Romanian driver Petru Umbrărescu, son of the UMB company owner, has achieved a historic milestone in national motorsport by becoming the first Romanian to win a round in the prestigious FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC). On Sunday, July 13, Umbrărescu triumphed in the 6-hour race at São Paulo (Brazil), alongside his teammates Maria Lopez and Clemens Schmid, driving a Lexus for the Akkodis ASP Team in the LMGT3 class.
„An extraordinary performance in São Paulo for Petru Umbrărescu, who thus becomes the first Romanian driver to win a round in the World Endurance Championship,” announced the Romanian Federation of Motor Sport (FRAS) in an official statement on Monday.
On the legendary Interlagos circuit, Umbrărescu not only secured a class victory but also confirmed his outstanding form by setting the fastest lap in the LMGT3 qualifying session. The result marks a spectacular comeback after finishing fifth in the 24 Hours of Le Mans (the fourth round of the WEC), one of the most grueling events in global motorsport. Umbrărescu thus becomes the second Romanian driver to leave his mark on WEC history, following Filip Ugran’s 2023 performance at Le Mans, where he finished 16th in the LMP2 class and 34th overall.
The LMGT3 podium in São Paulo was completed by TF Sport (Tom van Rompuy, Rui Andrade, Charlie Eastwood – Corvette) and Racing Spirit of Leman (Derek Deboer, Eduardo Barrichello, Valentin Hasse Clot, Anthony McIntosh – Aston Martin).
The Brazilian race set a national audience record for FIA WEC, with over 84,000 spectators in attendance. In the Hypercar class, victory went to the Cadillac Hertz Team Jota (Alex Lynn, Norman Nato, Will Stevens), followed by the other Cadillac team (Earl Bamber, Sebastien Bourdais, Jenson Button), while Porsche Penske Motorsport completed the podium in third place.
The FIA World Endurance Championship will resume after the summer break with the sixth round, scheduled for September 5–7 at the renowned Circuit of The Americas in Texas, USA.
