Misano Result Undecided Amid Winward DSQ Appeal

The final result of the second GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Sprint Cup race at Misano last month is still yet to be determined amid questions over the legality of the Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG that finished third on the road.

The No. 48 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo of Maro Engel and Lucas Auer had seemingly repeated its podium result from the earlier contest on the July 18-19 weekend but post-race checks found potential illegalities concerning the car’s wheel bearing.

A hearing into the matter was finally heard on Friday and stewards decided to disqualify the car on the basis that the sealing lips of the bearing were cut on both sides.

Winward argued that the Misano Balance of Performance document made no specific mention of the bearings, unlike at the previous Brands Hatch round.

Despite the hearing twice being paused for further clarification to be sought, officials ultimately rejected this defense as the team was unable to prove it had contacted the manufacturer to establish the legality of the bearing, as was suggested in the regulations.

However, Winward Racing appealed the stewards’ decision on Saturday morning and officials have ruled this means the disqualification has been suspended until the appeal hearing takes place.

This will be held in the RACB National Court of Appeal with the date yet to be confirmed.

Should the No. 48 machine be disqualified from the Misano result, it would promote the No. 46 WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO of Valentino Rossi and Max Hesse to the podium, Auer having passed this car in the final laps.

If Engel and Auer lose the Misano third place, it would also cut their overall lead in the GTWC Europe standings to 21 points over the No. 80 Lionspeed GP Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo of Ricardo Feller and Bastian Buus.