The International GT Open is back after the summer break with one of its most emblematic rounds : Spa-Francorchamps. It is no secret that the great track in the Belgian Ardennes is one of the most-liked by all drivers and motorsports fans, and expectation is always high for this well-established event. As it is traditional, Spa opens the final stretch of the season, which includes two other landmark stops (Monza and Barcelona), and therefore is of key importance with regard to the title battles. But, this year, Spa will also see quite a few very interesting novelties…
Álvaro Parente and Miguel Ramos, with their Teo Martín McLaren 650S, arrive in Belgium as the leaders in the overall standings, but with a very narrow margin (4 and 5 points, respectively) over the two AF Corse pairs composed of Raffaele Giammaria-Ezequiel Pérez-Companc and Michele Rugolo-Pasin Lathouras. Preparing for the decisive phase of the season, Teo Martín Motorsport has decided to step up its efforts, entering a second McLaren 650S for a stellar pair composed of McLaren drivers, GT ace Rob Bell and young gun Andrew Watson. The British duo has the clear mission to ‘steal’ as many points as possible from competitors.
Still in contention for the title is also the Villorba Corse Ferrari F458, which lies 22 points from the lead, with Alessandro Balzan-Nicola Benucci. Another car that should be very competitive on the fast Belgian track is the Lamborghini Gallardo of
AERT, with the Spanish-Russian outfit bringing a change in its driver pair: Argentine’s Matías Russo, who took a win in Estoril with a Ferrari, is now alongside Anton Nebylistskiy, replacing Álvaro Barba.
The fight is close also in the GT-Am category, where Claudio Sdanewitsch-Ilya Melnikov have a 4-point lead over their AF Corse team mate Filipe Barreiros. The Portuguese will race alone, while Sdanewitsch, following a previous commitment of Melnikov, will have an occasional and exceptional team mate: local hero Stéphane Lémeret, the well-known driver and journalist, a fresh Pro-Am winner at the Spa 24 Hours. AF Corse enters a third car in GT-Am for Yannick Mallégol-Howard Blank, a pair seen regularly in the GT Open and that rarely misses the Spa rendez-vous.
Two new and great entries will spice up the Spa grid. Stalwart British team TF Sport, who made a sensational appearance at Silverstone last year, is back with an Aston Martin Vantage, this time entrusted to a top GT-Am pair composed of Briton Euan Hankey and Turkey’s Salih Yoluc. A very welcome latest addition is another Vantage GT3, entered by Aston Martin Brussels, a competitive outfit which is not new in the series, as it competed with great success under the GPR banner in 2012- 14. The car is entrusted to local stars Tim Verbergt and Michael Schmetz. From Germany comes a beautiful and rare GT racer such as the Ford GT, entered by Alzen Motorsport for Jürgen Alzen, who normally competes in the VLN series but is looking “getting involved in a new and exciting challenge such as the GT Open.”
In the GT Open Cup, the two Radicals RXC V8 will continue their close and spectacular duel, almost as a prelude to the Radical Sprint & Enduro series, which are now faithful partners in the GT Open and Euroformula Open rounds. The programme for Spa, a round organized together with Kronos Events, also includes the Euro Series, the International DMV TCC and the 5Club MX5 Championship, and offers free access to spectators.