OQ by Oman Racing made history by becoming the first non-Pro class team to claim overall victory in this afternoon’s Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, at the iconic Monza circuit. The #30 Team WRT BMW, driven by Ahmad Al Harthy, Sam De Haan, and Jens Klingmann, pulled off the dramatic win in front of an impressive crowd of 35,393 spectators, taking both the bronze class victory and the overall race victory.
GTWCE MONZA: QUALIFYING REPORT | RACE REPORT
The unpredictable three-hour race was shaped by a new rule mandating an extra pit stop, which turned the competition into a strategic battle between speed and pit-lane tactics. Initially, the #51 AF Corse Ferrari, piloted by Alessio Rovera and Vincent Abril, seemed destined for victory, leading comfortably for the first two hours. However, a crucial late pit stop cost Ferrari the lead, despite Alessandro Pier Guidi’s blistering performance in the final hour.
At the start it was pole sitter Allessio Rovera, driving the #51 AF Corse Ferrari who got away well, keeping ahead of the problems that were unfolding behind him. The #7 Cometoyou Aston Martin of Mattia Drudi was squeezed by the #48 Winward Racing Mercedes of Lucas Auer and with nowhere to go it was sandwiched between the Mercedes and the #32 Team WRT BMW of Sheldon van der Linde who found himself turned around whilst the others got on their way.
Several cars were forced to take to the escape road with several heading into Curva Grande with smoke billowing from damaged bodywork rubbing against tyres but the trouble really began into the second chicane with three cars ending up stranded with significant damage and resulting in a safety car being called before the end of the lap.
There was drama just 40 minutes into the race for the championship-leading #7 Cometoyou Racing Aston Martin which came to a stop just before the first chicane having rolled slowly down the main straight. A reset of the onboard systems seemed to get the car back underway but down in P39 from an initial P8 following it’s first corner troubles. The car would eventually finish well out of the points down in P24, but would retain it’s lead in the championship but with the deficit cut from 15 points to just 4.
After 1 hour and 15 minutes and having fought his way up to second place, Kevin Estre in the #22 Schumacher CLRT Porsche saw his race come to an end in the Ascari gravel trap after getting one tyre on the grass whilst braking for the turn.
The result was another lengthy safety car period, first to clear the stricken Porsche and then to clear up a substantial amount of tyre and bodywork debris along the main straight following a delamination of the driver’s right front tyre of the #78 Barwell Lamborghini.
At the front, Pier Guidi set a new GT3 lap record at Monza and sliced through the field, overtaking Max Hofer’s #66 Audi to reclaim third place. But as he closed in on the BMW duo of Jens Klingmann and Dries Vanthoor (#32 BMW Team WRT), an intense final battle ensued. Despite Pier Guidi’s speed, his challenge was halted when he had to return a position after running off-track during a pass. Klingmann held his ground to secure a historic victory for the Omani team.
The result not only gave OQ by Oman Racing its first overall win but also earned the team the top spot in the Bronze Cup. The #99 Audi (Tresor Attempto Racing) finished fourth, closing in on the overall points lead, while Valentino Rossi’s #46 BMW Team WRT took fifth in front of the home crowd.
Celebrations also erupted in the Silver Cup, as the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG crew of Daan Arrow, Colin Caresani, and Tanart Sathienthirakul clinched the class title with a ninth-place overall finish. The team had consistently been on the podium throughout the season, making their title win richly deserved.
In the Gold Cup, the #77 Mercedes-AMG (Haupt Racing Team) secured its first win of the season, while the #25 Saintéloc Racing Audi finished second, solidifying its path toward the class crown.
The next Endurance Cup race will take place at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit on November 29–30, while the Sprint Cup season concludes in Barcelona on October 11–13. Fans can expect even more thrilling action as the championship battles continue.
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