Roos: WRT’s First IMSA GTP Win Was “Always on the Plate”

Photo: Sam Cobb/BMW

Team WRT’s first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship victory was a testament to the work put in by the Belgian squad in a short period of time according to BMW M Motorsport director Andreas Roos, who never second-questioned the team’s ability.

Sheldon van der Linde and Dries Vanthoor came out on top in last month’s Battle on the Bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, roughly one year after the Vincent Vosse-led WRT squad was given the green light to take over the German manufacturer’s factory GTP operation and build up a new dedicated team.

While having started its U.S. campaign with a podium finish in the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona, Team WRT’s foray into WeatherTech Championship competition had its ups and downs, but Roos stressed he never gave up faith.

“I have to say from the beginning when we started the program with WRT, when we made the switch from RLL to WRT, the decision was taken quite late because because of internal decisions at BMW,” Roos told Sportscar365.

“We put a lot of pressure on WRT to build everything up in a short period.

“But when you saw already from the beginning at Daytona, at the 24-hour race, on which level they were able to operate in a short period of time, and also ending the first race directly on the podium in one of the toughest endurance races in sports car racing, was already a huge achievement.

“I think during the season we had some ups and downs where we were close but maybe not everything worked together and maybe we were a bit unlucky in one or the other things.

“The first victory was always somewhere on the plate but we didn’t really grab it.

“In the end, I’m super happy that in Indianapolis, everything came together. It was a well-deserved P1 and victory for WRT and BMW in the GTP program this year.”

Roos said there was “no question” on whether WRT would break through for its first IMSA win, but rather a case of when.

“To be honest, we would not have taken the decision if we did not believe in it,” he said. “We saw clearly the benefits in it with having one team operating both championships.”

He said the team’s expansion to operating both works LMDh programs with the BMW M Hybrid V8 has already paid dividends, including in it more competitive form in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

“We have a lot of synergies, we have a lot of exchange,” said Roos. “Some people which are in the key roles in both championships.

“You really improve and help to really accelerate the whole thing, not only the development, but also how you run the cars.

“At the end, you generate in one group, all the data, all the information. This really helps us.

“We did this step already with Dries and Sheldon in 2025 with the drivers where we saw already it was a good step.

“Then it was clear for us to do the next step on the team side.

“To be honest, I’m super happy in the end how the 2026 season went. For sure it could always be better; you want to win every race.

“But we also have to humble enough and know how tough the competition is.

“Having already this first season like this under the difficult situation where we started the program within a short period of time, I think we’ve reached already a very good level.

“I’m really looking forward now to this weekend. I’m hoping we can keep the momentum and Petit [Le Mans] is always a great race.

“I’m looking forward to fight here also for the top step.”

Vosse: “Expectations Were High” to Deliver in IMSA GTP

Reflecting on the milestone win, Vosse said the “expectations were high” for the team, which was assembled in the matter of a few months during the off-season, to perform, although he didn’t feel any extra pressure to score a win in WRT’s first WeatherTech Championship season.

“We wanted to have a win,” he told Sportscar365. “We could have survived without; there was nothing bad. The expectations were high and we wanted that win to come.

“It’s just good for the team, good for the people and good for the motivation of everyone.

“I’m mainly thinking about the people who put all of this together since last September. It is an achievement.”

Vosse admitted the Belgian team had “bigger than expected” challenges in building up a dedicated crew, based in North Carolina, essentially from the ground up.

“You had many many hurdles but little issues that you did not see coming,” he explained. “Of course [securing] all the visas, the material, the location, all of this… We were [committed] to doing it but we still had to make everything happen.

“We were in Daytona well prepared and now we keep on working, of course. There’s still a lot of things to improve.

“But we are in a good way.”

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