Victory in BMW Debut “Dream Come True” for De Wilde

Ugo de Wilde hailed his victory upon debut as a BMW factory driver in Saturday’s GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup season opener at Paul Ricard as a “dream come true,” adding that it “removes a lot of weight from my shoulders.”

The Belgian, along with Charles Weerts and Kelvin van der Linde, beat Rutronik Racing to victory in the six-hour race at Le Castellet.

The win serves as a breakthrough result for De Wilde, who was named as the newest member of BMW’s factory driver in January after previous stints with Imperiale Racing and Sainteloc Racing, as well as an LMP2 Pro-Am podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2023.

Speaking after the race, De Wilde reflected on the unexpected nature of the result, also coming against a backdrop of Team WRT starting in the lower end of the top ten.

“I was not expecting that,” De Wilde told Sportscar365.

“We were expecting a top five if we had a clean race, but we thought we didn’t have the package this weekend at least to go for the win.

“But that’s why it’s important to never give up, to always keep working, because in the end we turned things around during the race and the team did an amazing job because we came from far in Free Practice.

“It was really difficult and I want to thank really my teammates which helped me a lot to build up during this weekend.

“They really had a cool approach for me. I know I was a bit the underdog of the car and they had a really great mindset and I think it also pushed me to work hard.

“I think did a good job in the race. It’s a dream come true.”

De Wilde himself played a significant role in the outcome of the contest, taking over the No. 32 BMW M4 GT3 EVO in second position after it had been brought into contention after a charging drive by Weerts.

He subsequently went on to reel in the No. 96 Rutronik Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R driven by Alessio Picariello, with his older compatriot having significantly more experience at the wheel of GT3 machinery.

This allowed De Wilde’s co-driver Van der Linde, who tackled the final double stint, to rejoin within striking distance of the Porsche, eventually completing the race-winning overtake on Patric Niederhauser with one hour and 45 minutes remaining.

“Honestly, I know Alessio very well because he’s Belgian too, and we had more or less the same path to get professional, so we came from a normal background and it’s really not easy,” said De Wilde.

“So to be there, first and second in the race, and that I was at the same pace or even catching him at the end, for sure it’s great that we shared the podium together. I’m even more happy that we win. But it was unexpected.

“I think that it’s really important to keep working and keep improving. Thanks to everyone, and thanks to BMW and the WRT for the trust.

“I think a lot of people were surprised when they saw me on the lineup and this win removes a lot of weight from my shoulders.

“Now it gives me a good boost to work even harder and keep improving for the rest of the season.”

Despite his early breakthrough result, De Wilde remained pragmatic about his progress, noting he “still has a lot to learn.”

“Of course it’s a good debut and it’s a win and I think I did a good job in the race but it doesn’t mean I cannot improve,” he said.

“I think everyone and even [the team] can still improve. Of course I have more margin for improvement.

“I still need to work on one lap performance with the new tires and then also I have a lot to learn still, but to have this win is a really huge motivation.

“As I said, it removes weight from my shoulders and now it motivates me even more to keep learning from them and try to go for even more wins together.”