WRT to Field Two-Car BMW Pro Entry in Suzuka 1000km

BMW has confirmed that Team WRT will field a pair of Pro cars in the Suzuka 1000km as the Munich manufacturer seeks to defend its lead in the Intercontinental GT Challenge manufacturers’ standings.

The pair of WRT-entered BMW M4 GT3 EVOs were not featured when the initial entry list for the Suzuka event came out last month, but their inclusion brings the total number of BMWs in the race to three.

In addition to the two WRT cars, Taiwanese squad Team KRC will field a single car, spearheaded by BMW factory driver Neil Verhagen.

WRT’s driver lineup for its two-car effort, meanwhile, will consist entirely of factory drivers.

Augusto Farfus, who leads the drivers’ standings, will share the No. 31 BMW with Dan Harper and Max Hesse. The three drivers last shared a car during the Rolex 24 at Daytona earlier this year.

The sister No. 32 BMW will be piloted by Kelvin van der Linde, Raffaele Marciello and reigning IGTC drivers’ champion Charles Weerts.

Both Van der Linde and Marciello are former winners of the Suzuka 10 Hours, with the former triumphing as part of WRT’s Audi lineup during the most recent Japanese IGTC round in 2019.

Marciello came out on top the year before, sharing a GruppeM Racing-entered Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Tristan Vautier and Maro Engel.

BMW currently leads the IGTC manufacturers’ standings with a margin of 14 points over reigning champions Porsche.