RNW Staff

The #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport BMW M6 GT3 set the fastest average time in qualifying for the Total 24 Hours of Spa to lead a contingent of 20 cars into tomorrow’s SuperPole session, while starting positions 21 through 63 have been finalised for this weekend’s race.

This weekend sees the 70th edition of the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, one of the world’s most prestigious GT races, and the most important run by SRO.

Thousands of fans lined the roads into Spa town centre today as a phenomenal collection of contemporary and classic cars took part in the annual Total 24 Hours of Spa parade.

The upcoming ADAC GT Masters fixture at the Nürburgring (3rd – 5th August) will be a very special event for Zakspeed BKK Mobil Oil Racing for two reasons. The local team from the Eifel region of Germany are celebrating their 50th birthday this year and will be contesting a home fixture in this special birthday year. The team managed by Peter Zakowski field two Mercedes-AMG GT3s in the ADAC GT Masters and won the series in 2015.

After a P2 and a P3 finish in the past two years, there can be only one objective for Mercedes-AMG Motorsport in the upcoming 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps, namely outright victory. To accomplish this mission, the German performance and sports car brand is entering the largest contingent of all manufacturers. In the run-up to the endurance classic, we spoke to Stefan Wendl, Head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing, about preparations and expectations.

Cetilar Villorba Corse finished eleventh overall the 4 Hours of the Red Bull Ring, which was a very challenging third round of the 2018 European Le Mans Series 2018, with the crew formed by Roberto Lacorte, Giorgio Sernagiotto and Felipe Nasr at the wheel of the Dallara P217 Gibson.

Last weekend’s Silverstone Classic has been universally hailed as another massive success by the 100,000 visitors, competitors, performers, grid organisers, exhibitors, car clubs, and media, who savoured three extraordinary days of epic entertainment at the home of British motor sport.

Hobson Motorsport is set to make its debut in the CAMS Australian GT Championship at Sydney Motorsport part with an iconic Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3.

The 70th edition Total 24 Hours of Spa is officially underway, with the first track activity in preparation for this weekend’s race completed this afternoon.

This weekend, the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe will take place on one of the most “iconic” and historic circuits. The over seven kilometers of the Spa-Francorchamps track will host the fourth of the six double rounds of the continental series, which will take place on the same weekend as the 24 Hours, in a context of absolute importance. During its ten editions, the one-make series for the cars of the House of Sant’Agata Bolognese has never missed its appointment with the Belgian circuit and this important milestone will be celebrated with almost 50 Huracán Super Trofeo Evos on the grid. The level is high and games are still open in all four classes, therefore it will be a balanced and entertaining challenge, with 22 drivers who have so far taken the top step of the podium.

Emil Frey Lexus Racing will give the Lexus RC F GT3 its debut in the Total 24 Hours of Spa this weekend, the centrepiece of the 2018 Blancpain GT Series.

Spa-Francorchamps, scene of Ahmad Al Harthy and Oman Racing’s sensational Blancpain Endurance Cup Pro-Am title triumph 12 months ago, welcomes the globe’s biggest and best GT3 championship for the 2018 instalment of the Total 24 Hours of Spa this week – and the Muscat driver cannot wait.

GT Sport Motul Team RJN is ready to push the 2018-spec Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 through its first 24 hour race this week at the fabled Spa 24 Hour in Belgium.

Ahead of this year’s 70th edition Total 24 Hours of Spa, SRO Motorsports Group founder and CEO Stéphane Ratel discusses the importance of the Belgian endurance classic to the past, present and future of the organisation.

Former European Le Mans Series LMGTE Champion Alex MacDowall sustained a harsh blow to his 2018 title ambitions at the Red Bull Ring in Austria on Sunday, 22nd July, when gearbox problems during round three of the season resulted in a very frustrating retirement. 

The Ligier JS P3s won their category in the Red Bull Ring 4 Hours and monopolised the podium in the third round of the 2018 European Le Mans Series. Victory went to the #15 RLR Msport Ligier JS P3 followed by the #7 Ligier JS P3 entered by Ecurie Ecosse/Nielsen in second place and the #13 Ligier JS P3 run by Inter Europol Competition in third. In the LM P2 category, the #22 United Autosports Ligier JS P217 finished third.

Four Porsche 911 GT3 R race cars will contest the 70th running of the 24 Hours of Spa. Regarded as one of Europe’s major long-distance classics alongside the 24-hour races of Le Mans and the Nürburgring, Spa marks round two of the Intercontinental GT Challenge and the fourth race of the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup. Porsche supports four customer teams with works drivers and engineers at the race on 28-29 July. Tackling the event are the two Porsche teams from the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, Manthey-Racing and Herberth Motorsport, as well as the KÜS Team75 Bernhard and Black Swan Racing squads. Six current works drivers as well as the former factory driver and the current head of Porsche Customer Racing, Marc Lieb, form the driver crews in the four ca. 500 hp customer racers. For the marathon race in Belgium, 68 cars from 13 marques are entered. In addition to the 64 vehicles that comply with the FIA GT3 regulations, four other vehicles are registered, including three Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars.

On paper, the famous Ardennes circuit played into the hands of the BMWs, given their strong points (acceleration and high-speed corners). But, as we witnessed in the previous rounds, races are not won or lost on paper and the GT4 European Series pecking order is defined by many factors, such as weather, Balance of Performance, driver adaptability and, last but not least, penalties.

Third and last ELMS race for the TDS Racing French driver line-up made of Loïc Duval, François Perrodo and Matthieu Vaxivière. Entered for the season in the WEC championship, they entered three ELMS races this season to get some additional driving. Next stop Silverstone 6 Hours. The car will then go overseas, and therefore will not compete in other ELMS races this year.

RLR MSport returned to the top step of the podium in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) 4 Hours of the Red Bull Ring (21-22 July).