Benjamin Goethe[a] (born 2 April 2003) is a Danish-German racing driver. He is the current champion of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup in the Silver Cup category.

Benjamin Goethe
Goethe in 2024
NationalityDenmark Danish
Germany German
via dual nationality
Born (2003-04-02) 2 April 2003 (age 21)
London, United Kingdom
Related toOliver Goethe (brother)
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup career
Debut season2019
Current teamROFGO Racing with Team WRT
Racing licence FIA Gold
Car number30
Former teamsGPX Racing
Starts17 (17 entries)
Wins3
Podiums5
Poles2
Fastest laps0
Best finish1st (Silver Cup) in 2022
Previous series
2021
2020
2018
Le Mans Cup
ADAC GT Masters
F4 Spanish Championship
Championship titles
2022GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup – Silver

Early career

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Karting

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Having been introduced to motorsport at a young age, Goethe started his karting career in 2015.[1] He first raced in various regional and national competitions in France, before competing in a select few international events in 2017, his final year of kart racing.[2]

Formula 4

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Goethe made his single-seater debut in 2018, where he competed in the F4 Spanish Championship for Drivex School.[3] The Dane experienced a challenging campaign, as he finished 13th in the standings with a highest race result of fifth at Jerez.

Sportscar career

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2019 – GT debut

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In 2019, Goethe switched to sportscar racing, driving with GPX Racing in four rounds of the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup alongside Jordan Grogor and his driver coach in karting and F4, Stuart Hall.[4][5] The team ended up 20th in the Silver Cup, scoring 16 points, with Goethe becoming that year's recipient of the SRO Merit Award.[6]

The Dane also took part in the 24 Hours of Barcelona as part of the 24H GT Series, where he took his first podium in car racing, finishing third.[7]

2020 – Move to WRT

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He returned to the newly rebranded GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup the following year, this time driving for ROFGO Racing with Team WRT, having become a member of the Bullet Sports Management roster.[8][9][10] The campaign started out in disappointing fashion, as an eighth place in class at Imola was followed up by a retirement at the Hockenheimring. At the third round, the 24 Hours of Spa, which Goethe contested as the youngest of 179 entrants, the Dane made an error in the closing stages, as he spun off in wet conditions, which forced his car to retire.[11] The conclusion to his season proved to be more positive, as Goethe, along with teammates Stuart Hall and Rik Breukers, finished the race in fourth place in the Silver Cup, which elevated the squad to twelfth in the standings.

2021 – Double campaign

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For the 2021 season, Goethe remained with the team, but this time competed in both the Endurance Cup and the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup.[12][13][14]

He would be paired up alongside James Pull and Stuart Hall for the former championship. Their season started out strongly at the opening round in Monza, where Goethe and his teammates finished sixth in the overall results, whilst taking a podium for the Silver Cup.[15] Despite this ending up as the only podium of their campaign, the team took fifth in the Silver Cup, with an impressive charge up the field at the Barcelona season finale being a particular highlight of Goethe's season.[16]

In the latter series, Goethe experienced a mixed campaign, scoring only two points finishes but taking one podium in Race 2 at Misano, which put the Dane 21st overall.[17] He summed up his season as having been "challenging", but also described it as a positive learning experience.[18]

2022 – Silver Cup title

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The #30 Audi R8 LMS from Team WRT at the 2022 24 Hours of Spa

Goethe started his 2022 season by finishing second in the Dubai 24 Hour race,[19] before announcing that he would stay on in both the Endurance and Sprint Cup with ROFGO Racing with Team WRT, driving with Thomas Neubauer in the Sprint series, with the pair being partnered by Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer in the former championship.[20][21]

The Sprint Cup series campaign began in torrid fashion, as a first-corner retirement caused by a rival car in the first race at Brands Hatch was followed by a meager 16th place in Race 2. A pair of points finishes in class at Magny-Cours came next, before Goethe and Neubauer scored a pair of podiums for the Silver Cup, as well as their first points for the main standings, during the next event in Circuit Zandvoort.[22] The penultimate round, held at Misano, brought significant successes to the pairing, which finished third overall in Race 1, with Goethe holding off Audi factory driver Christopher Haase in the dying embers of the contest, after which they took another class podium on Sunday.[23][24] Their campaign ended with a fourth place and class podium at Valencia, which meant that Goethe and Neubauer finished third in the Silver Cup and eleventh in the overall drivers' standings.[25]

The Danish-German's season in the Endurance Cup would prove to bring even more success, starting out with a class win at Imola, where Goethe took his first ever victory in car racing, which he called "the perfect way to start".[26][27] This was followed by a pole position in the Silver category at Le Castellet, but a spin from Goethe put the win out of reach for his team, which eventually finished fourth in class.[28] What came next were the 24 Hours of Spa, where, having avoided any mistakes, Goethe, Simmenauer and Neubauer won in the Silver Cup, putting the outfit into the lead of the championship.[29][30] At the Hockenheimring, the Dane and his teammates finished third in their class, enough to clinch the Silver Cup title with one remaining round.[31][32] The team finished the season in style by winning in their category at Barcelona, leaving them with 125 points, 49 ahead of second place.[33][34]

With those results, Goethe, along with Neubauer, was crowned as the overall GT World Challenge Europe Silver Cup champion.[35][36]

2023

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At the beginning of 2023, Goethe returned to take part in the Dubai 24 Hours, this time partnering brother Oliver, father Roald, Stuart Hall and Jordan Grogor in the GT4 category, with the team ending up as the winners within said class.[37] During the same winter, the Dane teamed up with Marvin Kirchhöfer and Alexander West at Garage 59 for the GT class of the Asian Le Mans Series.[38] Goethe continued his relationship with Garage 59 for the remainder of the season, embarking on a full-season GT World Challenge Europe campaign in the Pro class. In the Sprint Cup, Goethe formed a pairing with Nicolai Kjærgaard, while Kirchhöfer completed the Endurance Cup trio.[39]

Personal life

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Goethe is part of a racing family, with his father Roald having been a competitor in the FIA World Endurance Championship, and his younger brother Oliver is currently racing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship.[40]

He was educated at the Millfield School, which is located in Somerset.[41]

Racing record

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Racing career summary

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Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2018 F4 Spanish Championship Drivex School 17 0 0 0 0 39 13th
2019 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup GPX Racing 3 0 0 0 0 2 33rd
Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup - Silver 0 0 0 0 16 20th
Campeonato de España de Resistencia - GT 5 4 2 5 5 208 3rd
24H GT Series – European Championship - A6 1 0 0 0 1 0 NC
25 Hours VW Fun Cup MAK Racing 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 41st
2020 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup ROFGO Racing with Team WRT 4 0 0 0 0 0 NC
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup - Silver 0 0 0 0 31 12th
Intercontinental GT Challenge 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
ADAC GT Masters Team WRT 4 0 1 0 0 0 NC†
Campeonato de España de Resistencia - GT GPX Racing 2 0 0 0 1 36 15th
2021 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup - Silver ROFGO Racing with Team WRT 5 0 0 0 1 61 5th
GT World Challenge Sprint Cup 10 0 0 0 1 10.5 21st
Le Mans Cup - GT3 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
Intercontinental GT Challenge Team WRT 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC
24H GT Series - GT3 Pro 1 0 0 0 1 26 2nd
2022 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup ROFGO Racing with Team WRT 5 0 0 0 0 1 35th
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup - Silver 3 2 0 4 125 1st
GT World Challenge Sprint Cup 10 0 0 0 1 18.5 11th
GT World Challenge Sprint Cup - Silver 1 0 3 5 82 3rd
Intercontinental GT Challenge Team WRT 1 0 0 0 0 2 18th
24H GT Series Continents’ - GT3 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT 1 0 0 0 1 29 5th
2022–23 Middle East Trophy - GT4 ROFGO with Dragon Racing 1 1 0 0 1 0 NC†
2023 Asian Le Mans Series - GT Garage 59 4 0 0 0 0 16 8th
GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup 5 0 0 1 0 0 NC
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup 10 0 0 0 0 10 13th
2023–24 Middle East Trophy - GT3 ROFGO with Dragon Racing 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
2024 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Garage 59 1 0 0 0 0 0* NC*
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup 10 0 0 0 1 38.5 7th
British GT Championship - GT3 Orange Racing powered by JMH
2024–25 Asian Le Mans Series - GT Optimum Motorsport

As Goethe was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points.
* Season still in progress.

Complete F4 Spanish Championship results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 DC Points
2018 Drivex School ARA
1

Ret
ARA
2

8
ARA
3

Ret
CRT
1

7
CRT
2

10
CRT
3

8
ALG
1

11
ALG
2

Ret
ALG
3

Ret
CAT
1

C
CAT
2

6
JER
1

7
JER
2

5
JER
3

11
NAV
1

9
NAV
2

Ret
NAV
3

7
NAV
4

9
13th 39

Complete GT World Challenge results

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GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup

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(Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pos. Points
2019 GPX Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R Silver MNZ
DNS
SIL
28
LEC
21
SPA
6H
SPA
12H
SPA
24H
CAT
9
20th 16
2020 ROFGO Racing with Team WRT Audi R8 LMS Evo Silver IMO
32
NÜR
Ret
SPA
6H

34
SPA
12H

35
SPA
24H

34†
LEC
19
12th 31
2021 ROFGO Racing with Team WRT Audi R8 LMS Evo Silver MNZ
6
LEC
19
SPA
6H

47
SPA
12H

25
SPA
24H

22
NÜR
13
CAT
18
5th 61
2022 ROFGO Racing with Team WRT Audi R8 LMS Evo II Silver IMO
14
LEC
15
SPA
6H

15
SPA
12H

19
SPA
24H

13
HOC
10
CAT
11
1st 125
2023 Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo Pro MNZ
19
LEC
12
SPA
6H

10
SPA
12H

59†
SPA
24H

Ret
NÜR
13
CAT
8
24th 4
2024 Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo Pro LEC
Ret
SPA
6H

35
SPA
12H

29
SPA
24H

11
NÜR
14
MNZ
14
JED
NC* 0*

*Season still in progress.

GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Pos. Points
2021 ROFGO Racing with Team WRT Audi R8 LMS Evo Pro MAG
1

11
MAG
2

Ret
ZAN
1

16
ZAN
2

18
MIS
1

23
MIS
2

3
BRH
1

18
BRH
2

9
VAL
1

18
VAL
2

13
21st 10.5
2022 ROFGO Racing with Team WRT Audi R8 LMS Evo II Silver BRH
1

Ret
BRH
2

16
MAG
1

11
MAG
2

13
ZAN
1

10
ZAN
2

10
MIS
1

3
MIS
2

10
VAL
1

4
VAL
2

15
3rd 82
2023 Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo Pro BRH
1

16
BRH
2

4
MIS
1

Ret
MIS
2

10
HOC
1

Ret
HOC
2

34†
VAL
1

9
VAL
2

15
ZAN
1

18
ZAN
2

9
13th 10
2024 Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo Pro BRH
1

5
BRH
2

6
MIS
1

8
MIS
2

6
HOC
1

9
HOC
2

9
MAG
1

9
MAG
2

5
CAT
1

CAT
2

7th* 26*

* Season still in progress.

Complete 24 Hours of Spa results

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Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2020   ROFGO Racing with Team WRT   Rik Breukers
  Stuart Hall
Audi R8 LMS GT3 Silver Cup 453 34th† 7th†
2021   ROFGO Racing with Team WRT   Franco Colapinto
  James Pull
Audi R8 LMS Evo Silver Cup 546 22nd 6th
2022   ROFGO Racing with Team WRT   Thomas Neubauer
  Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer
Audi R8 LMS Evo II Silver Cup 533 13th 1st

Complete Intercontinental GT Challenge results

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Year Manufacturer Car 1 2 3 4 Pos. Points
2020 Audi Sport R8 LMS GT3 BAT IND SPA
34†
KYA NC 0
2021 Audi Sport R8 LMS Evo SPA
22
IND KYA NC 0
2022 Audi Sport R8 LMS Evo II BAT SPA
13
IND GUL 21st 2

Complete Dubai 24 Hour results

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Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2021   Team WRT   Frank Bird
  Louis Machiels
  Kelvin van der Linde
  Dries Vanthoor
Audi R8 LMS Evo GT3-Pro 599 2nd 2nd
2022   Belgian Audi Club Team WRT   Arnold Robin
  Maxime Robin
  Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer
  Frédéric Vervisch
Audi R8 LMS Evo GT3-Pro 595 2nd 2nd
2023   ROFGO with Dragon Racing   Oliver Goethe
  Roald Goethe
  Jordan Grogor
  Stuart Hall
Mercedes-AMG GT4 GT4 566 23rd 1st

Complete Asian Le Mans Series results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Class Car Engine 1 2 3 4 Pos. Points
2023 Garage 59 GT McLaren 720S GT3 McLaren M840T 4.0 L Turbo V8 DUB
1

15
DUB
2

4
ABU
1

Ret
ABU
2

8
8th 16

Notes

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  1. ^ Sometimes spelt Gøthe or Göthe.

References

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  1. ^ "Benjamin Goethe". Benjamin R. Goethe. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  2. ^ kartcom (2015-04-28). "Goethe Benjamin". Kartcom (in German). Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  3. ^ "DRIVEX CON TRES JÓVENES PROMESAS EN LA NUEVA TEMPORADA DE F4 SPAIN". 15 May 2018. Archived from the original on 16 May 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  4. ^ "GPX Racing lance sa saison européenne en Porsche 911 GT3-R". Endurance Info (in French). Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  5. ^ "Porsche squad GPX sets driver line-up for Endurance Cup assault". Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS. 2019-03-18. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  6. ^ "SRO Motorsports Group". SRO Motorsports Group. 24 October 2019. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  7. ^ "You are being redirected..." www.amenaauto.org. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  8. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (15 July 2020). "WRT Confirms Drivers for Endurance, Sprint Programs – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  9. ^ "BULLET ATHLETE BENJAMIN GOETHE SIGNS WITH BELGIAN AUDI CLUB TEAM WRT FOR GT WORLD CHALLENGE EUROPE ENDURANCE CUP". Benjamin R. Goethe. 2020-07-15. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  10. ^ "BULLET SIGNS BENJAMIN GOETHE". Benjamin R. Goethe. 2020-05-20. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  11. ^ "BENJAMIN GOETHE SHINES AT THE 24 HOURS OF SPA". Benjamin R. Goethe. 2020-10-26. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  12. ^ "BENJAMIN GOETHE TAKES ON FULL GTWCE SEASON WITH TEAM WRT". Benjamin R. Goethe. 2021-04-12. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  13. ^ "WRT Announce 2021 GT World Challenge Europe Line-ups | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  14. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (25 March 2021). "40 Cars on Endurance Cup Entry; Increased Field for Sprint – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  15. ^ "GOETHE CONTINUES 2021 PODIUM STREAK IN THE GT WORLD CHALLENGE SEASON OPENER AT MONZA". Benjamin R. Goethe. 2021-04-20. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  16. ^ "BENJAMIN GOETHE WRAPS UP 2021 SEASON WITH A STELLAR PERFORMANCE IN BARCELONA". Benjamin R. Goethe. 2021-10-12. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  17. ^ "BENJAMIN GOETHE STORMS INTO MAIDEN GTWCE SPRINT PODIUM IN MISANO". Benjamin R. Goethe. 2021-07-06. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  18. ^ "BENJAMIN GOETHE CHARGES THROUGH THE GTWCE FIELD IN VALENCIA". Benjamin R. Goethe. 2021-09-27. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  19. ^ "First team win for Saudi Arabia at 2022 Hankook 24H DUBAI; third win for Audi". 24H Series. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  20. ^ "WRT Confirm Five-Car Entry For Sprint & Endurance Cups, Rossi Joined By Vervisch & Muller | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  21. ^ "BENJAMIN GOETHE TO STAY WITH WRT FOR FULL GTWCE CAMPAIGN". Benjamin R. Goethe. 2022-03-04. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  22. ^ "ROFGO BROTHERS REIGN SUPREME IN SPA AND ZANDVOORT". Benjamin R. Goethe. 2022-06-20. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  23. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (2 July 2022). "Weerts, Vanthoor Dominate Opening Race at Misano – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  24. ^ "DOUBLE PODIUM FOR GOETHE IN MISANO". Benjamin R. Goethe. 2022-07-04. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  25. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (17 September 2022). "Vanthoor, Weerts Clinch Third Sprint Title With Valencia Podium – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  26. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (3 April 2022). "WRT Delivers Audi's First Endurance Cup Win in Two Years – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  27. ^ "BENJAMIN GOETHE CLAIMS MAIDEN WIN IN IMOLA". Benjamin R. Goethe. 2022-04-04. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  28. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (4 June 2022). "Iron Lynx Ferrari Secures Paul Ricard Pole – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  29. ^ "Audi-Kundenteams feiern Doppelsieg im Silver-Cup". Audi MediaCenter (in German). Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  30. ^ "GOETHE WINS 24H OF SPA". Benjamin R. Goethe. 2022-08-01. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  31. ^ "GOETHE CROWNED CHAMPION IN HOCKENHEIM". Benjamin R. Goethe. 2022-09-06. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  32. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (5 September 2022). "WRT Drivers Secure Silver Cup Title With Round to Spare – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2022-12-26.
  33. ^ "BENJAMIN GOETHE FINISHES THE SEASON WITH A WIN IN BARCELONA". Benjamin R. Goethe. 2022-10-04. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  34. ^ Plümer, Jonas (2022-10-02). "GT World Challenge Europe: WRT siegt im Silver Cup". gt-place.com (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  35. ^ "Standings GT World Challenge Europe Silver Drivers 2022". Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  36. ^ "Season ends in style with 2022 champions crowned at SRO Motorsports Group Awards in London". Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS. 2022-11-27. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  37. ^ "WRT Score First Win With BMW AT 24H Dubai | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  38. ^ lindsaymorle (2023-01-23). "Top driver squads locked in for 2023 Asian Le Mans Series". Garage 59. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
  39. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (3 March 2023). "Garage 59 Confirms Pro Return With Updated McLaren". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  40. ^ "GOETHE BROTHERS TEAM UP AT THE 24H OF DUBAI". Benjamin R. Goethe. 2022-01-10. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  41. ^ "2022: Joy in the Journey". Millfield School. 30 December 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
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