SPORTSCAR

In the standout fixture of the 2021 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup last weekend (29th July 1st August), GRT Grasser Racing put in a heroic effort that sadly went unrewarded. The team gave yet another demonstration of its indomitable fighting spirit on the occasion of the legendary 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. After a crash in qualifying, the crew rebuilt the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO in record time to ensure participation in the endurance classic. Clemens Schmid, Kikko Galbiati and Alberto Di Folco pushed forward relentlessly from last place on the grid. Until they were forced to retire after 15 hours, they had made up no fewer than 28 positions.

Hong Kong race driver Jonathan Hui returned to racing action last weekend for his second race of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup season, after a confidence boosting victory at Paul Ricard last time out. Sky Tempesta Racing headed into the race weekend knowing it would be a tough battle to repeat 2020’s success with Platinum rated star-driver Giancarlo Fisichella not permitted to join the line-up. Hui joined forces with Chris Froggatt, Edward Cheever III and experienced Italian endurance racer Matteo Cressoni at the historic TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa in Belgium. 

Finlay Hutchison’s hopes of a big result in this year’s TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa were dashed less than a quarter of the way through the race late on Saturday night at the famous Belgian track, when Sainteloc Racing team-mate Jamie Green was involved in an accident which led to retirement.

The wait for the much-wanted renewed overall win by Mercedes-AMG in the 24-hour race at Spa continues.  With the third consecutive pole position, the performance and sports car brand from Affalterbach got the event underway with a good start. However, like in the two previous years, the efforts were to remain unrewarded. First of all, the pole sitters with the #88 Mercedes-AMG Team AKKA ASP had to retire from the race with a broken shock absorber, having spent more than 13 hours in the front-running group. On Sunday morning, the race also came to an end for the #4 Mercedes-AMG Team HRT car while on course for the top ten: several minor damaged had added up and impeded the balance of the race car to such an extent that it could no longer continue the race in a competitive way. The best-placed Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the field of 58 cars was the #89 car in tenth overall. As a result, the AKKA ASP trio of Lucas Auer (AUT), Timur Boguslavskiy (RUS) and Felipe Fraga (BRA) also scored valuable points for the 2021 Intercontinental GT Challenge for which the race at Spa served as the season opener. In the Silver Cup, meanwhile, the race was successful: with the #90 Mercedes-AMG GT3 run by Madpanda Motorsport, Rik Breukers (NED), Ezequiel Perez Companc (ARG), Patrick Kujala (FIN) and Ricardo Sanchez (MEX) were leading the class for large parts of the 24-hour duration. After 551 laps, final driver Breukers brought the class victory home (P11 overall). The #7 Toksport WRT crew also managed to finish on the class podium: in the rainy and turbulent final stage, Marvin Dienst (GER), Axcil Jefferies (ZIM), Paul Petit (FRA) and Oscar Tunjo (COL) secured second place in the Silver Cup (P13 overall). This year’s 24-hour race at Spa marked the 50th anniversary of AMG’s first major motorsport success as the legendary Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.8 AMG secured the class win at Spa and finished second overall.