Jimmy Eriksson’s first 24 Hours of Spa experience ended with a heavy bang against the infamous Eau Rouge barriers, the Swede heartbroken by a curtain-dropping crash when running third for the #84 HTP Motorsport squad.
Making his debut in the Blancpain GT Series’ blue-riband event, Eriksson’s weekend in Belgium initially went very much according to plan. The #84 crew featuring Eriksson, Franck Perera and Maximilian Buhk qualified a strong sixth on the 63-car grid, as the sole Mercedes-AMG GT3 entry to line up inside the top ten for the esteemed GT classic.
Six hours into the race, the #84 was running third overall with Eriksson behind the wheel, closing in on the leaders and demonstrating potentially race-winning pace.
Going into the night, however, Eriksson suddenly suffered a big crash at the daunting Eau Rouge uphill sweeper. The HTP Motorsport Mercedes was sent smashing into the outside wall at high speed, destroying the car and marking an immediate end to the race.
“I’m really sorry it had to end this way,” says Jimmy Eriksson. “I touched the inside kerb just a little bit too hard, which unsettled the car. Once it snapped, there was nothing I could do. I feel terrible for the team, especially since the race got off to such a promising start. I can only apologise and it’s a big shame.”
While the impact took place at nearly 200 km/h, Eriksson escaped largely unscathed, suffering only minor bruises.
“I’m fine,” Eriksson confirms. “The left foot took a bit of a hit and my neck is sore, but nothing major. This was the biggest crash I’ve had in my career and I’m happy to see the safety measures working so well.”
The 2017 edition of the 24 Hours of Spa was won by Audi trio Christopher Haase, Markus Winkelhock and Jules Gounon.
The next round of the 2017 Blancpain GT Series takes place at Hungary’s Hungaroring, which hosted its annual Formula 1 Grand Prix this weekend, on August 25-27.
RESULTS(top five)
Blancpain GT Series | Rd. 7
Endurance Cup | Rd. 4 24 Hours of Spa, Belgium
1: C.Haase/M.Winkelhock/J.Gounon, 546 laps Sainteloc, Audi R8 GT3
2: A.Soucek/M.Soulet/V.Abril, 546 laps M-Sport, Bentley Continental GT3
3: R.Marciello/M.Meadows/E.Mortara, 546 laps AKKA-ASP, Mercedes-AMG GT3
4: K.Estre/M.Christensen/L.Vanthoor, 546 laps KÜS Team75 Bernhard, Porsche 991 GT3 R
5: F.Vervisch/C.Mies/C.De Phillippi, 546 laps Team WRT, Audi R8 GT3
— 52 (DNF): J.Eriksson/M.Buhk/F.Perera, 142 laps HTP Motorsport, Mercedes-AMG GT3
David Martin-JaniakMotorsports has always been a passion for me, I've raced in Karting and now I have my own Motorsports news website, so i can help other racers convey their passion to the world!
24 Hours of Spa, Belgium
