A few hours before the end of the race, the podium was within reach for the TDS Racing men but a puncture damaged the suspension of the car. This incident forced Franck Perera, Eric Dermont, Henry Hassid and Mathias Beche to retire!

Third Super Pole in three participations!

Throughout the practices of the 24 Hours of Spa, the #12 BMW Z4 GT3 was regularly among the front runners, especially with the 3rd fastest time in the Pro Am category at the pre-qualifying session. At the qualifying, Franck Perera managed to put the car into the twenty fastest cars which allowed him to be integrated in the Super Pole (session gathering the twenty fastest cars). On Friday, thanks to two fast laps, the French man set the 13th fastest time overall (3rd in Pro Am class). By the way, the TDS Racing team was the first private team running a BMW car of the entry list.

A catching up stopped by a puncture…

When the start was given on Saturday at 4.30pm, heavy rain fell on the Belgian circuit. Franck Perera took the start and managed to secure his position despite the tough track conditions. The four drivers completed their stints and the position of the car changed according to the numerous safety car which entered the track. After six hours of race, the #12 BMW Z4 was 3rd in Pro Am.

Just before 10 pm, a puncture slowed down the pace of the car. Thanks to the skills of the mechanics, the tyre was changed without losing too much time. Fallen to the 7th of its category, the BMW started to catch up. All through the night, Henry Hassid and Eric Dermont did not make any mistake while Franck Perera drove as fast as the professional drivers. Regarding Mathias Beche who did not drive a lot during the sessions, he became more confident in the car throughout his stints.

Unfortunately, at 9.30 am, a new puncture happened. Mathias had to complete one full lap with his flat tyre before going back to the pit. Unfortunately, the tyre damaged the damper as well as the bearing. Despite the repair, the car had to retire.

In Belgium, the team showed its whole potential all throughout the week. During the race, the #12 was in a good position and without the two punctures, the podium was within reach. Once more, the team did an amazing job, especially the mechanics who were very fast during the pit stops. Now, the crew is going to have its summer break. They will then, go to the Blancpain Endurance Series finale, at Nurburgring, in Germany (20th September) where the TDS Racing won last year.

Eric Dermont : «Despite our difficulties, we were able to come back in the front of the race every time. We avoided all the traps. Then, at our first puncture, we didn’t lose heart because we knew the race would be long. But at the second one, the damper was torn and the bearing was damaged, it was over! It is a difficult season for us. We are going to focus on European Le Mans Series because it would be a good reward for TDS Racing team to win the two titles, the crew works so much… »

Franck Perera: « I took a safe start because it was my first one with the BMW, under the rain in Pirelli tyres. Then I felt better, the car was really good. We did not make any mistakes; we had neither penalty nor crash. We planned to attack at daybreak and I think a podium was possible. A thing has to be kept in mind: we are a true Pro Am line-up with two real gentlemen drivers. We showed we had the capacity to fight among the front-runners. »
 
Mathias Beche: « My first double stint went well even if it was a bit of unknown for me, in the middle of the traffic and in tough conditions. I drove with slick tyres on wet track, the goal was to keep the car on track and learn throughout my stints to feel more confident at daybreak.

During the night, everything went well despite the lack of grip and visibility. I remained strong and brought the car back to the pit. But at my last stint, as I was happy to be finally able to drive on a dry track at daytime, I had a puncture at my third lap. The tyre exploded at the Eau Rouge corner. I went back to the pit very slowly but it damaged the suspension. These two punctures made us lose the race. It is a shame because we did not have any problem.

My target was to discover new things. I must admit I learned a lot throughout the week and I became more and more consistent. I am happy with this new experience ! »