Twelve Porsche contest the Centenary 24 Hours of Spa

SROSPA24

Jun 27

Ten Porsche customer teams will field twelve 911 GT3 R crewed by 42 drivers at the endurance classic in Belgium next weekend. Six of the ca. 416 kW (565 PS) racing cars from Weissach will tackle the Pro class helmed exclusively by professional drivers – including many Porsche works drivers.

8 wins so far

Porsche can reflect on a long and illustrious history at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps: to date, a racing car from Weissach has won eight of the 75 endurance classics.

2020 Tandy / Bamber / Vanthoor (Porsche 911 GT3 R)
2019 Lietz / Christensen / Estre (Porsche 911 GT3 R)
2010 Dumas / J. Bergmeister / Ragginger / Henzler (Porsche 911 GT3 RSR)
2003 Ortelli / Lieb / Dumas (Porsche 911 GT3 RSR)
1993 C. Fittipaldi / Jarier / Alzen (Porsche 911 RSR)
1969 Chasseuil / Ballot-Léna (Porsche 911)
1968 Kremer / H. Kelleners / Kauhsen (Porsche 911)
1967 Gaban / Van Assche (Porsche 911)

Changing track conditions

After Porsche conducted successful tests during the two-day prologue about a month ago, large sections of the Belgian Grand Prix circuit have been resurfaced. “This throws totally new conditions at everyone – the new asphalt will turn everything upside down,” asserts Golz. “The track surface is not as rough, and the bumps have changed. In terms of vehicle setup, this means that everyone is starting from scratch.” To explore parameters such as the optimal spring-damper setup and tyre wear, the drivers spent valuable time on the track on Tuesday as part of an additional practice session.

The customer teams and drivers in the Pro category

Two current and one former Porsche works drivers will share a HubAuto Racing cockpit: local hero Laurens Vanthoor from Belgium, and the French pair Kévin Estre and Patrick Pilet.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Spa-Francorchamps 24 Hours test days.

Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche 911 GT3 R #992): “Spa-Francorchamps will be my third 24-hour race in just four weeks. I live about an hour from the racetrack and I’ve won my home race twice. I think that Kévin Estre, Patrick Pilet and I make an excellent crew – although it’ll be tough, especially against the permanently registered teams in the championship. I’m curious to see how it is out on the track after the major resurfacing work. We’re determined to bring home a podium result. If the chance to win presents itself, we want to be in a position to grab it.”

SSR Herberth puts its trust in an all-works driver-crew with the two Frenchmen Mathieu Jaminet and Frédéric Makowiecki as well as the Australian Matt Campbell. Jaminet and Campbell also benefited from the sports car manufacturer’s junior initiative.

Mathieu Jaminet (Porsche 911 GT3 R #92): “I missed last year’s 24 Hours of Spa for the first time in ages, so I’m thrilled to be back. SSR Performance and Herberth Motorsport – the two teams with whom I’ve achieved successes in the past – have joined forces for this race. The teamwork with Matt Campbell and Frédéric Makowiecki always runs beautifully. We have everything we need to hold our own against the strong competition.”

Joel Eriksson from Sweden, former Porsche Junior Jaxon Evans from New Zealand and Porsche works driver Thomas Preining from Austria will share driving duties for the Chinese team Phantom Global Racing. Porsche brand ambassador Timo Bernhard is also strongly involved in this project.

Thomas Preining (Porsche 911 GT3 R #23): “As the world's biggest and toughest GT3 race, the 24 Hours of Spa are always extremely entertaining. For us drivers, it’s particularly tricky to manage the traffic in such a huge field of racing cars that are almost equally competitive. Joel Eriksson, Jaxon Evans and I make a strong squad and we have a great team behind us. I can’t wait.”

Schumacher CLRT with the Frenchman Dorian Boccolacci and the two former Porsche Juniors Ayhancan Güven from Turkey and Germany’s Laurin Heinrich, represents one of the permanently registered teams in the GT World Challenge Europe.

Laurin Heinrich (Porsche 911 GT3 R #22): “I always look forward to the 24 Hours of Spa. We finished fifth at my Spa debut last year. With the new asphalt, everyone is starting from scratch before this weekend, which makes things particularly interesting. Dorian Boccolacci, Ayhancan Güven and I form a young and dynamic driver crew. With the second grid spot and a strong start at the season opener in Le Castellet, we demonstrated that we’re a force to be reckoned with.”

The same applies to Rutronik Racing with Patric Niederhauser from Switzerland, Sven Müller from Germany and the Frenchman Julien Andlauer. The latter two have also come up through the Porsche Junior ranks. Pure Rxcing rounds off the trio of registered Porsche customer teams in the Pro classification with drivers Alex Malykhin from the UK, former Porsche Junior Klaus Bachler from Austria and Joel Sturm from Germany. Source: Porsche

The schedule for the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (all times CEST)

Thursday, 27 June:
11:20 – 12:50 hrs: Free Practice
16:30 – 17:30 hrs: Pre-Qualifying
20:35 – 21:55 hrs: Qualifying
22:25 – 23:55 hrs: Night Practice

Friday, 28 June:
15:45 – 16:15 hrs: Superpole
20:10 – 20:40 hrs: Warm-up

Saturday, 29 June:
16:30 hrs: Green light 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps

Sunday, 30 June:
16:30 hrs: Chequered flag 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps