WRT BMW Rules Suzuka 1000km as DTM Title Lead Swings Back to Auer

Van der Linde now holds a five-point IGTC cushion heading to the Indianapolis 8 Hour.

Overview

Team WRT’s No. 32 BMW led virtually the entire revived Suzuka 1000km from pole and won by 13.647 seconds, completing 170 laps.
Charles Weerts secured pole after a red-flag-disrupted qualifying, then he, Kelvin van der Linde and Raffaele Marciello controlled the race pace.
WRT’s pivotal call to skip refueling on a stop looked risky until subsequent Full Course Yellow and Safety Car periods reset strategies in their favor.
The victory is BMW’s first Suzuka 1000km overall win since 1982 and moves van der Linde to the top of the IGTC standings by five points.
In DTM at the Red Bull Ring, René Rast won Race 1 before penalties and setbacks in Race 2—paired with Ricardo Feller’s win—helped Lucas Auer recapture the points lead.