Portimão. BMW M Motorsport closed season 2026 in the GT World Challenge Europe with new championships for Team WRT and ROWE Racing. The final in Portimão, Portugal, stopped titles in the classifications for teams and in the Gold Cup, in addition to a victory of the BMW M4 GT3 EVO in the Cup, Silver.

The circuit of Portimao was the scene of an intense definition of the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS. After a season marked by the competitiveness in the testing Sprint and Endurance, the teams backed by BMW M Motorsport came to the last race with the major objectives still in the game.

The day ended with a positive balance for the German brand. Team WRT won the championship overall by teams from 2026, while ROWE Racing secured the titles of the riders and teams of the Gold Cup of the Resistance.

The BMW M4 GT3 EVO once again proved its competitive ability in different categories, adding a victory in the Glass, Silver, and another podium finish in the Cup Bronze.

Team WRT to the conquest of the championship overall team

One of the main protagonists of the weekend was Team WRT, which came to Portugal after securing the championship teams in the Sprint Cup in Barcelona, two weeks before.

In Portimão, the team completed their goal to conquer also the general classification for teams, which combines the results of the competencies Sprint and Endurance.

The BMW M4 GT3 EVO number 30, led by Matisse Lismont, Amaury Cordeel and Ignacio Montenegro, played a major role in the definition.

The three pilots completed an outstanding performance in the race of three hours, finishing in the fifth position absolute and getting the victory of the Cup (Silver).

This result allowed to Team WRT close a season especially successful. The crew of car number 30 had already secured the title of the Cup Silver in Sprint, Endurance and the combined classification.

For Vincent Vosse, director of Team WRT, the championship represents a significant achievement in the history of the organization, which reached its title number 80.

The steering in particular highlighted the contribution of the automobile Cup Silver, whose performance during the season was crucial to ensure the championship overall.

ROWE Racing will crown a champion of the Gold Cup of the Resistance

The definition of the Gold Cup was one of the most exciting moments of the last race.

Jens Klingmann, Tim Tramnitz and Ugo de Wilde came to Portimão as leaders of the drivers ' championship of Resistance, at the wheel of the BMW M4 GT3 EVO number 998 ROWE Racing.

The crew had achieved one of their most important results of the year during the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, where he conquered the victory of your category.

However, the championship was not yet decided.

During the three-hour competition in Portugal, the team starred in an intense fight with its main rivals. The definition remained open until the last few minutes, when Klingmann managed to secure the second position of the Gold Cup.

The result was enough to confirm the drivers ' championship for Klingmann, Tramnitz and de Wilde, in addition to the title of teams of the Resistance of the Gold Cup for ROWE Racing.

The achievement had a special meaning to the organization, which participated for the first time in this category.

Hans-Peter Naundorf, director of ROWE Racing, highlighted the importance of having met the two big goals for the season: to win the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in its category and win the championship of the Gold Cup.

For its part, Klingmann acknowledged that the consistency was one of the decisive factors. Although the team has not always had the car faster, he managed to stay competitive throughout the championship and take advantage of the opportunities in the moments determinants.

BMW M4 GT3 EVO also comes up to the podium at the Cup Bronze

The good results for BMW M Motorsport did not end with the titles of Team WRT and ROWE Racing.

In the Glass, Bronze, the BMW M4 GT3 EVO # 42 of Oman Racing by Century Motorsport got the third position.

The car was shared by Ahmad Al Harthy, Javier Sagrera and Calan Williams, who completed a performance that allowed the addition of another podium finish for BMW in the last competition of the season.

Behind them ended up the BMW M4 GT3 EVO number 991 of Paradine Competition, led by Darren Leung, James Kellett and Robert de Haan, who served as the fourth category.

These results reinforced the presence of the BMW M4 GT3 EVO between the protagonists of the different divisions in the european championship.

A final complicated for the BMW M4 GT3 EVO in the Pro category

While the categories Silver, Gold and Bronze left positive results, the auto-enrolled in the Pro category faced a day of a lot more complicated.

The BMW M4 GT3 EVO # 98 ROWE Racing team, led by Marco Wittmann, Jake Dennis and Philipp Eng, finished in position 22 of the general classification.

After a session of classification difficult, the team was able to recover positions during the race. However, a contact with another competitor caused a flat tire and ended up compromising their chances of getting a better result.

A similar situation affected the BMW M4 GT3 EVO 32 Team WRT.

Jordan Pepper, Charles Weerts and Kelvin van der Linde had managed to advance to the sixth position during the early stages of the competition, but a penalty of step-by-pit lane forced the team to recover ground again.

When it seemed possible to rescue points, a new contact with another car caused a puncture in the final laps. The crew ended up in the post 30 of the general classification.

For its part, the BMW M4 GT3 EVO number 46, shared by Valentino Rossi, Neil Verhagen and Max Hesse, suffered a puncture from the start of the race.

Although the team managed to trace many positions, a mechanical failure led to its abandonment before completing the planned distance.

BMW M Motorsport closes a season of titles in Europe

Beyond the difficulties experienced by the car Pro in Portimão, the balance of the last race left a great reason to celebrate.

Team WRT confirmed their strength in the ratings by computers, while ROWE Racing transformed his first participation in the Gold Cup on a winning campaign.

The combination of wins, podiums and championships also reflected the versatility of the BMW M4 GT3 EVO, a car able to compete in different categories, and respond to the demands of the races of the sprint and endurance.

The season 2026 in the GT World Challenge Europe concluded with new recognition for BMW M Motorsport, which was found in Team WRT and ROWE Racing to two of its main protagonists.

Portimão marked the end of the calendar, but also confirmed the result of months of work: a season in the speed, strategy and, especially, the consistency were determinants to conquer new titles.

Source: BMW Group