Car #32 has indeed been the class of the field at WRT BMW for the M4 GT3 team. Augusto Farfus has been with BMW for many years, Philipp Eng, and Maxime Martin, a legend. His dad too, was a multiple Spa 24 Hour race winner with Ford Capri's driving in the touring car era with Gordon Spice. What legends! In 1982, Jacky Ickx and Jochen Mass won the Kyalami 9 Hours in a Porsche 956. The current Kyalami configuration could see a record. It was a different circuit, different pit rules, and Group C prototypes. We could see a record distance. No rain, and so far, no yellows whatsoever. Our regular Race Director Alain Adam is not here this weekend. He wouldn't have had a lot to do. Everyone has behaved themselves well.
Dennis Marschall in fourth spot in the #99 Audi. A clean run will see eight pit stops through nine hours. If you have to refuel, factor that into your drive time reset. Jules Gounon is fifth in the #75 Mercedes. #999 back in the garage. Put it to bed. Well, maybe not. They'll do a quick recon lap and maybe run it to the end. Mikael Grenier will bring it back out. Scrubbed tires being put onto the car which is a wise decision. Sticker tires when you are not in winning contention, is useless. Luca Stolz can drive one of these Mercedes cars and no disrespect to Reece Barr or to Miguel Ramos. #999 was in the pit box for an hour and 25 minutes. GruppeM did the same thing for the Gulf 12 Hours having to retire but not until after working their tails off on the car.
Arnold Neveling will bring the #86 Stradale Racing Mercedes home. Grenier on his first flying lap out of the garage. Did the team remedy the problem? Bring it in maybe for new boots and see if that works. Sticker tires. Patric Niederhauser and Dennis Marschall are a lap apart but racing each other between Barbeque and Sunset. BMW have not won an IGTC race since 2020 when Walkenhorst Racing. WRT have not won an IGTC race as a team in nearly four years, since 2019. That was at the Suzuka 10 Hours back in the Audi days.
In GT3 racing, it will be horses for courses. We won't really see one brand dominate across the board in sprint, endurance, or other championships that feature GT3 such as GT Masters, DTM, IMSA and so on. Mikael Grenier and company will just race to the finish. #999 will finish ninth and if they have a Spirit of the Race award in IGTC they'd get it. John Watson and Jochen Mass ran a BMW M1 here at Kyalami in 1979 run by former McLaren Formula 1 boss Ron Dennis. So, Sheldon van der Linde is being harried by Maxime Martin. 284 laps completed, 798 miles.
SRO boss Stephane Ratel says that Kyalami being the only international circuit in Africa, is very important and of course, the Kyalami 9 Hours is a historic event. GT World Challenge Europe both Sprint and Endurance are oversubscribed and the same is true in Asia and GT3 will become part of the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year. The Kyalami 9 Hours will continue indeed. It is always fun to watch races here at Kyalami and writing about it. This and Bathurst are the only other major tracks in the southern hemisphere. I mean, heck, we can't race in Antarctica! Sheesh!
Manufacturers build cars but teams run them. They bring in bucketloads of money but when they bail, it's toasted. In 1958, at Grand Central circuit was the first Kyalami 9 Hours and then it moved to Kyalami in 1961. The last 9-hour race on the original circuit was in 1982 and they ran 1,000-kilometer races in Group C in 1983, '84, and '85. We saw a bunch of support races BMW's and Volkswagen's and the V8 stock cars, and Formula Ford's. I might have to post the support races as a bonus. It is late summer, early autumn in the southern hemisphere right now and no one is freezing their tails off like in the northern hemisphere.
We haven't seen any more lightning. The final round of pit stops should be coming up. It is unlikely we see a safety car, but you just never can tell. van der Linde, Martin, Niederhauser, Marschall, the top four. Luca Stolz has done a personal best lap as well. 32 minutes to go. We started this race at 1PM and we have the remaining ten cars running in the race after the other three ran just the opening hour for a sprint series. Arnold Neveling spins the #86! In the gravel he is. Neveling up? Leveling up? He has to start the engine. We are going to go yellow! Unreal! Eight and a half hours of green flag!
Neveling spun off down the hill down through the Mine Shaft! A splash and dash for Luca Stolz. Local yellow only. Full Course Yellow! You're kidding! We have the snatch vehicle to drag the car out and it'll have a shedload of gravel under the darn thing too. Audi's do their final stops as does Earl Bamber in the Porsche. WRT in the lane for #32 and we are likely to go safety car! 95% of the race done and then we get a Full Course Yellow in the final half hour! Insane! WRT BMW using every possible advantage. Has the safety car been dispatched onto the circuit? That is what we need to find out.
If I were the Race Director, I would put the safety car out instead of having drivers ask me why I didn't do it. Better safe than sorry, chaps. Honestly. Less than 23 minutes to go. Arnold Neveling is back in the motor race now. Safety car in this lap. Martin is gaining and Patric Niederhauser is third, but he will have to dig deep. Will Niederhauser have a bucketload of talent in the locker? We'll have to find out. Cinch down those belts and hold on tight! This final 20 minutes will be a barnburner ladies and gents. Niederhauser must stick to Sheldon van der Linde and Maxime Martin like glue. Safety cars breed safety cars.
Green flag. Niederhauser punches it towards Crowthorne. Niederhauser on ratty old tires. The BMW's tires are fresher. In the BMW camp, it will be #32 vs. #33. Martin crawling all over van der Linde. WRT though might want to see them come home in flying formation. Neveling runs wide at Barbeque. He's stressed out. He's seen enough of this madness. van der Linde leads Martin. Luca Stolz chasing Earl Bamber for Pro-Am honors. #32 leads by 4/10ths of a second. Martin applying the pressure but is he close enough? I don't think he has the outright pace.
Luca Stolz has Alex Aka as the cork in the bottle. 297 laps completed with 15 minutes on the clock. Into Leeukop again. Vincent Vosse just gave a blank stare about the WRT battle. Everyone standing up and on edge. Vincent Vosse staring at the data. Bavarian Motorwerks dominating this motor race. You cannot relax though. You have to stand on it. van der Linde 7/10ths ahead of Martin. Sheldon van der Linde controlling his own destiny.
GruppeM have not fixed their problems. Game over. Sheldon van der Linde now leads the motor race and has cemented a possible victory. Three cars of the ten on the lead lap. Bamber driving away from Luca Stolz for second in Pro-Am. #4 have had punctures and penalties all day long but have recovered and on balance they ought to be satisfied with second place in Pro-Am. Ten minutes to go. Attempto Audi have been running well but it is probably too little too late for them through Leeukop again. Have we been overegging the pudding here? I am not sure.
I can't remember an endurance race like this with one safety car in a long time. Nine minutes to go. 300 laps completed. 843 miles. van der Linde eking out more of a lead. This is money time now. For all the marbles. WRT won in Dubai for the 24-Hour Series. I believe I covered that race in video form. Go check it out. Jules Gounon, Yannick Metler, and Kenny Habul, if they hold it together, are going to win the Pro-Am category. 302 laps now completed. Just over six minutes to go, down through the Mineshaft. SunEnergy1 should follow up their overall win at Bathurst with a class win at Kyalami.
Through Barbeque Bend again. Charles Weerts and Dries Vanthoor are happy and so is Charles' dad Yves Weerts, reserving his celebration for the time being. A couple, or three laps to go. Sheldon van der Linde and BMW should get their second win in three years at Kyalami. In 2020 they won with the M6 GT3. The 4-liter V8 turbo car. 304 laps completed. BMW have been ahead at the end of each hour of the race. 1.8 seconds between Sheldon van der Linde and Maxime Martin. Patric Niederhauser has found his second wind but I don't think it will be enough. He is not giving up, driving his tail off.
Maintain the pace and just go forward. Final minute and a half of the 2023 Joburg Kyalami 9 Hours. One more lap to run. Down through Mineshaft into the Crocodiles. One lap to go for Sheldon van der Linde and company. Patric Niederhauser eats another 9/10ths out of the gap but won't be close enough. Arnold Neveling still in trouble. He has to be extremely careful. An unenviable position. Jules Gounon and Kenny Habul will lead the points out of South Africa. Your winners, out of Leeukop for the last time, a 1-2 finish for WRT BMW! Your winners of the Kyalami 9 Hours, Dries Vanthoor, Charles Weerts, and Sheldon van der Linde!
The South African wins his home race! A BMW 1-2 as the #33 car comes home second, Phillip Eng, Augusto Farfus, and Maxime Martin! Pro-Am honors go to the #75 SunEnergy1 Mercedes AMG GT3. Overall winners at Bathurst and Pro-Am honors at Kyalami for Kenny Habul along with co-drivers Yannick Mettler and Jules Gounon!
Overall/Pro: #32 Vanthoor/Weerts/van der Linde Team WRT BMW M4 GT3
Pro Am: #75 Habul/Mettler/Gounon SunEnergy1 by SPS Mercedes AMG GT3
Not a fly or a scratch on the #32 car. Sheldon van der Linde winning at home in front of his family and friends! Two wins in three races for WRT BMW! What a motor race! We've enjoyed bringing it to you. The next event will be, for the IGTC, the 24 Hours of Spa in Belgium the first weekend in July. But GT World Challenge Europe and GT World Challenge America are also coming up and we cannot wait to bring those races to you as well. It should be fun covering SRO GT3 racing in 2023! Folks, we'll see you soon for more GT3 racing.
For now, so long, from the Kyalami Grand Prix circuit in Johannesburg, South Africa. This motor race, the 9 Hours, delivers once again. We thank you for your company and have more sports car racing to talk about in the very near future. Get some rest everybody. I know I will need a wee bit of it after being up at 3:00 A.M. in the wee small hours to get ready for this great race. 306 laps, 860 miles in total. Thanks for your company here in South Africa. See you all at Spa Francorchamps in Belgium this summer for the 24 Hours of Spa. Take care.
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