Charles Weerts and Porsche 2024 IGCT Champions

SRO

Oct 6

The Indianapolis 8 Hour, finale for both the Intercontinental GT Challenge and the Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS, crowned Charles Weerts as Driver Champion and Porsche as GT3 manufacturer Champion.

Charles Weerts Driver champion.

Second of the IGTC Driver Challenge with 43 points ahead of the race behind Laurens Vanthoor and Ayhancan Güven (both 50 points), Charles Weerts clinched victory and title at Indianapolis after a thrilling end of race.

📷 © courtesy of BMW Group at Indianapolis. Charles Weerts won the title with brio his #31 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 together with Dries Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde as they were declared winners of the Indianapolis 8 Hour.

Together with Sheldon van der Linde and Dries Vanthoor in Team WRT #31 BMW M4 GT3, they lead the first half of the race until a safety car wiped out a 37-second advantage for the #31 trio, altering the course of the race for Team WRT BMW’s running 1-2.

A loose diffuser did cost the #33 Team WRT BMW multiple laps dropping Harper and Hesse out of contention for the IGTC drivers’ title. A steering issue with the #32 GMG Racing Porsche, failing to finish, brought an end to IGTC drivers’ title hopes for Güven. Weerts had still to end the race with at least 8 points to clinch the title.

Charles Weerts, Dries Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde in Team WRT #31 BMW M4 GT3 — 📷 © courtesy of BMW Group at Indianapolis. Charles Weerts, Dries Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde in **Team WRT** #31 BMW M4 GT3.

At the end Weerts won the title with brio in his #31 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 together with Dries Vanthoor and Sheldon van der Linde as they were declared winners after a thrilling end of race for 0.260s on corrected time. Indeed, Weerts-Vanthoor-van der Linde crossed checkered flag second, 4.740 seconds behind Laurin Heinrich, Adam Adelson and Elliott Skeer driving Wright Motorsports’ Porsche 911 GT3 R who were given a five-second post-race time penalty for not maintaining the speed in the fast lane of the pit lane. The 320 laps race ended with a sprint between Vanthoor (#31 BMW) and Heinrich (#120 Porsche) over the final 30 minutes with Dries Vanthoor successfully bringing the gap down to less than the 5” penalty haded to #120 Porsche, thereby declared winner of the 8 hours race together with Weerts and van der Linde.

With this, Team WRT defended its triumph from the previous year: in 2023, van der Linde and Vanthoor, together with Philipp Eng, had won in Indianapolis. With the victory, Weerts secured the title in the IGTC drivers' championship. Previously, he had already stood on the podium as third at the 24h Nürburgring and the 24h Spa-Francorchamps.

📷 © courtesy of IGTC at Indianapolis. Charles Weerts (middle) celebrating his title with Vanthoor (left) and van der Linde (right)

Charles Weerts (Team WRT, #31 BMW M4 GT3, Driver’s Champion): “I am super happy to win the championship. And to so with the victory here is incredible. The Porsche is really fast but we did a faultless race. And I am very proud to win the championship for myself, but also for BMW M Motorsport. Such a success is thanks to an amazing job by the teams and to my different teammates, who supported me to that title. A huge thank you to everyone involved. And thank you to BMW M Motorsport for providing us with an amazing car and an amazing team. I am very happy for that.” Source: BMW Group

📷 © courtesy of IGTC at Indianapolis. Dan Harper, Max Hesse and Augusto Farfus charged from 23rd to second over the first four hours in #33 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3.

The #33 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 started from the back of the grid following the post-qualifying engine change. Dan Harper and Augusto Farfus charged from 23rd to second over the first four hours. Dan Harper and Max Hesse were then as firmly in drivers’ title contention as they would leapfrog Weerts in the standings should they overtake the sister car. But a broken diffuser dropped the car out of contention.

Max Hesse (Team WRT, #33 BMW M4 GT3, DNF): "We were unlucky that our car arrived late because the container was affected by a strike. So we started the weekend on the back foot. But we fought our way through well. After our solid qualifying, we changed the engine and had to start from the very back. However, we had a very good pace, were in the top three after two hours, and fought for second place the entire time. Unfortunately, with two hours remaining, we had a technical defect and therefore couldn't support BMW M Motorsport in winning the manufacturer's title. That hurts a lot, especially for the team, who worked night shifts to get the car ready. They did a great job. Thanks to the team." Source: BMW Group

Porsche wins IGTC GT3 Manufacturer challenge.

Ahead of the race, Porsche was leading the IGTC GT3 Manufacturer Challenge with 99 points; BMW M Motorsport was in contention for the IGTC GT3 Manufacturers Challenge with 83 points.

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SRO_IND_2024_16566_FL-Enhanced-NR #120 5.jpg

📷 © courtesy of IGTC at Indianapolis. With safety cars erasing the 37-second advantage for the #31 BWM trio and a broken diffuser for sister car #33, the #120 Wright Motorsport Porsche of Adam Adelson, Elliott Skeer and Laurin Heinrich took the lead of the race after a brilliantly-timed pit stop before a Safety Car with three hours left. Ending second due to a 5 seconds penalty, Adelson and Skeer nevertheless clinched the GT World Challenge America Pro Drivers’ Championship for the first time and helped Porsche clinch the IGTC GT3 Manufacturers’ Challenge for the first time since 2020.