US team KPAX Racing entered the Huracan #6 which set the fastest lap in practice but was then disqualified due to a technical infringement. Although forced to start from the 30th grid position, the car progressed through the field and took the lead after four hours. But two punctures relegated the #6 Huracan one lap down and the win was beyond reach. Final result was 11th overall.
Story and Photos by Hugues Vanhoolandt
With sixty six entries, this year’s TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa confirmed its status of world’s premier endurance race for GT cars.
Nine manufacturers entered at least one car in the 2022 edition: Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche.
For once, the weather remained dry all weekend. However, the race was lively until the end with a definite advantage for Porsche, BMW and above all Mercedes-AMG whose cars have finished in first, second and fourth place. The Stuttgart manufacturer, each time in pole position for the past three years, had been waiting for this victory since 2013 and it came thanks to the French team Akkodis ASP for whom this is the first victory here.
Fortunately, there are several categories according to the quality of the drivers which make it possible to console the manufacturers who did not win in the general classification. So, if Mercedes also wins the Bronze Cup, Audi wins the Silver Cup and Ferrari takes the Pro-AM Cup and the Gold Cup with an all-female crew called the Iron Dames … quite a program.
Now, let’s see the highlights for each manufacturer. Plus, a few views of the famous Spa circuit as seen from various locations.
Aston Martin (3 entries)
With only three entries, chances of victory were limited for the Aston Martin squad. Moreover, the cars were handicapped by a lack of top speed. Here the #23 finished 17th and last in the PRO category while the other PRO entry finished 10th
Entered in the Silver category, #97 was among the first retirements.
Audi (12 entries)
The #32 Audi R8 LMS of Belgian team WRT was leading both Endurance and Sprint Cups before Spa and was among the favorites. But on Sunday morning, Weerts had to jump on the brakes to avoid a car and #46 of the same team couldn’t avoid him. The race was over for #32.
#46 bears traces of contact with #32. This is the car that had the most supporters this weekend because it was driven by legendary MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi, now racing cars instead. Entered in the PRO category, this car could only secure a 17th place overall.
No R8 finished in the top ten. One of the satisfactions for the Audi clan was still the second place in the Gold Cup for car #33 (24th overall).
Another happy note was the win in the highly competitive-Silver Cup for car # 30 of Simmenauer/Goethe/Neubauer (13th overall).
Bentley (1 entry)
With the withdrawal of competition of the official team, only the French Classic and Modern Racing team was entering a Bentley Continental GT3 in the Gold Cup but had to retire after nine hours.
BMW (5 entries)
The performances of the all-new M4 GT3 were expected and they did not disappoint even if the end result was a little unsatisfactory with only a 5th and a 6th place. Rowe Racing #98 was second two hours before the finish, but a puncture put an end to hopes of podium.
The team’s #50, driven by the BMW Junior Team drivers, was also in the battle for a podium finish but tyre damage before the last pit stop cost them 20 seconds. This car finally finished fifth, 14 seconds away from third place.
In the Silver Cup, Samantha Tan Racing was entering the #28 for Samantha Tan herself and three other drivers. A mechanical issue in the first hours made them lose 17 laps. They finished 9th in class and 36th overall.
Walkenhorst Motorsport, winner here in 2018, was entering car #34 for Americans Heistand, Dinan and Foley supported by BMW official driver Jens Klingmann. Entered in the Gold Cup, a technical problem led to the retirement with seven hours to go, but not without Robby Foley setting the fastest lap in his class.
Ferrari (5 entries)
Winner last year, Ferrari and the Iron Lynx team were among the favorites for overall victory. #51 driven by Molina, Nielsen and Calado led briefly on the early morning hours but had to settle for a disappointing ninth place overall.
The other entry of the team, driven by Fuoco, Rigon and Serra, showed a strong pace throughout to achieve a third place overall, 46 seconds behind the winners.
One Ferrari was entered in each of the other categories. In the Gold Cup, #21 entered by AF Corse only managed a 7th place in its class and a 33rd overall.
The other AF Corse entry was #52 in the Pro-AM Cup for amateur drivers Costantini and Machiels and Pro (and Ferrari official) drivers Bertolini and Rovera. They won their class and achieved a 20th place overall.
But the real hit was the win in the Gold Cup for the all-female line-up entered by Iron Lynx and called Iron Dames. Starting 47th overall and 11th in class, the first all-female entry at the Spa 24 hours in 25 years managed to gain 29 places overall and win their class.
The ‘Iron Dames’ Sarah Bovy, Doriane Pin, Michelle Gatting and Rahel Frey, savor their victory on the podium.
Lamborghini (9 entries)
The #63 Huracan of Swiss team Emil Frey Racing was among the favorites with a strong line-up of drivers including ex-F1 driver Jack Aitken. But a crash during the night ended any hopes of good result.
The team of Italian ex-F1 driver Vincenzo Sospiri entered two Huracans in the Silver Cup. The #163 was the best finisher of the two with a fourth place in class and a 21st overall.
McLaren (4 entries)
Four cars were entered, one in each category except the Bronze Cup. #38 of Jota Sport was the one designated to try to go for the victory in the general classification. It finally ended 8th overall, in the same lap than the winning car.
No luck for the two McLarens entered by British team Garage 59 as both were involved in accidents due to other driver’s fault.
Mercedes-AMG (14 entries)
With fourteen entries, the brand from Stuttgart could envisage victory in each of the categories. #75 entered by Australian Kenny Habul’s team took a strong second place in the Pro-Am Cup, only beaten by Ferrari #52.
The Bronze Cup has only two entries, a Mercedes and a BMW. The victory goes to the Mercedes #20 piloted in particular by a female pilot, Reema Juffali of Saudi Arabia.
But it is of course overall victory that interested the German manufacturer whose wishes were granted beyond all expectation as #55 finished fourth overall …
#2 finished second …
and #88, entered by French team Akkodis ASP, after taking pole position, took the overall victory, a first after nine years for the brand.
The joy of the winning crew made up of the Spanish Daniel Juncadella, French Jules Gounon (already a winner here in 2017) and Swiss Raffaele Marciello.
Porsche (13 entries)
Present in almost all categories, the Porsches are the delight of several amateur drivers such as those of German team Allied Racing.
Entered by the Hong Kong based KCMG team, car #47 put in a strong performance, climbing from 65th place on the grid, following a brake failure during practice, to 7th place overall.
Qualified on the 1st row of the starting grid, the Porsche #54 took the lead from the start and remained in the leading pack until the 8th hour when a collision with another competitor put an end to his race.
It was definitely not the year of Porsche because the 911 GT3-R entered in the Pro category by the Toksport WRT team was also forced to retire after 17 hours of racing.
GPX Racing, based in Dubai, had reconstituted the 2019 winning crew (Estre/Lietz/Christensen). Their 911 bore one of the most beautiful decorations of this edition, evoking a legendary 917. But that wasn’t enough as an engine failure during the night ended the team’s hope of repeating history.
Exiting ‘La Source’ hairpin, the peloton begins the descent towards ‘Eau Rouge’, the most challenging corner of Spa Francorchamps circuit.
The descent to ‘Eau Rouge’ seen from another angle, with the new grandstand at the top of the hill.
The descent facing the old stands and the Uniroyal tower.
The bottom of the ‘Eau Rouge’ basin, the lowest point of the circuit.
The climb towards the top of the hill.
The Brussels corner, the highest point of the circuit.
The exit of Brussels’s bend.
The descent commences towards the finish line and the paddock which are in the background of the image.
This is why the Spa circuit is also called the toboggan of the Ardennes.