Muscat: Faultless driving, top strategy and a very quick BMW M4 LMGT3 were not enough to deliver what looked likely to be a bid for a dream victory at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans for Ahmad Al Harthy and Team WRT – electrical problems in the early hours of Sunday, 15th June, forcing retirement.
Oman’s Al Harthy and team-mates Valentino Rossi and Kelvin van der Linde had delivered an incredible performance throughout the first half of the twice-round-the-clock encounter at the eight-plus mile Circuit de la Sarthe in France, with LMGT3 silverware well within their grasp.
Sadly, though, and for the second year in succession, the 24 Hours of Le Mans ended in misfortune for Al Harthy and Team WRT, having led the class or been inside the top two for the most part since lights-out at 16.00 local time on Saturday, 14th June.
After qualifying an excellent third on the grid for the biggest race of the season, round four of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the team choose to begin the 24 Hours with van der Linde and he very quickly climbed into second in LMGT3 close behind the leader. Van der Linde remained in touch in the No.46 BMW M4 and after the initial pit-stops, the South African was back up to second.
Oman’s Al Harthy climbed behind the wheel for his first miles of the race in hour two and was within less than four seconds of the LMGT3 lead with one hour and 45 minutes elapsed. After another stop, Al Harthy moved up into the lead and he then began to build his advantage, driving faultlessly.
Just over three hours into the race the Omani, who is supported by prestigious partners OQ Group, Sohar International, Omantel, Oman LNG, BMW Oman, Oman Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and Experience Oman, led by around 25 seconds.
Half an hour later the lead was up to roughly 60 seconds, before handing over to Rossi for his first stint of the race. Holding second place initially, the Italian was every bit as competitive as his two team-mates and he soon moved the No.46 BMW back into first place in LMGT3.
One quarter of the way through the race, 22.00 local time, van der Linde was back behind the wheel and held an advantage of 14 seconds at that stage. Just before 23.00, with 100 racing laps in the book, he remained at the front with a buffer of half-a-minute over the nearest rival. The entire race strategy from Team WRT was working like clockwork as midnight neared.
Around three hours later, though, the squad’s tremendous challenge for a dream victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans came to an end when the car ground to a halt – seemingly with no power. After being recovered back to the pits, it was discovered electrical problems were the cause. Moreover, the issue was irreparable at the track in the time available.
Ahmad Al Harthy said: “Being in the first two positions for the majority of the nine to 10 hours we were racing definitely got us thinking of the possibility of an amazing result. I think how we were able to push the entire time showed we would have been competitive at the end of the race. Unfortunately, though, an electrics issue forced us to retire the car.
“This is what we know about racing, especially at the highest level like Le Mans, and we accept it. Things like this make you appreciate the achievements when you get them. The entire team did an amazing job right throughout the week at Le Mans, across all sessions, and the performance we showed in qualifying was a real highlight personally. We showed in the race what we’re capable of, so now we look to bounce back in Brazil. Thank you to everyone for the amazing support.”
Round five of the FIA World Endurance Championship takes place four weeks from now, over the weekend 12th/13th July, with the Rolex 6 Hours of Sao Paulo at Interlagos in Brazil.
