figure includes WRC2 cars for Hyundai and Citroën, TCR cars for Hyundai, GT4 cars for Toyota and Fun Cup cars. WRT-built cars performed well, clinching several Rallye2 titles (ERC, Portugal, Belgium) and GT4 crowns with the Toyota Supra GT4, now also in action in far-away markets such as Australia and New Zealand.

The Fun Cup market remains extremely lively, thanks also to the consolidation of race organisations in Belgium and France into a single promoter, and the launch of a four-hour race at Le Mans. In total, 110 Fun Cup cars were technically followed by WRT on top of the four that Team WRT operates directly.

ESG Activities

2024 has been a busy and successful year also in the area of ESG (Environment, Social & Governance) activities. For the third time, W Racing Team won the SRO Sustainability Award, which recognizes the team making most efforts towards sustainability in SRO-promoted series.

WRT was also honoured with the prestigious FIA 3-Star Environmental Accreditation, the highest certification offered by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). This distinction rewards the remarkable environmental management and commitment to sustainability of WRT, which has implemented a series of initiatives aimed at reducing carbon emissions, optimising resource use, and improving waste management. The 3-star rating confirms that WRT not only complies with existing environmental regulations but also continually strives to improve its environmental practices through innovation and excellence.

The recognition comes only three years after launching the team’s ecological transition through the 'Drive Fast, Act Faster' project led by former driver and friend Ferdinand Habsburg, with whom WRT continued to cooperate, offsetting 2,700 tons of CO2 by protecting areas in the Narupa Reserve in Ecuador.

As part of its "We aRe uniTed" initiative, WRT has made significant contributions to various charitable causes. This includes donations to France’s Fondation Arthritis, as well as an invitation for three children suffering from severe arthritis to experience race day at the Le Mans 24 Hours. This gesture earned the team the prestigious "Coup de Coeur" award. Additionally, WRT supported Augusto Farfus's Santa Project in Brazil, dedicated to helping disadvantaged children. Through "We aRe uniTed," WRT continues to demonstrate its commitment to making a positive impact in the community.

Vincent Vosse, Co-CEO of W Racing Team: “Again, it was a very busy season, with its highs and its lows, but overall, we have been fighting again at the top and proving our motivation, determination and team spirit. Among the special moments that we will remember there are the Teams’ and Silver Cup titles conquered in the Fanatec GT World, the IGTC title of Charles Weerts, and some special wins like the double success in Misano, the incredible victory at Monza in the Endurance Cup, and FIA WEC-wise, the one-two in LMGT3 at Imola as well as ​ our maiden podium in Hypercar in Japan.On the other hand, we tasted frustration at Bathurst and at both Spa and Le Mans 24 Hours, but when you compete, you know that this too is part of the game. Our first season in Hypercar in the FIA WEC was as challenging as expected, but we were able to improve consistently, step after step, although progress is never fast enough when you are in this business! Still, it is encouraging to see that in the last three rounds of the season we were starting to be where we want to be, as underlined by the podium finish at Fuji. For sure, we laid a good basis upon which to build going into 2025, although we know that there is still a lot of work to do, and that the competition will also be working.” ​

Kathleen Schurmans, Co-CEO of W Racing Team: “While we race all over the world, facing both successes and challenges, we also take great pride in looking at our Manufacturing division, which continues to grow steadily. With 103 chassis built for Hyundai, Stellantis, and Toyota—62 of which were painted in our state-of-the-art paint shop—we are truly making our mark. Our production includes WRC2 roll cages for Hyundai and Citroën, as well as TCRs for Hyundai. On top of this, we’ve assembled 24 full GT4 Supras and 15 FUN CUPS, clinching multiple Rally2 titles and GT4 crowns.Beyond racing and manufacturing, we also shine a light on our incredible business teams, whose hard work ensures everything runs smoothly in logistics, payments, communication, and ESG. For the third time, WRT won the SRO Sustainability Award, and we were honored with the prestigious FIA 3-Star Environmental Accreditation, the highest certification given by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). This achievement recognizes our commitment to continuously improving our environmental practices through innovation and excellence.Our team’s united strengths and passion are the driving force behind our growth and achievements. We are powered by the best engine in the world: the passion of our amazing colleagues! They go the extra mile every single day. Year after year, it keeps me humble and proud to be part of the WRT family. I am grateful for the relentless dedication and the difference they make every day..."