Remarkable collaboration, perseverance, and enthusiasm enabled Ahmad Al Harthy and his Team WRT colleagues Valentino Rossi and Kelvin van der Linde to achieve a well-deserved return to the FIA World Endurance Championship podium in America on Sunday, September 7th, during a rain-affected sixth round of the season.
After securing an admirable fourth position on the grid for the ‘Lone Star Le Mans’ at the Circuit of the Americas, expectations were high for a robust performance in LMGT3. However, no one could have anticipated the thrilling conclusion that resulted in a second-place finish – and nearly a dream victory.
Heavy rainfall hit COTA on race day, prompting the field to circulate behind the Safety Car initially. As conditions deteriorated, race officials opted to implement a red flag stoppage around the one-hour mark.
Once the race resumed, with just over four hours remaining and strategies completely altered, the No.46 BMW team members showcased their skills impressively. In the final half hour, van der Linde shone brightly, advancing from 10th place to an outstanding second position after switching to slick Goodyear tyres on a drying track.
The remarkable race saw Al Harthy return to the FIA WEC podium.
Oman's Al Harthy began the race with a double stint, but his well-known ability in wet conditions was not able to be demonstrated at first, as the Safety Car remained on track due to heavy rainfall and the hazardous state of the circuit. After a pit-stop at the 35-minute mark, Al Harthy found himself in ninth place, and as the clock surpassed one hour, red flags were displayed due to the deteriorating rain conditions.
Despite the track remaining quite wet about 40 minutes later, officials allowed the race to continue behind the Safety Car, and green flags were finally waved to signal the start of racing with approximately four hours left. Without delay, Al Harthy showcased his talent in the challenging conditions, moving up to eighth place midway through the first racing lap and quickly advancing to seventh.
Before long, the Safety Car was back on track, and racing resumed with three hours and 45 minutes remaining, at which point Al Harthy – backed by OQ Group, Sohar International, Omantel, Oman LNG, BMW Oman, Oman Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, and Experience Oman – made his pit stop.
Rossi took over the driving duties at that moment and advanced from 10th to sixth place ahead of another caution period. As the order changed during a Virtual Safety Car phase, with additional pit stops being made, Rossi climbed into the top three. Unfortunately, after receiving a drive-through penalty for a violation during the VSC, the Italian dropped to 16th place, but he managed to recover to 12th before passing the wheel to van der Linde.
Confronting a significant challenge to make his way back through the field, the South African set to work on his task. Following another Safety Car period, with 90 minutes remaining, van der Linde was poised to strike at the restart and quickly gained two positions in succession.
He secured ninth place shortly thereafter, then moved up to eighth, setting the stage for an exciting finish. After another brief caution, van der Linde continued his ascent, reaching sixth place before the critical final pit stop. He rejoined the track in 10th position under Full Course Yellows, and with slick tires, when the race resumed, the BMW was in ninth with just 26 minutes left.
A mere 10 minutes later, he had carved his way up to sixth position, lapping several seconds faster than the cars in front on the drying track, and with only five minutes remaining, he found himself in podium contention. Finishing third at the chequered flag, just two tenths behind second place, van der Linde was subsequently promoted to second due to a penalty assessed to the former race-winning Ferrari.
Ahmad Al Harthy remarked: “What a race, unbelievable! I’ve never been part of a race that was so dramatic in the final 25 minutes, moving from the back of the top 10 all the way to the podium. With the drying conditions, we anticipated that it would be the optimal time for our car to excel, and now I have achieved my first-ever podium in America; it was incredible to feel all the support from back home in Oman.
“I want to express my gratitude to everyone, especially His Excellency Talal bin Sulaiman Al Rahbi, our Ambassador to the United States; his support was invaluable. We received tremendous backing from home, and to stand on the podium again in the World Endurance Championship, marking our second podium of the season, is fantastic – everyone has put in so much effort for this. Thank you immensely to everyone on the team as always, Vale and Kelvin, and we are excited for Fuji now!
Fuji Speedway in Japan is set to host the second-to-last event of the FIA World Endurance Championship season, which is round seven, in just three weeks during the weekend of September 27th and 28th.
