- Multiple Authors
- Feb 13, 2025
- 10 min read
Intercontinental GT Challenge - BMW victorious for the first time in GT3 era!
Team WRT ended their drought of winning at Bathurst, and delivered an impressive 1-2 finish with the van der Linde brothers becoming the first brothers to win the Meguiar's Bathurst 12 Hours.
Contributions by Charlie Thornton and Nando
QUALIFYING
Q1
Chaz Mostert set the early pace in the #26 Arise Racing GT Ferrari 296 GT3, before being swiftly beaten by teammate Jaxon Evans in the #36 Ferrari. With three minutes of the session remaining, Lucas Auer put the #77 Mercedes-AMG Team Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo on top with a 2:02.128. Mostert was able to improve to second at the end, but fell short, missing provisional pole by less than a tenth.
Q2
Sheldon van der Linde immediately went fastest in the #32 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3, surpassing Auer’s Q1 benchmark time with a 2:01.929. Maro Engel slotted into second in the #888 Team GMR Mercedes-AMG, while Luca Stolz took fourth in the #75 75 Express Mercedes-AMG with five minutes to go. Heinrich made some late improvements in the #91 The Bend Manthey EMA Porsche 992 GT3 R which pushed the #46 Team WRT BMW out of the top ten, just before Ricardo Feller stormed to first in the #183 Jamec Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II with a 2:01.894. Matt Campbell failed to improve in the #911 Absolute Racing Porsche, and was thus eliminated.
Q3
Ricardo Feller once again showed strong performance in the third and final qualifying session of the 2025 Bathurst 12 Hours with a 2:01.763, but Lucas Auer soon delivered a stunning 2:01.276 in the #77 Mercedes-AMG, nearly half a second clear. Engel moved into third, making it two Mercedes in the top four, while Sheldon van der Linde put the #32 Team WRT BMW on the second row with a late flyer. Auer claimed pole, and took the Allan Simonsen Award for the first time in his career in the Craft-Bamboo Mercedes-AMG.
RACE
The race got underway behind safety car due to tyre warm up concerns. As the safety car came in after two laps, the race began in double-file rolling start with Maximilian Götz in the #77 Team Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo leading the grid from pole position. Götz went wide into turn one which caused Ricardo Feller and Maro Engel in the Jamec Racing Audi and GruppeM Mercedes respectively to draw alongside him as they went three-wide onto the mountain straight. Ricardo Feller backed out before Griffin’s Bend after getting sandwiched by the two Mercedes as Augusto Farfus took advantage to move up to second in the #32 Team WRT BMW behind race leader Götz.
Drama soon happened in the invitational class as the #50 Vantage Racing KTM X-Bow GT2, driven by Glen Wood, came into the pits, and was pushed back into the garage. Chaz Mostert in the #26 Arise Racing GT Ferrari 296 GT3 made quick progress, passing Augusto Farfus and Götz for the race lead before the thirty minute mark. Latest Aston Martin Racing Academy graduate Jamie Day touched the wall at Reid Park but managed to continue without significant damage in the silver class #14 Volante Rosso Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage GT3. Feller passed Engel for third before he decided to peel for the pitlane for the first time, handing the car over to Liam Talbot. One lap later, the #26 Arise Racing GT Ferrari and #77 Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes pitted, which promoted the #32 Team WRT BMW into the race lead but still yet to pit. Staying out on-track would soon prove to be the right decision when the #26 Ferrari in the hands of Will Brown collided with the #77 Mercedes on their out-lap, which sent the Mercedes into the gravel trap at the exit of Murray’s corner, quickly prompting the safety car to be deployed. Both of the Team WRT BMW’s and the #888 GruppeM Mercedes benefitted by pitting under the safety car as the #77 Mercedes rejoined, but dropped a lap behind the race leader.
BMW led a 1-2 as the safety car peeled in and racing resumed with ten hours and thirty minutes to go, while moments later the #25 Method Motorsport McLaren Artura GT4 faced the wrong way at Griffin’s Bend with Ryan Sorensen at the wheel, after contact with Dean Fiore in the #9 Hallmarc Racing Audi R8. Kenny Habul and Ian James made contact in the #75 and #27 Mercedes-AMG’s respectively at the Chase, with both continuing but the #75 Mercedes was later given a fifteen second penalty for the incident.
Disaster soon struck for the two time Bathurst winner Craig Lowndes, who parked his #222 Scott Taylor Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo just before the pit entry as the car suffered driveshaft damage after hitting the barrier on the top of the mountain earlier the same lap. A few laps later, Kenny Habul made contact with Liam Talbot at Griffin’s Bend, which caused a front-left puncture for the #183 Jamec Racing Audi R8. Soon after, Sorensen crashed heavily at Skyline while in the lead of the GT4 class in his #25 McLaren Artura GT4, and collected the #44 Geyer Valmont Racing Audi R8 in the process, with the safety car being quickly deployed. The race leaders all came into the pits during the safety car, with a slow stop for the #32 Team WRT BMW due to an electrical issue costing them track position to the sister #46 car. As the race resumed, the #911 Absolute Racing Porsche 992 GT3 R led the way, while the leading silver #14 Volante Rosso Aston Martin received a drive-through penalty for speeding during the safety car.
A highlight moment of the race occurred with nine hours and forty minutes to go when Stephen Grove in his #4 Grove Racing Mercedes-AMG made contact with Kenny Habul in the #75 75 Express AMG, as the latter attempted a move into Skyline, which sent the Grove Racing Mercedes into the barrier, and briefly into the air. The safety car was deployed yet again, and the Grove Racing entry became another retirement of the 2025 Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hours. During the safety car period, the #24 Method Motorsport McLaren GT4 made contact with the #77 Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo at Forest Elbow, while the #24 McLaren tried to unlap. The McLaren later received a drive-through penalty for the contact, as well as an additional five minute stop and go penalty for a wave-by infringement. Alessio Picariello led the way at the restart in the Absolute Racing Porsche, closely followed by the two Team WRT BMW M4 GT3’s.
The next hour saw the battle in silver class turn into catastrophe as Luke Youlden in the #47 Supabarn Tigani Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo hit the back of the #93 Wall Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2, scattering debris all over the track as the safety car was deployed yet again. The two BMW’s and the #183 Jamec Racing Audi benefitted from pitting during the safety car.
A rather long period of green flag running ensued, which was interrupted again with a safety car after James Koundouris in the #47 Supabarn Tigani Motorsport Mercedes put the car into the gravel at turn one, in a similar incident to Götz’s in the first hour. The leading BMW’s had already crossed the start-finish line so were unable to take advantage of the safety car, while the Porsche’s and Mercedes-AMG’s took full advantage. Under the same safety car just minutes later, the #9 Hallmarc Racing Audi suffered a puncture, and immediately entered the pitlane, while their luck would turn sour as they were given a drive-through penalty for pit lane infringement.
With five and a quarter hours to go, Ricardo Feller’s #183 Jamec Racing Audi was off track in the gravel at the Chase, triggering another safety car, prompting the race leaders to come into the pits. Disaster for the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 with MotoGP ace Valentino Rossi at the wheel, who was given a drive-through penalty due to overtaking a GT4 during safety car, which dropped the car from a strong second position.
Just two laps after the green flags were waved, Maxime Martin crashed into the wall coming out of the Chase in his #888 GruppeM Mercedes-AMG GT3, prompting another safety car, and as they say, safety cars breed safety cars. The #46 BMW with Charles Weerts now at the wheel was just entering the pitlane in order to serve their drive-through as the safety car was called, essentially giving the BMW a ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ card.
As the race got into a smooth-flowing fashion, regularly planned pitstops started happening, seeing an exciting moment as second position to fourth position of the #77 Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes, the #26 Arise Racing GT Ferrari and #911 Absolute Racing Porsche bump-drafting into, and through the pits. After the pit stops had been completed, the Porsche jumped the Ferrari for third position, due to Will Brown having an issue starting the car, delaying him by just a couple of seconds.
After just over nine hours of racing so far, the #14 Volante Rosso Motorsport Aston Martin, which was leading the silver class at the time, entered the pits and was pushed back into the garage with a clutch issue. They would lose the lead, and eventually fall back twenty-seven laps behind the class leader, and four laps behind second in class. While just moments later, during an intense battle for third position overall, the #911 Absolute Racing with Alessio Picariello went off at Murray’s corner, essentially handing third place to the #26 Arise Racing GT Ferrari 296 GT3 with Will Brown at the wheel.
Meanwhile with two hours remaining, we saw three cars head into the garage including the #9 Hallmarc Racing Audi, which had been suffering numerous issues throughout the race, the #19 Team Nineteen Mercedes-AMG GT4, which had suffered an issue early on, and the #44 Geyer Valmont Racing Audi, which had a major rebuild after being collected by the Method Motorsport Artura GT4 in the second hour of the race.
In a record setting run of green flag running, with just over three hours clean, the #26 Arise Racing GT Ferrari and #911 Absolute Racing Porsche came into the pits with an hour and twenty-four minutes remaining, in what they hope would be their last pitstop, if they are able to save enough fuel, but sacrifice necessary lap time and speed to keep up with the leader or podium positions. Six minutes later the second position #77 Mercedes-AMG with Lucas Auer at the wheel also came into the pits while the #32 BMW led the race with Sheldon van der Linde. Sheldon opted to pit with sixty-eight minutes to go, swapping to his brother Kelvin, coming out of the pits with sixty-six minutes left.
Sixty-three minutes remained as Luca Stolz and Raffaele Marciello came into the pits in the #75 and #46 cars. In the final hour, the #77 Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes, #75 75 Express Mercedes and #46 Team WRT BMW were battling for third position, with the three cars running within a second of each other up-and-down the mountain, lap after lap.
With just forty minutes to go, Kelvin van der Linde defended his first position against the hard-charging Chaz Mostert in the #26 Arise Racing GT Ferrari, which was on a different strategy. Mostert overtook just a couple laps later, and pulled a large gap of five seconds before peeling into the pits with just twenty-three minutes remaining, effectively handing the lead to the Team WRT BMW.
An exhilarating battle between three-time Bathurst winner Jules Gounon and three-time podium sitter Raffaele Marciello ensued, and saw Marciello in the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 overtake Gounon’s Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo around the outside of the Chase, taking third position from the Andorran driver, seeing two BMWs on the podium with just twenty minutes to go.
As expected, with six minutes to go, the second position #77 Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo of Lucas Auer, who claimed pole position on Saturday, headed to the pits, just a few minutes short of their fuel count. This enabled the BMW of Marciello to take second place, while Gounon in the #75 Mercedes slotted into third, making it a BMW 1-2 with just a couple laps to go.
As the final lap started, BMW was on to take a historic victory with Kelvin van der Linde crossing the line, taking the chequered flag, ten seconds ahead of the sister #46 car, with Gounon piling the pressure on Marciello just a second behind. Augusto Farfus and the van der Linde brothers, Kelvin and Sheldon, beat team-mates Raffaele Marciello, Valentino Rossi and Charles Weerts, enabling Team WRT to take victory for the first time since 2018, when they were running the Audi R8 LMS GT3. The van der Linde brothers also became the first siblings to share a winning car in the history of the Bathurst 12 Hours.
Ferrari returned to the mountain after an absence of six years, and finished fourth with the #26 Arise Racing GT Ferrari 296 GT3 of Will Brown, Chaz Mostert and Daniel Serra. The #26 also claimed the fastest lap of the race, with a 2:02.274, meanwhile the sister #36 car, competing in the Pro-Am class, took class honors with Jaxon Evans, Alessio Rovera, Brad Schumacher and Elliot Schutte.
Porsche’s highest finisher was the #911 Absolute Racing entry of Matt Campbell, Ayhancan Güven and Alessio Picariello, finishing sixth, with Campbell and Güven unable to defend their victory from 2024. In the Pro-Am class, the #91 The Bend Manthey EMA Porsche of Laurin Heinrich, Morris Schuring, Sam and Yasser Shahin finished second in class, and tenth overall. - Lamborghini’s sole entry in this edition of the Bathurst 12 Hours finished in ninth overall, and won the Silver class, only three laps behind the overall leaders. Stalwart of the classic endurance race, Wall Racing acquired Lamborghini ace Brendon Leitch to pair up with Tony D’Alberto, Adrian Deitz and Grant Denyer, and while the car suffered multiple issues and difficulties throughout the race, made it to the chequered flag.
Only two of the three Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II’s finished the race, with the #183 Jamec Racing entry retiring after completing 164 laps, while the #9 Hallmarc Racing entry finished second in class, fourteen laps behind the winning #27 Heart of Racing by SPS Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo. The #44 Geyer Valmont Racing entry suffered a huge setback early on, but remained focused until the end, sixty-five laps behind the leaders.
Method Motorsport’s #24 McLaren Artura GT4 finished first position in class, fifteen laps ahead of the Team Nineteen Mercedes-AMG GT4, and the sister #25 McLaren Artura which was the second retirement of the race. The sole invitational entry of the race, the highly underestimated KTM X-Bow GT2 managed to finish the race in fifteenth overall, after not even getting to start the race in 2024.
INTERCONTINENTAL GT HEADS TO THE NORDSCHLEIFE
The Intercontinental GT Challenge now takes a lengthy pause until the ADAC Ravenol Nürburgring 24 Hours in mid-June, at the legendary ‘green-hell’. BMW currently lead the Manufacturer’s championship by eighteen points over Mercedes-AMG, after scoring full points with a 1-2 at the Bathurst 12 Hours. 2024 Intercontinental GT Challenge manufacturer champions of Porsche sit fourth, and last in the table with ten points, after a rather disappointing performance compared to 2023 and 2024 editions of the race.
Porsche Motorsport boss Thomas Laudenbach has mentioned that Porsche will not allocate as many drivers for the full season, and will instead focus on local championships in order to compete for the international trophy. Porsche refuses to send cars all over the world in order to win, and their mindset of different teams contributing to the title fight is how they will approach the 2025 season.
Comments