WRT Unveils One-Off Liveries for 24H Spa

Team WRT has unveiled a pair of one-off liveries for its Pro entries in this weekend’s CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.

Both the No. 32 and No. 46 BMW M4 GT3s have been fitted with asymmetrical designs dominated by BMW’s traditional racing colours of white, red and blue.

The designs pay tribute to BMW’s run of success at the Ardennes endurance classic in the 1980s and 1990s, when the brand won the race 13 times.

Inspiration appears to have come from the BMW 635 CSi that Thierry Tassin, WRT’s current sporting director for its FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar program, drove to victory in 1986.

WRT secured two previous victories at the event in 2011 and 2014, but has gone winless since. BMW, meanwhile, is the most successful brand in race history with 25 wins and won last year with ROWE Racing.

The No. 46 crew, consisting of Maxime Martin, Valentino Rossi and Raffaele Marciello, currently sits fourth in the drivers’ standings in Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup after the Paul Ricard season opener.

“I see Spa, together with Le Mans and the Nürburgring, [as] the top 24-hour race in the world and it is definitely the biggest GT3 race, also because of the amazing track,” Marciello said.

“Winning it two years ago, after having been close in previous years and having been a poleman, felt like a reward.

“What do you need to win it? Certainly, a good BoP, and then to stay out of trouble, which is difficult because of traffic, of having to pass slower drivers in similar cars.

“You have to stay calm, and also cope with the night and weather conditions that can change rapidly as we know.

“The objective is to stay in the lead lap until the last hour, and then you fight.”