Hugely competitive first FIA WEC Podium of 2025 for Al Harthy, Rossi And Van Der Linde at Imola
Starting the 6 Hours of Imola from a fantastic LMGT3 pole position, after a superb performance in qualifying and Hyperpole, the Team WRT squad rightly focused on challenging for the win and during an excellent double-stint from Al Harthy at the beginning the aim remained firmly on target.
Rossi was every bit as competitive during the middle phase of the race, but an unfortunate penalty linked to contact with a Ferrari with just over a couple of hours to go impacted their bid. With a huge amount to do from the tail of the top 10, van der Linde was electrifying during the closing stages and stormed back up into second place thanks to some inspired strategy calls as well from the team.
Thrilled to line-up on pole at the start of round two of the FIA WEC season, OQ Group, Sohar International, Omantel, Oman LNG, BMW Oman, Oman Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and Experience Oman partnered racer Al Harthy launched well to keep the pack behind at bay.
The gap at the front ebbed and flowed during the early laps, as the Team WRT car and the chasing No.21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 pulled clear of the next group. With 30 minutes complete the Omani's advantage stood at just over two seconds and although this was reduced later in the opening hour, the Ferrari managing to get ahead, Al Harthy's first pit-stop went as well as it could.
When the order shook-out the No.46 BMW was leading again and by an increased margin of six seconds, but after a Safety Car period in hour two the Ferrari again filled Al Harthy's mirrors. Stops were soon required once more and the majority of the field visited pitlane, while the Omani stayed on track before then pitting late in hour two from the lead.
Rossi climbed behind the wheel at the driver change and when the order settled he was third in LMGT3. After a Full Course Yellow period the Italian focused on pressuring the sister Team WRT BMW M4 and he duly passed to move into second place. Reducing the gap to the leading No.87 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus, when it pitted Rossi moved through with just over three hours to run.
In hour four, the bid for victory seemed all-but gone when a tangle between Rossi and the No.21 Ferrari at Rivazza ultimately led to a stop-go penalty for the No.46 BMW. South Africa's van der Linde had an unenviable task to try and battle back from the bottom end of the top 10 during his double stint at the end, but he and the team strategists rose to the challenge superbly.
Showing immense commitment, van der Linde scythed his way through back into the podium placings and after moving to second he piled pressure on the ultimately victorious No.92 Manthey 1ST Phorm Porsche 911 GT3 R during the closing stages. Swarming all over the Porsche, only 0.3 seconds was the difference at the chequered flag.
Ahmad Al Harthy:
'What a race! My stint was amazing, we were doing a lot to make sure we were in the right position for the final few hours of the race. Leading Imola for such a long time was tough and challenging, so I was really pleased to give Vale the car in P1. Due to what happened on the track things started moving around, it was definitely one of the most emotional races for all of us.
'At one point we were leading, at another point we're P10, and then to finish on the podium in P2 was an amazing result after an unbelievable recovery. That goes down to all of the drivers and the team for working incredible strategy calls at the right time. I'm really so glad to be on the podium, Imola has always been so good to me. Now we work for the next round at Spa.
'I want to say a huge thank you to all of my partners, all the people who believe in this project. This is what it's all about, we are on the podium steps of the FIA World Endurance Championship! It's sometimes hard for that to sink in and to realise what we've achieved.'
There are only three weeks to wait until the third round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, which will take place on Saturday, 10th May, at the world-famous Belgian circuit.
6 Hours of Imola LMGT3 Race Result:
1st Richard Lietz / Ryan Hardwick / Riccardo Pera
(Manthey 1ST Phorm / Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3)
2nd Ahmad Al Harthy / Valentino Rossi / Kelvin van der Linde
(Team WRT / BMW M4 LMGT3)
3rd Esteban Masson / Arnold Robin / Finn Gehrsitz
(Akkodis ASP Team / Lexus RC F LMGT3)
4th Jose Maria Lopez / Clemens Schmid / Petru Umbrarescu
(Akkodis ASP Team / Lexus RC F LMGT3)
5th Davide Rigon / Thomas Flohr / Francesco Castellacci
(Vista AF Corse / Ferrari 296 LMGT3)
6th Charlie Eastwood / Rui Andrade / Tom Van Rompuy
(TF Sport / Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R)
2025 FIA WEC LMGT3 Driver Standings (after Rd2):
1st Ben Keating / Daniel Juncadella / Jonny Edgar, 44pts
2nd Arnold Robin / Finn Gehrsitz, 33pts
3rd Gregoire Saucy / James Cottingham / Sebastien Baud, 27pts
6th Ahmad Al Harthy / Valentino Rossi / Kelvin van der Linde, 19pts
2025 FIA WEC LMGT3 Team Standings (after Rd2):
1st TF Sport (Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R), 44pts
2nd Akkodis ASP Team (Lexus RC F LMGT3), 33pts
3rd United Autosports (McLaren 720 S LMGT3 EVO), 27pts
6th Team WRT (BMW M4 LMGT3), 19pts
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