Weerts, Van Der Linde Seal Sprint Cup With Valencia Win for WRT

Team WRT secured the drivers’ and teams’ crowns through superior pace, decisive passing moves and a faster pit stop.

Overview

Starting fourth, Kelvin van der Linde passed Marvin Kirchhöfer on track, overhauled polesitter Jordan Pepper before the stops, and handed Charles Weerts a lead that became a 0.885-second victory.
Jordan Pepper earned a crucial pole in a two-lap shootout after a red flag from Thomas Neubauer’s off, clocking 1:31.115 for a bonus point before he and Luca Engstler finished second.
WRT’s stop was 1.3 seconds quicker than Grasser’s, helping Weerts rejoin ahead of Engstler; the #59 Garage 59 McLaren placed third, with Silver Cup winners Aurelien Panis/Cesar Gazeau fourth overall.
The title tally: Weerts claimed a record fourth Sprint Cup drivers’ crown, van der Linde earned his first, and Team WRT captured its 11th teams’ championship.
Class finales at Valencia crowned Chris Lulham/Thierry Vermeulen Gold Cup champions, saw Lionspeed GP’s Bashar Mardini/Bastian Buus win Bronze Cup race as Dustin Blattner/Dennis Marschall sealed Bronze titles, and concluded GT2 with Philippe Prette taking the Am crown and Bronek Formanek/Stefan Rosina the Pro-Am title; the GTWC Europe focus now shifts to the Endurance Cup finale at Barcelona on October 10–12.