RNW Staff

FIA World Endurance Championship racer Ahmad Al Harthy secured his, and Oman Racing’s, first podium finish in the globe’s biggest endurance racing category on Saturday, 29th April, during an action-packed TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.  

Porsche Penske Motorsport wrapped up the six-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps in fourth place with the Porsche 963. Michael Christensen, Dane Cameron and Frédéric Makowiecki missed out on claiming a podium result by less than three seconds. This makes the hybrid prototype again the best-placed LMDh-compliant hypercar vehicle at round three of the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC. The second racing car fielded by the works team had to retire shortly before the first driver change due to an electrical fault. The Hertz Team Jota squad brought the first customer-run Porsche 963 over the finish line in sixth place. In the GTE-Am class, Proton Competition came fourth with the Porsche 911 RSR.

The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, round three of the FIA WEC, ended with the Ferrari 499P crewed by Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi securing its first podium in the Hypercar class. In contrast, the car of Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen had to retire following an accident, from which the Italian driver emerged unscathed, less than two hours before the chequered flag.

The Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli UK kicked off at Snetterton for the very first round of the new season, running with the Snetterton 300 configuration. The Norwich track has been on the calendar every year since the UK series launched in 2019, and it was the home for the weekend to a strong grid comprised of familiar Ferrari faces and exciting new contenders.

At round two of the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, Loek Hartog (Team GP Elite) climbed to the top of the podium for the first time. The Dutchman scored his first one-make cup victory on Saturday at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium). “Winning has been my big goal since my first Carrera Cup race two years ago. Now I finally did it. I was under a lot of pressure on the last lap so that makes me all the more pleased with this win,” said Hartog. His compatriot and teammate Larry ten Voorde secured second place in a nail-biting championship race held as part of the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC support programme. The trophy for third place went to Morris Schuring (Netherlands) from the Fach Auto Tech team.

Oman Racing with TF Sport’s Ahmad Al Harthy stormed to a dominant GTE Am class pole position at Spa-Francorchamps on Friday, 28th April – a landmark first qualifying topping performance from the Omani in his maiden season in the FIA World Endurance Championship. 

Harry King (Allied-Racing) has hit the ground running in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland: The UK racer won the season-opening race on the famous Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) ahead of the two Dutchmen, Larry ten Voorde and Loek Hartog (both GP Elite). This was King’s debut in Porsche’s German one-make cup – which he promptly won. “It feels great to start the season with such a sense of achievement. We used the free practice to set the car up for this track. It makes me all the more pleased that we were rewarded as a team,” said King about his success in the race run as part of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) support programme.

The No. 6 Porsche 963 will tackle the six-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps from the sixth grid spot. In qualifying for round three of this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship WEC, Frenchman Kévin Estre was the fastest driver at the wheel of a hybrid prototype “Made in Flacht”. His fellow countryman Frédéric Makowiecki qualified the sister car fielded by Porsche Penske Motorsport on the fifth grid row. The customer squad Hertz Team Jota gave a convincing performance in the hunt for top times in Belgium with seventh place.

The Spa-Francorchamps circuit hosted qualifying for round three of the FIA World Endurance Championship, in which the Ferrari 499Ps took second and third place. The times posted by Miguel Molina at the wheel of the number 50 Hypercar and Antonio Giovinazzi in the number 51 mean the Prancing Horse cars will set off from a favourable position in the 6 Hours of Spa on Saturday, 29 April at 12.45 p.m. (local time).

The three Porsche 963 fielded by Porsche Penske Motorsport at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans will be decked out in a distinctive design. However, the fundamental look of the 963 will stay the same. The colourful designs were unveiled today (Friday, 28 April) as part of the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC race weekend in Belgium. On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Porsche brand, the No. 75 vehicle will tackle the Hypercar class at the 100th anniversary of the 24-hour race as an additional entry from the Stuttgart sports car manufacturer.

Top Chinese squad, Climax Racing, has confirmed a two-car Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS entry featuring, among others, 2018 champion Dennis Lind.

The field continues to grow for the opening round of this season’s ADAC GT Masters, which takes place on 10th June at the “Festival of Dreams” at the Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg. Schubert Motorsport has registered one BMW M4 GT3 for the 2023 season. The team from the Magdeburger Börde region of Germany can call on the services of Ben Green, who won last year’s Pirelli Junior competition. Eduardo Coseteng from the Philippines will share the cockpit of the super sports car with the 25-year-old Brit.

The Heart of Racing (HOR) will head to the bayou for the next rounds in Pirelli GT4 America and GT America powered by AWS. HOR will return to NOLA Motorsports Park after racing to a Pirelli GT4 America podium finish at the track with Gray Newell and Ian James last season. 

Phantom Pro Racing Team has confirmed a two-car Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS entry for the upcoming campaign, which begins at Chang International Circuit in Thailand on May 12-14.

The Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland returns from its winter break: the 34th season gets underway on the spectacular Ardennes rollercoaster of Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) from 27 to 29 April. Thanks to its capacity grid of 32 drivers, the start of the season as part of the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC support programme promises some gripping race action. Fans can look forward to two thrilling events with the 375 kW (510 PS) Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

Motivated by multiple successes at the season-opener earlier this month, Wright Motorsports heads to New Orleans, Louisiana this weekend for Rounds three and four of the SRO Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS. The Ohio-based team has some unfinished business at NOLA Motorsports Park and will enter both the No. 45 Porsche 911 GT3 R (type 992) of Charlie Luck and Jan Heylen and the No. 120 Porsche 911 GT3 R (type 991.2) of Adam Adelson and Elliott Skeer to fight for top honors. Adelson and the No. 120 Porsche will also compete in the GT America powered by AWS, riding the momentum of his victorious weekend at Sonoma Raceway.

Spa-Francorchamps, one of the most iconic tracks in global motorsport, hosts the third race of the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship this Saturday, 29th April – an encounter which Ahmad Al Harthy hopes will mark a turning point in his rookie WEC season.

Race winner Jeffrey Lee joins Mercedes-AMG driver Maxi Goetz in the first of Craft-Bamboo Racing’s two Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS entries.

Porsche Penske Motorsport travels to round three of the FIA World Endurance Championship WEC feeling confident. At the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, the works team is determined to build on its successful outing in Portugal’s Portimão, where the LMDh-compliant Porsche secured its first podium result in the WEC. Three “Made in Flacht” hybrid prototypes will contest the Hypercar class: In addition to the two factory cars, the customer outfit Hertz Team JOTA fields a 963 for the first time. In the GTE-Am class, five other Porsche customer teams fight for victory with six 911 RSR from Weissach.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival will not be the only event making music in New Orleans, Louisiana this weekend, as SRO America brings multiple championship battles to New Orleans Motorsports Park for two packed days of sports car racing. Four Flying Lizard Motorsport entries will compete in the event, racing in Rounds Five and Six of the GT America Powered by AWS and Rounds Three and Four of the Pirelli GT4 America series. With three Aston Martin Vantage GT4 cars and one Porsche 911 GT3 R, the Lizards have multiple attempts to hit it big in the Big Easy.