Weather-Plagued Indianapolis 8 Hour Features Historic Win for Team WRT
The sixth edition of the Indianapolis 8 Hour Presented by AWS concluded under challenging weather conditions, with lightning storms and heavy rain reducing the final four hours of the race to a mere three minutes of green flag action. Despite the adverse elements, the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO, driven by Kelvin van der Linde, Valentino Rossi, and a third driver, secured victory and marked a significant moment in motorsports history.
Kelvin van der Linde clinched the International GT Challenge (IGTC) Drivers’ Championship, completing a historic treble in SRO competition. He not only took the IGTC title but also won the GT World Challenge Europe Overall Championship and the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup this season, a feat rare in the series’ history. Van der Linde’s four victories this season—at Bathurst, Nürburgring, Suzuka, and Indianapolis—set a new single-season record for an individual driver in the IGTC.
The race took a dramatic turn following a two-and-a-half-hour red flag period. At the restart, the #777 Mercedes-AMG, driven by Raffaele Marciello, held the lead and posed a threat to van der Linde’s championship lead. However, strategic timing during pit stops proved crucial; van der Linde’s team executed a perfect pit strategy, regaining the lead as competitors delayed their stops. Unfortunately, subsequent mechanical issues for the #80 Lone Star Racing Mercedes-AMG led to further yellow flags, halting any chance of a competitive finish.
Reflecting on the race, van der Linde expressed mixed feelings: “Honestly, it feels a bit like an anti-climax… the #777 really deserved the win today.” He acknowledged, however, the pride he felt in Team WRT’s collective success.
Team Principal Vincent Vosse admitted a strategic miscalculation regarding the #777’s pit timing but remained proud of the team’s achievements. “I feel very sorry for Lello [Marciello], but that’s racing. Still, I’m very happy that we were able to bring this trophy home to BMW,” Vosse stated.
Valentino Rossi’s involvement in the win also marked a significant milestone for his four-wheeled racing career. With this victory, he became the first athlete in the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to win a feature race on both two and four wheels, having previously triumphed in the inaugural MotoGP Indianapolis Grand Prix in 2008, also under wet conditions.
Rossi reflected on the experience: “In the end, we were a little bit lucky, but that’s racing. Winning here is special… I’m very happy to have helped Kelvin win the championship.”
This race conclusively showcased the resilience of both drivers and teams in a season marked by unpredictable challenges, solidifying their legacies in motorsport history.
