“Huge Step Forward” for WRT in Second Year With BMW M4 GT3

Photo: Gruppe C Photography/SRO

Sheldon van der Linde and Dries Vanthoor believe that Team WRT has made a “huge step forward” with the BMW M4 GT3 at Bathurst compared to the car’s Australian debut one year ago.

Van der Linde, Vanthoor and Charles Weerts, who teamed for a fourth place finish in last year’s Intercontinental GT Challenge season opener, are back as a trio aboard the Shell Helix-liveried No. 32 BMW.

It comes after a season racing together in Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup, as well as winning the Kyalami 9 Hour IGTC round as a trio in 2023.

“The lineup is unchanged so that’s obviously nice,” van der Linde said. “I get along really well with Dries and Charles. We’ve already known each other for a long time.

“It’s only our second year racing together. So we definitely know each other’s strengths and weaknesses over the last year, which I think is a big advantage for us.

“We had a lot of potential last year but a lot of bad luck going on.

“In Spa we had a very good car and didn’t finish unfortunately. There were a few occasions where I feel like we could have at least been on the podium, which we didn’t bring home due to various reasons.

“But I think we’ve got a good package for this year. WRT know the car for one year now, so it’s a huge step forward, not only because it was a new car but it was also new for WRT [last year].”

Vanthoor echoed van der Linde’s comments, stating he feels they’re “much more prepared” to fight for a win at Mount Panorama this time around.

“Last year, of course, was our first year together with BMW in all the racing series we were participating in,” he said.

“To come back now after a year of getting to know everything, making sure things are getting better and are improving, I think we do come with a much better package.

“It’s a difficult race. A lot can happen in this race. We just have to stay out of trouble and keep it clean.

“In regards of how we’re looking into it, I think we are very motivated and are looking for a very good result.

“Going into this year, we’re all a bit extra motivated, hoping the work we did pays off.

“It looks like it’s going well. It’s still a long way to go but I think we do have a better package this year than last year.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John