The autumn of motorsport is now in full swing, with a great series of challenges for the Belgian ProSpeed Competition team. The team run by Luc Goris and Rudi Penders has only just returned from the penultimate round of the European Le Mans Series in Hungary and is already hastily preparing for the following meeting: The Blancpain 1000. In the tradition of the 1000-kilometer races on the renowned German Nürburgring the European championship for GT3 cars, namely the Blancpain Endurance Series rounds off the season with a classic event. For the occasion ProSpeed Competition will be entering two cars, on the one hand the Porsche 911 GT3-R #75 bearing the colours of Alcra Flash-MoWeKo-CMF-Spike Communications for the regular trio Marc Hennerici, Maxime Soulet and Xavier Maassen and on the other the American tinted Porsche 911 GT3-R #48, in the livery of Paul Reed Smith, OMP, Miller Motorsport Park, Battery Tender, Alchemy, for Joe Foster, Charlie Putman and Charles Espenlaub, with which this trio will be rounding off their European tour. Precisely one year ago ProSpeed Competition won this final round of the Blancpain Endurance Series.
The Blancpain Endurance Series is the European endurance competition for GT3 cars and after three races of 180 minutes, at Monza (IT), Silverstone (GB) and Paul Ricard (FR), the traditional 24 Hours of Spa (B), the season is rounded off with a third different format, namely a 1000 kilometres race over maximum 6 hours. As such an extended sprint, such as during the first three races of the season is out of the question, and this race is to be taken as a true endurance event.
Rudi Penders (ProSpeed Competition Team Principal) : “In fact such a 1000 kilometres race is quite different from the 180 minutes rounds of the first half of the season. The strategy comes to the forefront and taking into account the quality of our cars and our team, I believe we can once again aim for a strong result. I’m also looking forward to the new collaboration with our American friends, who will be rounding off their European adventure here with us. We are also working together with a sponsor who has generated a great deal, the American guitar manufacturer Paul Reed Smith or PRS. With him there is true talk of motorsport cuture …”
Marc Hennerici (GER – Driver – Porsche 911 GT3-R #75 – Pro Cup) : “I’m obviously looking forward to this race, it is on my home ground, on the fabulous Nürburgring circuit and the fact that it’s a race over 1000 kilometres adds to the magic. On top of that it is still the 50th anniversary of the Porsche 911, a car that only a week ago here clinched its 500th class victory, so we know what we need to achieve!”
Charlie Putman (USA – Driver – Porsche 911 GT3-R #48 – ProAm Cup) : “This race is, provisionally, the end of a brilliant human and sporting adventure on Europe’s finest circuits. Together with ProSpeed Competition we raced in Monza, Spa, Silverstone and recently on the Nordschleife; how much better than that can a visit to Europe be in a Porsche 911? Our adventure has been far too short, because what we experienced was quite simply fantastic, in all areas.”