WRT BMWs Out Front With Three Hours Complete

Photo: SRO

BMW M Team WRT has remained in control of the Kyalami 9 Hour as the race reached the one-third distance mark.

Dries Vanthoor in the No. 32 BMW M4 GT3 was out front after three hours, with the Belgian driver holding a 1.743-second lead over the sister No. 33 BMW of Maxime Martin in second.

WRT has continued to run in virtual formation since the end of the opening hour, while the third-placed No. 999 GruppeM Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Raffaele Marciello a further four seconds behind.

Marciello’s co-driver Mikael Grenier held off a hard-charging pair of Tressor Attempto Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo IIs in the second hour before handing off to the Swiss-licensed Italian.

Patric Niederhauser ran fourth in the No. 66 Attempto Audi, which is on a different strategy to the No. 99 car that had Alex Aka behind the wheel after three hours.

SunEnergy1 by SPS retook the Pro-Am class lead after a puncture for the No. 4 Grove Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R of Stephen Grove, which put Yannick Mettler out front.

Jules Gounon then climbed aboard the No. 75 Mercedes, which held a one-lap class lead over the sister No. 20 SPS Automotive Performance Mercedes of Luca Stolz.

Grove’s entry, in the hands of Earl Bamber, has dropped to third in class.

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