Walkenhorst BMW Win Secures IGTC Drivers Title For Catsburg And Farfus

The #34 Walkenhorst BMW M6 GT3 took the win at the Kyalami 9 Hour to secure the Intercontinental GT Challenge drivers title for Augusto Farfus and Nicky Catsburg, the duo sharing the drive with local hero Sheldon van der Linde.

The race would be turned on it’s head by a late race thunderstorm that saw the cars take the flag under a Safety Car.

The crucial changes though took place just as the final hour loomed with an initially modest rain shower rapidly deteriorating into a full blown storm with standing water at several locations on the track bringing out a Full Course Caution.

That saw the #30 Honda Racing NSX GT3 Evo pit for fuel as well as tyres from a lead that Bertrand Baguette, Mario Farnbacher and Renger van der Zande had held from the start, prior to the pitstop, the putting the Honda pair of Mario Farnbacher and Renger van der Zande in a Championship-winning position, the decision to fuel the car dropping the car behind its main competitors.

The only serious challenge to that lead before the rain intervened had been from Audi Sport Team Car Collection’s Patric Niederhauser who moved to within 1.5 seconds in the seventh hour but was unable to close further before the Honda’s pit stop.

They would emerge back into Full Course Yellow conditions but were soon in trouble as Bertrand Baguette noted from the pits:

“There’s an Audi ahead of us driving 10s a lap slower than everyone else; the guy doesnt’ know what he’s doing. We can go to the end, but everyone in front who still has to pit will now come out in front.”

It certainly made a difference, but with the rain getting worse and worse, the #32’s need to drive through the pits to reset Fred Vervisch’s stint length just ceded the lead to the #34 BMW without an opportunity for the Honda to take any real advantage – with the FCY moving to a Safety Car in the final minutes – the result, and the Honda’s fate, were sealed, their principal competition able to save fuel under caution and prevent the need for an additional stop.

The BMW would take the win and the #32 Audi Sport Team WRT’s Frederic Vervisch, Mirko Bortolotti and Charles Weerts came home second ahead of a solid run from Matt Campbell, Patrick Pilet and Mathieu Jaminet (GPX Racing) a result that sealed the Manufacturers’ crown for Porsche in third overall, Campbell also setting not one but two new GT3 lap records in a race that saw the #12 pit out of sequence for a puncture, potentially costing the car a shot at victory.

MSport Bentley’s driver’s title challenge was over early on, Jordan Pepper had run second, backed up by Jules Gounon who carried on the challenge to the leading Honda, Maxime Soulet though would barely get moving before disaster struck, the #7 Bentley struggling out of the pits after the driver change, clearly in dire trouble, the engine sounding very sick before a small fire broke out, the car parked and the campaign over.

The sister car was in trouble even earlier, a clash between the #8 and the #31 WRT Audi seeing the Bentley delayed but rejoining, the Audi in the garage for repairs to the rear. The car would never truly feature after that and would be further delayed soon after the rain truly arrived with a spin into the gravel bringing out a caution and also dropping the car off the lead lap, coming home a distant ninth.

It would though come home behind the #31 that never truly recovered from the early contact with the Bentley, two laps down would be a disappointment for the WRT crew.

Another car in trouble, eventually, was the #54 Dinamic Porsche – the Championship points leading drivers coming into the final round Earl Bamber and Laurens Vanthoor joined by Kevin Estre.

After seeming out of sorts coming into the race the #54 moved forward rapidly in the hands of Earl Bamber – into contention within the first hour before trouble struck, damage to the splitter making a progressively more serious impact before the team eventually opted to pit for a repair, seventh the best that could be salvaged, the title gone but the manufacturers title would be a major boost for Porsche.

The second, #35 Walkenhorst BMW was never in the hunt, but sixth place would help BMW to secure second place in the Manufacturers points table.

Fifth would go to the #44 Audi Sport car Collection R8 LMS, the Niederhauser, Haase, Drudi combo the major challengers to the Honda’s dominance until a spin into the gravel as the rain made its mark for Drudi ended the run to the front.

A second consecutive African storm in this race’s history made a mark – here’s hoping that this worthy addition to the international calendar attracts a better field in what we all hope will be a less troubled 2021.

Nick Catsburg – #34 BMW M6 GT3, Walkenhorst Motorsport: “Unbelievable. We are the champions in the drivers’ standings. Up to the final two hours of the race, we really did not expect that to happen. We hoped for something crazy to happen. Just like last year, it wouldn’t be Kyalami if something mad didn’t happen. It was just like that, apart from the fact that there was a restart at the end of the race last year. Congratulations to the team for getting it right. I am delighted to have won the race and the championship. I am a bit sorry for the Honda team. They dominated today and would have earned a good result.”

Augusto Farfus – #34 BMW M6 GT3, Walkenhorst Motorsport: “I am a bit speechless. It was a difficult year with many challenges on and off the track. I am very glad that BMW and the Walkenhorst Motorsport team stayed strong together. We delivered a very strong campaign. The race today wasn’t easy but we executed very well. None of the drivers made any mistakes and the car worked very well. I am very happy with this championship. Let’s celebrate!”

Kyalami 9 Hour Classification Provisional

The post Walkenhorst BMW Win Secures IGTC Drivers Title For Catsburg And Farfus first appeared on dailysportscar.com.