Jeff Seabrook

Imola. What a spectacular finale at the “6 Hours of Imola”, the second race of the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) season! Thanks to a tactical masterclass by BMW M Team WRT, the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8, driven by Robin Frijns (NED), René Rast (GER), and Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), finished in second place. The crew of car #20 celebrated their first-ever podium in the FIA WEC – despite an early collision with another car and a repair in the pits. In the LMGT3 class, the #46 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, starting from pole position, battled for the win. After a penalty and a fantastic comeback at the end, drivers Ahmad Al Harthy (OMA), Valentino Rossi (ITA), and Kelvin van der Linde (RSA) celebrated a second-place finish on the podium .

The 6-hour Imola race was turbulent for all BMW M Motorsport crews. The #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 started from 13th place but steadily moved up the order on the tight course. However, Rast collided with another car during an overtaking attempt, which was not his fault, severely damaging the rear wing. This required a complete rear section change during the subsequent pit stop, which the BMW M Team WRT crew accomplished in an extremely short time, thus limiting the time lost. Nevertheless, the journey from ninth place to the podium was long. To gain positions on the track, the team decided to shorten the penultimate refuelling stop, allowing them to take the lead. Van der Linde drove laps at qualifying pace to build enough time to overtake most competitors during their later final stops and cross the finish line in second place. The #15 BMW M Hybrid V8, with Kevin Magnussen (DEN), Raffaele Marciello (SUI), and Dries Vanthoor (BEL), started from third place and maintained that until the final hour of the race. However, the crew fell back due to performance issues and finished in sixth place.

In the LMGT3 class, the #46 BMW M4 GT3 EVO fought for the win right up to the finish line after an emotional rollercoaster. Al Harthy started from pole position and defended the lead during his double stint. Subsequent shifts in positions due to different strategies saw Rossi battling for first place with a Ferrari. During an overtaking attempt, he hit his opponent at the rear, for which the team received a stop-and-go penalty. That was followed by an impressive comeback by final driver van der Linde, who made up place after place and even closed the gap to the leading Porsche in the final laps. In a spectacular duel, he tried everything to snatch the victory but ultimately had to settle for second place. It was the second podium for the BMW M4 GT3 EVO in the second race of the season. The #31 crew with Augusto Farfus (BRA), Timur Boguslavskiy, and Yasser Shahin (AUS), who had finished third in Qatar, experienced a troubled race this time and finished twelfth after several incidents and penalties.

Comments after the race: