SA’s Kelvin van der Linde makes motorsport history with title treble

South African motorsport ace Kelvin van der Linde has made racing history by becoming the first driver ever to win three major GT championships in a single season, capping off his remarkable 2025 campaign with victory at the storm-hit Indianapolis 8 Hour.

Van der Linde clinched the Intercontinental GT Challenge Championship on Sunday, adding to his already secured GT World Challenge Europe Sprint and Overall titles to complete an unprecedented treble.

Dramatic weather-affected victory

Racing for Team WRT BMW alongside legendary MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi and Charles Weerts, van der Linde secured his fourth victory of the season in dramatic fashion at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, despite severe weather conditions that forced a lengthy red flag stoppage.

The Indianapolis 8 Hour was far from straightforward, with lightning strikes in the Indianapolis area bringing about a lengthy stoppage as the storm passed through. When racing resumed with 90 minutes remaining behind the safety car, it was van der Linde’s strategic timing that proved decisive.

The South African opted to top up with fuel immediately and timed his final stop perfectly at the 65-minute mark, allowing him to run to the finish. His main championship rival, Raffaele Marciello of Switzerland, stayed out a lap longer and lost crucial position, with van der Linde vaulting ahead to assume the overall lead.

Multiple milestones achieved

The victory delivered multiple other historic achievements:

• Team WRT secured their third consecutive Indianapolis 8 Hour victory
• Valentino Rossi claimed his first IGTC title and became a winner at Indianapolis on both two wheels (MotoGP 2008) and four wheels
• BMW captured their first IGTC GT3 Manufacturers’ title

Championship battle decided

Entering the final round, only Marciello could deny van der Linde the historic treble. The Swiss driver led the race into the final 90 minutes but ultimately finished third after losing out to the strategic pit call.

The treacherous conditions meant racing could not resume in earnest, with the safety car leading the field to the flag and van der Linde to the championship.