Munich. At the spectacular season finale of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, BMW M works drivers and BMW M Motorsport teams will race the BMW M4 GT3 in pursuit of titles. The final 6-hour race, held under floodlights, will see Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts (both BEL), along with BMW M Team WRT, competing for victories in the overall standings of the GT World Challenge Europe, encompassing both the Sprint and Endurance Cups. Decisions in the Endurance Cup also remain open, with BMW M factory drivers, BMW M Team WRT, and ROWE Racing vying for the titles.
Vanthoor and Weerts enter Jeddah as leaders in the GT World Challenge Europe driver standings. BMW M Team WRT also leads the team standings ahead of the finale. Vanthoor and Weerts will once again share the #32 BMW M4 GT3 cockpit with Sheldon van der Linde (RSA) for the ultra-fast street circuit endurance race. The trio is also still in contention for the Endurance Cup driver title. In the team’s second Pro car, the #46 BMW M4 GT3, drivers Raffaele Marciello (SUI), Maxime Martin (BEL), and Valentino Rossi (ITA) will take turns behind the wheel.
In the Endurance Cup team standings, Team WRT currently holds fourth place, closely followed by ROWE Racing in fifth. Both teams still have a shot at the title in the final 6-hour race. ROWE Racing will field the #998 BMW M4 GT3 in a livery representing BMW M Motorsport partner MultiBank Group, driven by Augusto Farfus (BRA), Max Hesse (GER), and Dan Harper (GBR).
The Bronze Cup also features several undecided titles in the overall GT World Challenge Europe standings and the Endurance Cup. Competing for honours are Century Motorsport and Team WRT. Century Motorsport will field the Paradine Competition #991 BMW M4 GT3 with drivers Darren Leung, Jake Dennis, and Toby Sowery (all GBR). Team WRT’s OQ by Oman Racing #30 BMW M4 GT3 will feature Jens Klingmann (GER), Ahmad Al Harthy (OMA), and Sam De Haan (GBR).
Jeddah is hosting a GT3 event for the first time, making the circuit unfamiliar territory for all teams and drivers. The race, held on the tight street circuit by the Red Sea, will mostly take place under floodlights. The race begins on Saturday, 30th November, at 17:00 local time (15:00CET), with the checkered flag dropping six hours later.
The GT4 European Series will also hold its season finale in Jeddah, with promising prospects for BMW M Motorsport teams competing with the BMW M4 GT4. The event will also determine the winner of the newly introduced worldwide GT4 Manufacturer ranking, which aggregates results from various GT4 racing series globally. BMW leads the ranking heading into the finale.
Quotes ahead of the Jeddah season finale:
Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “Jeddah marks the end of a long, challenging, and exciting 2024 motorsport season for us. The finale promises to be thrilling, with many decisions still open in the GT World Challenge Europe, most notably the fight for the overall driver and team titles. We lead these standings with Dries Vanthoor, Charles Weerts, and BMW M Team WRT, and we’ll do everything we can to maintain the top position after the finale. In addition, there are numerous other classifications where our drivers and teams are still chasing titles. Jeddah provides a spectacular stage for the finale. The track is new to everyone, and success on this tight street circuit will depend on a strong qualifying and flawless race strategy. The GT4 European Series finale will also be exciting as we compete for the inaugural GT4 Manufacturer ranking title. BMW M Motorsport teams worldwide have contributed to our lead in this new competition with their achievements this season. It would be fantastic to celebrate this title together with our customer racing teams.”
Charles Weerts (#32 BMW M4 GT3, BMW M Team WRT, leader overall driver standings): “Jeddah marks the final endurance race of the GT World Challenge Europe season and we will try to finish on a high after our podium at Monza. Our aim is of course to win the overall championship, and we can also still claim the Endurance Cup but this will be a tough task. It will be the first time that GT cars race in Jeddah. It looks like it is going the be a very tricky track, a very fast street circuit. In theory it should suit our BMW M4 GT3 so let’s see how it goes. We will try our very best.”
Dries Vanthoor (#32 BMW M4 GT3, BMW M Team WRT, leader overall driver standings): “I am very excited for Jeddah. We still have something in the championship to play for. We will definitely try our best. It’s the first time for everyone to drive on that street track and I think it will be very cool so we are very much looking forward to that. I also think that our BMW M4 GT3 would be quite strong there. It will be a challenge for everyone because nobody has been there yet but we like challenges and I think it’s one of our strengths at BMW M Team WRT to do adapt to new things quickly. It will also be the last race of the year for me so for sure we would like to end 2024 on a high.”