It is with a certain pride that DVB RACING can look back on the recent 63rd edition of the 24 Hours of Spa. The Willebroek based team had entered a BMW M3 GT4 for the event, for a mixed Italian, Belgian and German quartet, and at 16.00hrs on Sunday crossed the finish line in second place in the GT4 class. Christophe Legrand (B), Raffaele Sangiuolo (It), Giuseppe de Pasquale (It) and Wolfgang Haugg (D) drove an almost faultless run and the BMW M3 proved itself to be an extremely reliable machine in this gruelling race on the world renowned circuit in the Belgian Ardennes.
The 24 Hours of Spa is the highlight event of the Blancpain Endurance Series, a championship reserved for cars emanating from the GT3 and GT4 class. The GT4 is a category, reserved for GT cars, which are very close to the standard series models. Amongst others Porsche, Aston Martin, Nissan, Lotus and BMW are the main contenders in this category. With no less than 62 GT3s and GT4s at the start, this recent edition in Spa was the most fought out race since the GTs replaced the Touring cars back in 2001.
Frank Thuriaux (DVB RACING Team Manager)
“I’m obviously truly proud of the team’s performance. During the practice sessions it appeared that we had a reliable car, and perfectly prepared for this race. However I did make a slight misjudgement regarding the set-up which is why our lap times were not that brilliant, but on the other hand the importance of the qualifying times is of less importance in a 24 hours race. The race itself was perfect, apart from two accidents, and for which I cannot reproach my drivers. Due to this we did lose some ten laps, amongst others for repairs to the steering connecting rod and the realignment of the car. Ten laps was exactly the difference which separated us from the winning Nissan 370Z. Had we not experienced those accidents we would definitely have been in a position to fight it out for victory. Whether we would have made it is of course pure conjecture.”
The promising young Antwerp driver Christophe Legrand was one of the team’s drivers and experienced a brilliant debut in the most legendary of all GT competitions. “It was something I will never forget: to be standing on the podium in the 24 Hours of Spa. The race itself was not easy, on the one hand due to the climatic conditions, but also the enormity of the field. You need to be permanently keeping a watchful eye in your mirrors for the faster GT3 cars and definitely for the works cars which were charging through at a high peace throughout the 24 hours. I must admit that I have learned a great deal and definitely want to be back at the start again in the future! My thanks also to DVB RACING, not only for the perfect preparation but also the perfect BMW M3 GT4.”
DVB RACING is now preparing for the last competition of the Blancpain Endurance Series with the BMW M3 in Magny-Cours (27/9) and Silverstone (9/10). Raffaele Sangiuolo and Giuseppe de Pasquale will be defending the colours of the Belgian team. DVB RACING is in fact also competing in the second half of the Belcar Endurance Championship season, starting off with the 24 Hours of Zolder, to be held during the first weekend of September. On Belgian soil the team in the first instance is counting on the fast and reliable Chrysler Viper GTS-R.
Source : DVB Racing