The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT to defend Spa 24 hrs title with two different generations of the Audi R8 racer

The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT to defend Spa 24 hrs title with two different generations of the Audi R8 racer

21/07/2015

The Big Race’s time has come: the Total 24 Hours of Spa, undisputedly the most prestigious GT race in the world, is attracting all focus this week up to the chequered flag on Sunday afternoon at 4:30, when the winner will be known. The Belgian Audi Club Team WRT has prepared well for this key rendez-vous, which on top takes place on home soil. It has ahead the very challenging task to defend both the title conquered in 2014 and the exceptional record of having finished on the podium in the last four editions, including another victory, the maiden one, in 2011. This year, the Belgian squad will be on track with two of the new Audis R8 LMS, entered on behalf of Audi Sport, and two Audis R8 LMS ultra, of which one fully under the Belgian Audi Club banner. Participating with two different generations of the R8 racer is just another challenge and opportunity that this exciting 2015 edition entails.

The Total 24 Hours of Spa will be the second and final endurance race test for the new Audi R8 LMS before it will go into production for customers in September. Last May, one of the new cars, prepared by Team WRT, won at the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring, driven by Vanthoor-Muller-Sandström-Mies. This, though, does not mean much ahead of the Ardennes’ classic. “The races at Spa and at the Nürburgring are not comparable. The Spa 24 Hours are part of the Blancpain Endurance Series in which, due to the regulations, a different rating of the various race cars applies than at the Nürburgring,” says Romolo Liebchen, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. The teams work together with a different tire manufacturer who is mandatory for all the participants in this series. These differences should not be underrated, according to Liebchen: “Still, we’re going to try everything we can to continue our success and have put ourselves in a strong position in terms of technology, the teams and the drivers. Following the race at Spa, we’ll be ready for the production launch.”

Team WRT Principal Vincent Vosse, knowing well the 24 Hours, is cautious in making any prediction: “The 24 Hours is an exercise different to all others, with many variables you cannot master. What you can do is prepare well, taking care of every detail, and sharpening your focus and determination. This is what we have done. In the past, we have been successful thanks to that and the extraordinary reliability of the Audis. We will see what this year brings but we all know that it is going to be a difficult battle, maybe more than ever. Still, we are ready and having our eggs in different baskets may prove useful…”

Driving the Audi Sport Team WRT new R8 LMS will be, on car #1, Laurens Vanthoor-Markus Winkelhock-René Rast, the trio that came first last year, and Nico Müller-Frank Stippler-Stéphane Ortelli, another top team, on car #2. For Vanthoor, going for a second consecutive win should be a thought and not an obsession: “We know we have a good car, the right driver line-ups and a perfect team, but still, things won’t be easy at all”, says the young Belgian hero, “The competition was impressive during the test day and at the Paul Ricard and I would certainly wait until qualifying is over, to say anything about what this year’s race could be like”.

Running under the Belgian Audi Club colors, the current-generation and long-time proven R8 LMS ultra, will be on different specifications and entrusted to a trio of fast young guns: Robin Frijns-Jean-Karl Vernay-Stéphane Richelmi. As Vosse points out, “this car will have a key role in this year’s effort”.

As customary in the Blancpain Endurance Series, a fourth car is entered in the Pro-Am Cup by Team WRT, with James Nash joining the regular Bottemanne-Koebolt-Schothorst trio.

The Total 24 Hours of Spa, which will give extra points towards the Blancpain Endurance Series at the 6th and 12^th hour marks, sees track activity starting today for the Bronze drivers, with qualifying on Thursday and the Super Pole (for the 20 fastest cars) on Friday. The start (Saturday) and finish (Sunday) time is 16:30 hrs CET.

Blancpain Endurance Series - Round 4

Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium (24 Hours)

25-26 July 2015

Timetable (all times local = CET)

Tuesday, 21^st July 2015

15:00-18:00 Bronze test

Wednesday, 22^nd July 2015

16:00-18:00 Cars & drivers parade in Spa

Thursday, 23^rd July 2015

12:00-13:30 Free Practice
18:10-19:10 Pre-Qualifying

20:30-21:45 Qualifying

22:15-23:45 Night qualifying

Friday, 24^th July 2015

15:30-15:55 Super Pole (top 20)

Saturday, 25^th July 2015
09:00-09:25 Warm-up

16:30 Start of race

Sunday, 26^th July 2015

16:30 End of race

Audi Sport Team WRT (Audi R8 LMS)

#1 Laurens Vanthoor (B) – Markus Winkelhock (D) – René Rast (DE) (Pro)

#2 Frank Stippler (D) – Stéphano Ortelli (MC) - Nico Müller (CH) (Pro)

Belgian Audi Club Team WRT (Audi R8 LMS ultra)

#3 Robin Frijns (NL) – Jean-Karl Vernay (F) - Stéphane Richelmi (MC) (Pro)

Additional car entered by Team WRT (Audi R8 LMS ultra)

#4 Sacha Bottemanne (F)–Max Koebolt (NL)–Pieter Schothorst (NL)–James Nash (GB)

(Pro-Am)

Drivers’ provisional standings after Round 3 of 5 (Pro Cup):

1. Buncombe-Chiyo-Reip (Nissan GT-R) 45 points

2. Kane-Meyrick-Smith (Bentley Continental) 44

3. Vernay-Frijns-Vanthoor (Audi R8 LMS ultra) 43

4. Stippler-Ortelli (Audi R8 LMS ultra) 30

5. Van Gisbergen-Estre-Bell (McLares 650S) 26

11. Richelmi, N.Müller (Audi R8 LMS ultra) 15

Teams’ provisional standings after Round 3 of 5 (Pro Cup):

1. Bentley M-Sport 52 points

2. Nissan GT Academy RJN 49

3. Belgian Audi Club Team WRT 43

4. Von Ryan Racing 31

5. ROWE Racing 29