GT 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps 2006
The 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps 2006 was full of diverse battles for
the lead overall between the Aston Martin DBR9 and the Maserati MC12
the lead in GT2 between Ferrari F430 GT2 and the then-new Porsche 997 RSR GT2
the battle for third overall between the Saleen and the Chevrolet Corvette
For a long time, 4 manufacturers were within the 4 first contenders during 22 hours.
The trio Andrea Bertolini, Michael Bartels, Eric van de Poele driving Vitaphone Racing Team Maserati MC12 GT1 #1, won the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps 2006. That was Eric van de Poele’s 4th victory at the Belgian endurance classic and he was tied with the previous record-holder Jean-Michel Martin.
The Phoenix Racing Aston Martin DBR9 #5 had the lead during the whole 24 hours, until it had to make one more pit stop for fuel at the end. The quartet Andrea Picnic, Jean-Denis Deletraz, Marcel Fässler, Stéphane Lemeret started from pole position and finished second in the same lap as the winning team.
After ending 4th but being disqualified last year, the team got their revenge this year 2006 by ending 3rd on the podium of the 24 Hours of Francorchamps, despite a serious lubrication issue that required the team to pit more frequently and longer. Mike Hezemans, Bert Longin, Anthony Kumpen and Kurt Mollekens made a successful comeback with a new Chevrolet Corvette C6-R #4 prepared by GLPK-Carsport.
Aston Martin Racing BMS Aston Martin DBR9 #23 driven by Christian Pescatori, Fabio Babini, Peter Kox and Tomas Enge ended 4th, 11 laps behind the winners.
PSI Experience Chevrolet Corvette C6-R #34 driven by Jos Menten, Jean-Philippe Belloc, Patrick Bornhauser and Frédéric Bouvy ended 5th, 24 laps behind the winners.
AF Corse Ferrari F430 GT2 #59 driven by Mika Salo, Rui Aguas and Timo Scheider ended 6th overall and 1st of the GT2 class.
AF Corse did the double in the GT2 class by getting their second Ferrari F430 GT2 (#58) driven by Jaime Melo, Matteo Bobbi and Stephane Ortelli, ending 7th overall and 2nd of the GT2 class.
The 2 Ferrari were slower but more reliable than the new Porsche 997.
Zakspeed Racing Saleen S7-R #9 driven by Joraslav Janis, Sascha Bert, Andrea Montermini and Jan Charouz ended 8th, 35 laps behind the winners. They were fighting for P3 all along the race, until the mechanics had to replace a front left suspension during the 22nd hour, which cost the team 1/2 hour or 26 laps, allowing the Corvette to win the fight for the podium.
The #33 Race Alliance Aston Martin DBR9 driven by Karl Wendlinger, Philipp Peter, Christophe Bought and Robert Lechner finished 29th and classified last, 176 laps behind the winning Maserati.
Ice Pol Racing TeamPorsche GT3-RSR driven by the Belgian quartet Yves Lambert, Christian Lefort, Marc Goossens and Marc Duez finished 16th overall and 7th in the GT2.
Vitaphone Racing Team Maserati MC12 GT1 #2 was the second car to retire from the 24 hours race, after 44 laps.
Aston Martin Racing BMS DBR9 #24 Driven by Fabrizio Gollin, Miguel Ramos, Gabriele Lancieri and Matteo Malucelli had to retire after 179 laps.
