VICTORY, DOUBLE PODIUM AND PIT STOP CHALLENGE SUCCESS FOR WRT AT MISANO

VICTORY, DOUBLE PODIUM AND PIT STOP CHALLENGE SUCCESS FOR WRT AT MISANO

20/07/2025

Team WRT returned to GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup action this weekend with a four-car entry at Misano World Circuit. In front of a passionate local crowd, Rossi made a special one-off appearance to the Sprint championship, alongside Raffaele Marciello, bringing extra excitement to the Italian round. The weekend delivered strong results across the board for the Belgian squad. Car #46 secured its third consecutive victory at Misano, with Rossi and Marciello delivering a dominant performance in Race 1. The #30 crew also celebrated its first podium of the Sprint season and their first Pit Stop Challenge success thanks to WRT mechanics, Victor and Adria. Team WRT added a P3 overall finish in Saturday night’s race with car #32, which allowed the Belgian squad to retain the Sprint Cup lead now holding a narrow one-point advantage over both second and third place challengers.

Race 1 Highlights

• Victory for #46: Valentino Rossi and Raffaele Marciello dominated Race 1, securing a commanding win. It marked Rossi’s third victory in Misano within three years, this time with a new teammate, and capped off a flawless performance from the entire team.
• Podium for #32: Charles Weerts and Kelvin van der Linde joined their teammates’ celebrations to finish P3 overall, collecting valuable points for the championship.
• Setback for #777: after a promising qualifying session, car #777 was forced to retire early due to contact resulting in race-ending damage. A frustrating end to a day that started with great potential.
• Solid showing from #30: the Silver Cup entry recovered well after difficult a qualifying session, climbing back to P4 in class.

Race 2 Highlights

• Flying start for Kelvin van der Linde in #32, gaining six positions on the opening lap to move from P15 to P9.
• Extended red flag: a major incident brought out a red flag just 15 minutes into the race, resulting in a lengthy two-hour and 15-minute delay for barrier repairs.
• Podium breakthrough for #30: a brilliant pit stop from the crew helped car #30 jump from P3 to the class lead. Although they eventually finished P3, it marked their first class podium of the Sprint Cup season.
• Penalty for #46: a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane dropped car #46 from P2 to P21, dashing hopes of a second win.
• Resilient run for #777: after a challenging weekend, car #777 fought back to finish P4 in class, 0.013s off the podium.

LOOKING AHEAD

Team WRT returns to action on August 2–3 at Magny-Cours for the penultimate round of the Sprint Cup season. With the team still leading both the Overall and Sprint Cup championships, the French round will be crucial in the race for the title. Cars #30, #32 and #777 will continue with their full-season driver lineups, all aiming to deliver strong results as the championship fight enters its critical final phase.

Vincent Vosse, Team Principal Team WRT: "It was a positive weekend. Congratulations to Valentino and Raffaele on the first-place finish on Saturday. Another victory for the team in Misano, further extending our record here. The #32 completed the double podium and remains well-positioned in the championship after finishing fifth on Sunday. Unfortunately, #777 had a difficult weekend in the Gold Cup. On the other hand, congratulations to the #30 crew for their podium in the Silver Cup! All in all, we usually score even more points here in Misano than we did this time. Let’s see what we can achieve in Magny-Cours."

Gustav Bergström, driver #30: “Gilles has been outstanding! I struggled a bit throughout the weekend, but we can still be proud of our P4 and P3 finishes. I’ll focus on improving my qualifying pace and race starts so we can take the next step. Thanks to the team for their great work!”

Gilles Stadsbader, driver #30: “Overall, a solid weekend. Our best Sprint outing yet with a P4 and P3 finish. We scored valuable points and are heading into Magny-Cours in two weeks with a positive mindset. Looking forward to seeing what we can achieve there. I’m confident!”

Kelvin van der Linde, driver #32: "Mixed feelings after this weekend. We came to Misano with very high expectations but unfortunately couldn’t fully meet them. Still, third and fifth place mean important points for the championship. We’re still leading the Sprint Cup, which is a positive. Now we’re heading to a few tracks that might be a bit more challenging for us. Hopefully, we can find a bit more performance and come back stronger."

Charles Weerts, driver #32: “The Misano weekend is behind us, and we definitely expected to be stronger. Third and fifth place are certainly not what we wanted, especially on a track that usually suits us well and with the championship on the line. Unfortunately, a few unexpected challenges impacted our performance. There are areas we need to look into more closely, but we will keep pushing.”

Valentino Rossi, driver #46: “It was a very good weekend. We won a race, and having a victory under your belt changes the entire season. I really enjoyed it because we were competitive from the start. I drove well and improved over the course of the weekend. Driving with Raffaele is a pleasure. The car was also very strong. It’s a shame that we received the penalty on Sunday. Such a small mistake, and then the whole race is over after the drive-through penalty. But that’s how it is. Another podium would have been nice, and maybe we could have even fought for the second win of the weekend."

Raffaele Marciello, driver #46: "Overall, it was a very good weekend. The victory on Saturday, and that together with Valentino in front of the fantastic Italian fans, was amazing. Unfortunately, I made a small mistake entering the pit lane on Sunday, and we received a penalty for it. That’s a shame because, after the win in the first race, another podium would have been a great way to finish."

Al Faisal Al Zubair, driver #777: “It was definitely a challenging weekend. It’s frustrating because the car felt really strong, and we had a solid package to compete with. Unfortunately, we didn’t finish Race 1, so we missed out on valuable points. In Race 2, we managed to finish P4, which was good to get back on the scoreboard, but losing a round like that is always tough. We’ll stay focused on our progress and aim to be there again at Magny-Cours!”

Jens Klingmann, driver #777 "It was a tough weekend for us. What hurts the most is that we actually had a very strong car but couldn’t manage to achieve the corresponding results. That makes it even more disappointing. On the positive side, we take away the fact that we are improving as a group from race to race. That gives us hope for the rest of the season, even though we are a bit on the backfoot in the championship."