TEAM WRT CLINCHES SENSATIONAL ONE-TWO FINISH AT THE 2025 BATHURST 12 HOUR

TEAM WRT CLINCHES SENSATIONAL ONE-TWO FINISH AT THE 2025 BATHURST 12 HOUR

25/02/2025

Bathurst, Mount Panorama – February 1-2, 2025 – Team WRT put on a spectacular show for the 51,372-strong crowd at Mount Panorama Circuit and executed a masterful strategy to reclaim Australian glory after their maiden win in 2018. With back-to-back successes in Dubai and Abu Dhabi setting the stage, Team WRT continued their 100% winning streak in 2025, by delivering a commanding performance in both their entries at this year’s Bathurst 12 Hour. Augusto Farfus, Sheldon van der Linde, and his brother Kelvin, clinch the first BMW victory in Bathurst 12 Hour history since the GT3 regulation was allowed, just in front of sister car driven by Raffaele Marciello, Valentino Rossi and Charles Weerts.

RACE HIGHLIGHTS

• Dominant strategy on-track: From the fourth hour onwards, both cars commanded the race, car #32 took the lead while car #46 maintained a strong second-place position. A brilliant fuel-saving strategy allowed the team to sustain a consistent pace and preserve their advantage over the demanding 12-hour distance.
• Challenging moments and resilience: Car #46 encountered a setback in the eighth hour, dropping from second to last in the PRO category following a drive-through penalty for a breach of Safety Car regulations. However, flawless on-track driving and swift pit-stop execution allowed a strong recovery, ultimately allowing car #46 to finish in second place.
• Aussie victory reclaimed: With car #32 clinching the overall win and car #46 finishing second, Team WRT ended the 2025 Bathurst 12 Hour on a high note. This victory marks a significant moment as the team reclaims an Aussie triumph that had eluded them since 2018.

Looking ahead to FIA WEC:

Team WRT now returns to Europe ahead of the FIA WEC season, where they will enter four cars—two in the Hypercar category and two in the LMGT3 category, as announced in recent weeks. Catch all the action when the season kicks off on February 28th in Qatar.

RACE RESULTS

1. Farfus – van der Linde – van der Linde (BMW M4 GT3) 306 laps
2. Marciello – Rossi – Weerts (BMW M4 GT3) + 10.245s
3. Gounon – Habul – Stolz (Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO) + 11.363s
4. Brown – C. Mostert – D. Serra (Ferrari 296 GT3) + 1:03.962s
5. Auer – M. Götz – J. Ojeda (Mercedes-AMG GT3) + 1:27.904s

Vincent VOSSE, Team Principal Team WRT: “Three races, three wins. What an amazing start to the season! We tried to win at Bathurst with BMW M Motorsport for the last two years, but it never worked out. This time, everything was just spot on. This is a big race everyone wants to win, so I could not be happier. A special congrats goes to Kelvin van der Linde, who in only his second race with BMW M Motorsport achieved maybe his biggest win yet together with his brother. The #46 crew also did an excellent job coming back in the race and finishing just 10 seconds behind.”

Augusto FARFUS, driver #32: “I’m an incredibly lucky guy to be with BMW M Motorsport for such a long time. We have come here many times and never were lucky enough to win. This time, we thought we had a chance and we executed a perfect race. To put my name in the history books of this event now is very emotional. During the final 40 minutes we just hoped for a green end, as a safety car would have ruined our race. Luckily it all went well. Thanks a lot, to BMW M Motorsport, Team WRT and my teammates who did a perfect job.”

Kelvin VAN DER LINDE, driver #32: “This was a race with a crazy amount of emotions for me. First race back with Team WRT, first race back with my brother, first race with Augusto, second race for BMW M Motorsport. This is all very special. I don’t have to explain what this win means for my brother and myself. I’m sure our Mom and Dad are proud at home. It’s also amazing for me to share this victory with Augusto, whom I’ve looked up to since I was a kid. He was one of my heroes. Looking at the race, the final stint was very tough, as I had to hit fuel numbers and had Chaz Mostert behind me catching up. But in the end, it worked out perfectly.”

Sheldon VAN DER LINDE, driver #32: “I am very, very happy! I think this victory was down to excellent execution by the guys at Team WRT. I don’t think I have ever seen such a perfect execution in terms of strategy before. We did not have the outright fastest car today, but still, we did it! Both my teammates made no mistakes. Sharing this win with my brother for the first time since 2018, is very special of course. I’m really impressed how quickly he is up there with his pace in just his second race with BMW M Motorsport.”

Raffaele MARCIELLO, driver #46: “A 1-2 is a great result for the team. I know they have tried to win it again for a long time, and now it finally worked out, although not for me personally, so I will still have to wait for my first victory here after a couple of podium finishes. It was a good fight with Jules Gounon. I knew I had the faster car on the straights, and when there was a slower car in front of us, I took the opportunity and attacked him. It was a good move.”

Valentino ROSSI, driver #46: “This podium is a fantastic way to start the season. The whole weekend was great, as we were always strong and competitive. We were able to fight with our sister car until I made a mistake unfortunately and we had to serve a drive-through penalty. I thought at that point that the fight for the podium was over, but we managed to come back with great pace. Raffaele’s overtake on Jules Gounon was a lot of fun to watch. I am very happy with the result.”

Charles WEERTS, driver #46: “Huge congrats to our sister car. They were really quick all week and really deserve this win. For BMW M Motorsport it has been a long time trying to win here, so this 1-2 is pretty big for them and for the entire Team WRT also. Their strategy was an absolute masterclass today. The overall result is great, but next time I hope we can swap positions.”