First non-PRO Endurance Cup win for OQ BMW at Monza

Text: Rick Kiewiet

Images: SRO

The 2024 Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup kicked off in dramatic fashion at Monza, where the #30 Oman Racing BMW M4 GT3 achieved a historic victory, becoming the first non-Pro entry to win overall in the series' history. Behind the wheel, Jens Klingmann, alongside teammates Sam De Haan and Ahmad Al Harthy, defied the odds and beat the big names in the PRO-category in especially the final hour of the race.

Qualifying was dominated by the #51 AF Corse Ferrari. Rovera set the tone by topping Q1 with a time of 1m44.922s. Abril, filling in for Davide Rigon, continued the momentum by pacing Q2 with a 1m45.038s. Pier Guidi took over for Q3 and went quickest, ultimately improving to 1m44.774s to secure pole position for Ferrari’s seventh time at the Temple of Speed. However, it wasn't a flawless session, as Jordan Pepper in the #163 Grasser Racing Lamborghini set a new GT3 lap record at Monza with a time of 1m44.727s, narrowly surpassing Pier Guidi’s benchmark. The #48 Mercedes-AMG from Team Mann-Filter lined up third, while the #32 BMW from Team WRT joined them on the second row at p4.

The race began smoothly for the #51, but it wasn’t long before chaos unfolded. A multi-car incident on the opening lap triggered a Safety Car period, leading to a flurry of early pit stops as teams scrambled to optimize their strategies. The #30 Oman Racing BMW and its sister #32 opted for an aggressive pit strategy, taking advantage of the situation to gain track position. Nevertheless, the #51 kept the lead comfortably during the first two hours.

The introduction of a third mandatory pit stop turned the race into a tactical chess match. Team WRT, employing an off-sequence strategy, managed to climb back up the order after the chaos of the early race. Klingmann’s performance was particularly impressive; he fought hard to maintain the lead against fierce competition from Vanthoor and Pier Guidi, who were closing in on him.

As the final pit stops shook up the order, it was Klingmann’s deft maneuvering that kept him ahead of the #51 Ferrari. A pivotal moment came when Vanthoor made a mistake at the Variante Rettifilo, allowing Klingmann to retake the lead just as Pier Guidi was poised to pounce.

In the final laps, Klingmann expertly managed his pace to fend off challenges, crossing the line just 1.759 seconds ahead of Vanthoor and ensuring a 1-2 finish for Team WRT. This victory not only marked a significant achievement for Oman Racing but also ended a win drought for BMW in the Endurance Cup since 2022.

Meanwhile, the fight for the podium continued behind the leading duo, with Pier Guidi and his teammates taking third place, rounding out a thrilling contest. The #99 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi and #46 WRT BMW completed the overall top five, with Winward Racing clinching the Silver Cup title and further consolidating their lead in the championship.