Charles Weerts and Kelvin van der Linde delivered a masterclass in racecraft, securing Team WRT’s victory in Sunday’s showdown of the GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Sprint Cup. The duo powered their #32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO to a commanding 12.429-second win after the Team WRT crew executed a blistering pit stop.

Ben Green put in a sterling performance to lead a Ferrari one-two in the morning’s qualifying session, securing his first Rowe Pole Position Award of the season. The Emil Frey Racing ace clocked a blistering 1m33.144s, edging out teammate Chris Lulham by a mere 0.158s. Jordan Pepper slotted into third in his #63 Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini.

At the start of the second race of the weekend at the 4.259 km Dutch seaside circuit, the Emil Frey Racing Ferraris of Ben Green and Chris Lulham initially looked set to dominate. However, a pair of penalties—one for a jump start and another for being out of position—saw their hopes unravel. Meanwhile, Jordan Pepper in the #63 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 was relentless in his pursuit, keeping Lulham under pressure from the outset.

Drama unfolded as Arthur Leclerc found himself beached in the gravel, forcing him to retire his #50 AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors Ferrari. Meanwhile, Kelvin van der Linde was on a charge, slicing through the field and overtaking Sven Müller in the #96 Rutronik Racing Porsche, while Maro Engel in the #48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO was hot on Müller’s heels.

 

The turning point came in the pits, where Team WRT executed a lightning-fast stop, handing the lead to Charles Weerts. A five-second penalty for Lucas Auer in the #48 Mercedes for speeding on pit exit further shuffled the order.

After the pit stops, Weerts led the pack, followed by Ivan Klymenko in the #26 Saintéloc Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II, with Luca Engstler in the #63 Lamborghini rounding out the top three. The battle for second was fierce, with Klymenko fending off Engstler’s relentless attacks.

In the Silver Cup class, Klymenko and Lorens Lecertua secured second place overall, while Thierry Vermeulen and Chris Lulham clinched Gold Cup honours in their #69 Ferrari.

Race 2 Results – Top 5

  1. Charles Weerts / Kelvin van der Linde (#32 Team WRT, BMW M4 GT3 EVO)
  2. Ivan Klymenko / Lorens Lecertua (#26 Sainteloc Racing, Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II), +12.429s
  3. Luca Engstler / Jordan Pepper (#63 GRT – Grasser Racing Team, Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2), +12.872s
  4. Marvin Kirchhofer / Benjamin Goethe (#59 Garage 59, McLaren 720S GT3 EVO), +13.174s
  5. Patric Niederhauser / Sven Müller (#96 Rutronik Racing, Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)), +14.168s

Momentum builds toward Spa with Monza Endurance round on the horizon

The next stop is Monza, where the Endurance Cup resumes on 30 May-1 June. The high-speed Italian classic marks a key moment in the season as teams prepare for the Spa 24 Hours later in June. The Sprint Cup returns three weeks later at Misano, featuring a pair of night races under the lights.