Latest news with #LMGT3
Observer
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Observer
Electrical fault halts Al Harthy in ‘Le Mans 24hrs'
Faultless driving, top strategy and a very quick BMW M4 LMGT3 were not enough to deliver what looked likely to be a bid for a dream victory at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans for Ahmad al Harthy and Team WRT — electrical problems in the early hours of Sunday, 15th June, forcing retirement. Oman's Al Harthy and team-mates Valentino Rossi and Kelvin van der Linde had delivered an incredible performance throughout the first half of the twice-round-the-clock encounter at the eight-plus mile Circuit de la Sarthe in France, with LMGT3 silverware well within their grasp. Sadly, though, and for the second year in succession, the 24 Hours of Le Mans ended in misfortune for Al Harthy and Team WRT, having led the class or been inside the top two for the most part since lights-out at 16:00 local time on Saturday, 14th June. After qualifying an excellent third on the grid for the biggest race of the season, round four of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the team choose to begin the 24 Hours with van der Linde and he very quickly climbed into second in LMGT3 close behind the leader. Van der Linde remained in touch in the No.46 BMW M4 and after the initial pit-stops, the South African was back up to second. Oman's Al Harthy climbed behind the wheel for his first miles of the race in hour two and was within less than four seconds of the LMGT3 lead with one hour and 45 minutes elapsed. After another stop, Al Harthy moved up into the lead and he then began to build his advantage, driving faultlessly. Just over three hours into the race the Omani, who is supported by prestigious partners OQ Group, Sohar International, Omantel, Oman LNG, BMW Oman, Oman Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth (MoCSY), and Experience Oman, led by around 25 seconds. Half an hour later the lead was up to roughly 60 seconds, before handing over to Rossi for his first stint of the race. Holding second place initially, the Italian was every bit as competitive as his two team-mates and he soon moved the No.46 BMW back into first place in LMGT3. One quarter of the way through the race, 22.00 local time, van der Linde was back behind the wheel and held an advantage of 14 seconds at that stage. Just before 23.00, with 100 racing laps in the book, he remained at the front with a buffer of half-a-minute over the nearest rival. The entire race strategy from Team WRT was working like clockwork as midnight neared. Around three hours later, though, the squad's tremendous challenge for a dream victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans came to an end when the car ground to a halt — seemingly with no power. After being recovered back to the pits, it was discovered electrical problems were the cause. Moreover, the issue was irreparable at the track in the time available.
Muscat Daily
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Muscat Daily
Electrical issues halt Al Harthy and Team WRT's Le Mans 24HRS victory challenge
Le Mans, France – Faultless driving, top strategy and a very quick BMW M4 LMGT3 were not enough to deliver what looked likely to be a bid for a dream victory at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans for Ahmad Al Harthy and Team WRT – electrical problems in the early hours of Sunday, forcing retirement. Oman's Al Harthy and teammates Valentino Rossi and Kelvin van der Linde had delivered an incredible performance throughout the first half of the twice-round-the-clock encounter at the eight-plus-mile Circuit de la Sarthe in France, with LMGT3 silverware well within their grasp. Sadly, though, and for the second year in succession, the 24 Hours of Le Mans ended in misfortune for Al Harthy and Team WRT, having led the class or been inside the top two for the most part since lights-out at 16.00 local time on Saturday. 'Being in the first two positions for the majority of the nine to 10 hours we were racing definitely got us thinking of the possibility of an amazing result,' said Al Harthy. 'I think how we were able to push the entire time showed we would have been competitive at the end of the race. Unfortunately, though, an electrical issue forced us to retire the car. 'This is what we know about racing, especially at the highest level like Le Mans, and we accept it. Things like this make you appreciate the achievements when you get them. The entire team did an amazing job right throughout the week at Le Mans, across all sessions, and the performance we showed in qualifying was a real highlight personally. We showed in the race what we're capable of, so now we look to bounce back in Brazil. Thank you to everyone for the amazing support.' After qualifying an excellent third on the grid for the biggest race of the season, round four of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the team chose to begin the 24 Hours with van der Linde, and he very quickly climbed into second in LMGT3 close behind the leader. Van der Linde remained in touch in the No. 46 BMW M4, and after the initial pit stops, the South African was back up to second. Oman's Al Harthy climbed behind the wheel for his first miles of the race in hour two and was within less than four seconds of the LMGT3 lead with one hour and 45 minutes elapsed. After another stop, Al Harthy moved up into the lead and he then began to build his advantage, driving faultlessly. Just over three hours into the race the Omani, who is supported by prestigious partners OQ Group, Sohar International, Omantel, Oman LNG, BMW Oman, Oman Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and Experience Oman, led by around 25 seconds. Half an hour later, the lead was up to roughly 60 seconds, before handing over to Rossi for his first stint of the race. Holding second place initially, the Italian was every bit as competitive as his two teammates and he soon moved the No.46 BMW back into first place in LMGT3. One quarter of the way through the race, 22.00 local time, van der Linde was back behind the wheel and held an advantage of 14 seconds at that stage. Just before 23.00, with 100 racing laps in the book, he remained at the front with a buffer of half-a-minute over the nearest rival. The entire race strategy from Team WRT was working like clockwork as midnight neared. Around three hours later, though, the squad's tremendous challenge for a dream victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans came to an end when the car ground to a halt, seemingly with no power. After being recovered back to the pits, it was discovered that electrical problems were the cause. Moreover, the issue was irreparable at the track in the time available.
Belfast Telegraph
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Charlie Eastwood toasts ‘faultless' effort after podium finish at 24 Hours of Le Mans
The Gold-rated driver laid the foundations for third place at the twice-around-the-clock meeting as he completed half of the event distance in the No.81 Z06 GT3.R. Starting from sixth place on a packed grid, Eastwood, Tom Van Rompuy and Rui Andrade kept in touch with the LMGT3 pack before breaking into the top three when darkness fell. The charge continued as Eastwood lapped Circuit de la Sarthe and he became the new class leader around 5am French time, and despite the Corvette lacking straight-line speed, its pace through corners and ability to preserve its tyres better paid dividends. Despite surrendering top spot and finishing 71 seconds behind the victorious LMGT3 Manthey Racing Porsche 911 of Ryan Hardwick, Richard Lietz and Riccardo Pera and 38.451 seconds in arrears of the AF Course Ferrari shared by Simon Mann, Francois Heriau and Alessio Rovera, Eastwood said he had no complaints with coming home in third. 'I am delighted with the podium,' said Eastwood, who now has three Le Mans 24 Hour podiums to his name. 'It was a tricky week all week for us as we struggled for straight-line speed which, at a track like Le Mans, tends to come in pretty handy, but it was probably one of the most faultless 24-hour races I have been a part of. 'There were no mistakes from the drivers' side, every pit-stop was perfect and there was not a single touch of damage on the car for the entire race, and those were the things that put us into contention for a podium place. 'It is my first podium in a Corvette – and what a place to have it. Hopefully, it is the first of many at Le Mans – and hopefully I will get even more chances to step even higher on it in future – but right now, I am absolutely busted.' He added: 'Again, like most previous years, I ended up doing just under half of the race whereas the other two guys completed six hours each as their minimum driver time. 'So, I am pretty tired but extremely satisfied with our performance and the team's as a whole.' Meanwhile, a retrospective time penalty by stewards at Rali de Castelo Branco cost Kris Meeke a fourth victory from five starts in the 2025 Portuguese Rally Championship. The Dungannon man thought he had taken top spot – and maximum points – from Dani Sordo by 14.5 seconds only to be punished after he was found to be in breach of the rules. The College of Sports Commissioners said he failed to adhere to the road book as per the International Sporting Code, saying the integrity of the course must always be respected. 'It is very tough to lose a rally like this,' said Meeke, who finished runner-up. 'However, I am very happy with the performance. 'The fight with Dani was excellent, he is one of the best drivers in the world on asphalt, so I really had to give it my all to stay ahead of him.'
ILoveQatar.net
5 days ago
- Automotive
- ILoveQatar.net
World Endurance Championship Prologue & Season Opener 2026
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) announced the 2026 World Endurance Championship (WEC) calendar in Le Mans on 13 June, confirming Qatar's continued role in launching the new season with both the Prologue testing sessions and the opening championship round 22 - 28 March 2025 making it one of the 8 circuits around to world to host WEC in 2026. For the third time, Lusail International Circuit (LIC) will welcome the premier endurance racing series. The Prologue sessions, scheduled from 22 - 23 March 2026, will allow teams and drivers to fine-tune their Hypercars and LMGT3 machines ahead of the competitive season. The official championship action will commence shortly afterwards with the Qatar 1812 KM race being held from 26-28 March 2026. Named in honour of Qatar's National Day, this endurance contest will once again test competitors as they race from daylight into darkness, a maximum of ten hours across the 5.38km, 16-turn circuit. More details to be announced. Source: Lusail International Circuit Note: The details mentioned in this event listing are sourced from the organizers' official announcements and are subject to change. Please check with the organizer directly before making plans.
The Citizen
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Citizen
All systems go: What to expect from 2025's 24 Hours of Le Mans
The world's oldest and prestigious endurance race promises to be another suspense-filled one come 16h00 on Saturday. The 93rd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans kicks-off this weekend with Ferrari defending back-to-back victories. Photo by Gregory Lenormand / DPPI via AFP. In one of its biggest highlights for years, the 93rd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans this weekend sees the return of not only Aston Martin to the premier Hypercar class, but and expanded field of LM GT3 cars in the category's second running since replacing LM GT last year. Packed grid The fourth round of this year's World Endurance Championship, which carries double points to the overall series, the event will once more be contested by entries competing in WEC, as well as the North American IMSA series, the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) and for the first time, the Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS). ALSO READ: Ferrari takes second straight win in dramatic 24 Hours of Le Mans Also competing for the first time is a single entry from the GT World Challenge and a further entrant without any affiliation to the mentioned series'. Hypercar In the Hypercar class, a field of 21 cars will be contesting, lad by reigning champions Ferrari with three 499Ps, Toyota with two GR010s, Porsche with four 963s and Cadillac with four Rs. Besides the two new factory supported Aston Martin Valkyries, Alpine returns with two new works A424's, as does BMW with the M Hybrid V8. Rounding the list of manufactures off, is Peugeot with the latest version of the 9X0. Missing is Lamborghini after the abrupt cancellation of the SC63 project after two rounds of the IMSA series. LMP2 In the second-tier LMP2 class, 17 entries will campaign the venerable Oreca 07 Gibson in its swansong before the arrival of a new class in 2026. LM GT3 The biggest entry at La Sarthe is, however, the 24-car LM GT3 class won last year by the Porsche supported Manthey Racing team. Out of the entries, Stuttgart will have three 911 GT3 R's competing against a pair of Aston Martin Vantages, three Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3 Rs, two Ford Mustang GT3s, a similar number of BMW M4 GT3s, and three Ferrari 296 GT3. Returning are the pair of Akkodis ASP Team Lexus RC F GT3s and the United Autosports pair of McLaren 720s GT3. For the first time since the infamous 1999 event, Mercedes-AMG makes a comeback, albeit with the private Iron Lynx team in three AMG GT3 Evos. Along with the SC63, no Lamborghinis will be competing in LM GT3. South African interest Set to start at 16h00, with tennis great Roger Federer being the official flag marshal entrusted with dropping the French tricolour, South African interest will be provided by brothers Kelvin and Sheldon van der Linde. While the younger Sheldon makes his second start in the Hypercar class sharing the #20 BMW, as last year, with Dutchman Robin Frijns and Germany's Rene Rast, Kelvin remains in the LM GT3 class, but now with BMW following Audi's withdrawal from GT racing at the end of last year. Contracted by Audi at the time, the older van der Linde swaps the Akkodis Lexus he raced at Le Mans last year for the official #46 WRT BMW M4 GT3 in which he will share driving duties with Oman's Ahmad Al Harthy and MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi. Where? As in previous years, the event will be streamed live on the World Endurance Championships' YouTube page, and shown in South Africa on a dedicated SuperSport channel from beginning to end at 16h00 on Sunday. In addition, Le Mans organisers, the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, have provided a detailed spotters guide of each entry which can be downloaded here. NOW READ: Ferrari returns to top spot at Le Mans after over five decades
