FIA GT Championship

Total 24 Hours of Spa: LIVE at Planetlemans - 1

© Brecht Decancq

It is time to get our focus on the first two hours of the Total 24 Hours of Spa. The skies over the Belgian track are grey at the moment and the first spats of rain have come down in the paddock area. At the moment the cars are being lined up on the grid, waiting for the pace car lap before going green. After the retirement of the Larbre Saleen the number 6 Phoenix Carsport Corvette is on pole position.

15:45- The pitlane is closed. Grid girls, VIPs, photographers and crew members are still all over the starting grid.

15:49- Five minutes before the warm-up lap. The grid is about to be cleared.

15:54- The cars have started their warm-up lap. The #50 AF Corse Ferrari will start from the pit lane, the #116 Signa Motorsport Viper has stalled on the grid and is being pushed by the marshalls.

15:56- The Signa Viper is now in the pit lane.

15:58- Excitement is building up as the cars make their way to Blanchimont.

16:00- Green flag! The SRT Corvette takes the lead while one of the #5 Phoenix Racing Corvettes is spun around coming out of the Bus Stop.

16:02: Fässler and Maassen are close to each other as the cross the line for the first time, Fässler 0.299s behind Maassen. Wendlinger is at 0.372s of Maassen.

16:04- Despite a quick first sector time by Fässler Maassen has improved the fastest lap time, increasing his lead to just over three tenths of a second. Andrea Bertolini in the Maserati is fastest though.

16:05- Maassen runs wide at Les Combes. As the SRT Corvette goes down the escape road five cars pass Maassen. He gets back in sixth just ahead of Peter Kox in the Lamborghini. The two Dutchmen nearly touch a few corners later.

16:07- Maassen has come in the pit lane. Looks like some problems there. The JMB Racing Maserati is in for its 2 minute stop-and-go penalty for changing an engine.

16:08- Fässler has improved his fastest lap time, meanwhile the SRT Corvette returns.

16:09- Wendlinger improves the fastest lap time (2:16.506). After going off at the first corner Menten has now passed all the GT2 cars.

16:11- Wendlinger once again with an improvement 2:16.453. Starting from the pit lane Bruni is currently in 25th place.

16:15- Mullen and Kirkaldy collided coming out of La Source. Obviously no happy faces at CR Scuderia. Collard took advantage and has moved into third place. Mullen drops to 18th.

16:18- The leaders are now overtaking Maassen, Fässler has gone by quite easily but Wendlinger has more trouble.

16:19- Eric Helary in the Exagon Engineering Ferrari 430 GT3 has gone straight at turn 5. Umbrella’s coming out again at the paddock area.

16:23- Matteo Malucelli is leading GT2, but the cars behind him are quicker at the moment.

16:26- Menten attempts to overtake Longin coming into Bus Stop. The Corvettes hits the curbstone on the inside and bumps into the Saleen. As they come out of the chicane the PK Saleen is still just ahead of the Phoenix Corvette.

16:28- As the cars cross the finish line again Menten has caught Longin and is back in seventh place.

16:30- Xavier Maassen goes straight again. Big problems with the brakes, the car goes head on into the barrier at the Bus Stop chicane.

16:32- Maassen is standing next to the car, looks like game over this time for the SRT Corvette. The team has worked really hard to get the car fixed and this is a real disappointment.

16:33- Sport Garage Ferrari 430 GT3 number 175 is in the pit after a very slow lap. Meanwhile out on the track Tim Mullen is between the two AF Corse Ferrari’s and battling for seventh in class.

16:34- Richard Lietz has made his move on Wolf Henzler and put the IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche in fourth in GT2. Wendlinger just did a lap two seconds quicker than his opponents, the gap to Fässler is now back to 5.388s

16:36- Collard is closing in on Kirkaldy. Six tenths of a second quicker in the last lap the Frenchman is now only four tenths behind.

16:37- Bruni has gotten past Mullen, Collard was already taking a look on how to pass Kirkaldy heading into the Rivage hairpin.

16:39- Gianmaria Bruni has also gotten ahead of his team mate Biagi and is now hunting for Jamie Davies. Menten meanwhile is still lapping fast in the Phoenix Corvette and is closing in rapidly on the Lamborghini.

16:45- The yellow flags are still out at the Bus Stop where officials are working on the removal of the SRT Corvette. We’re expecting the first pit stops within the next few laps.

16:49- The GT2 cars are getting back together again, four cars within a matter of seconds. Peter Kox brings the IPB Spartak Racing Reiter Lamborghini in the pit lane for its first stop. He gets out of the car and Enge takes over fom him.

16:51- Teams starting to make their pit stops and driver changes.

16:52- At the Bus Stop they are still working on the recovery of the SRT Corvette…

16:54- Fässler has created a ten second lead in the first hour. Wendlinger is still in second place.

16:55- Amazingly the SRT Corvette is back in the pit lane, with the left front wheel cover and lights knocked off. Even though the car is driveable, will there be any spare parts?

16:58- The Coupe du Roi entry of JMB Racing is doing donuts coming on to the finish straight, not something you want to do after one hour.

17:00- After exactly one hour the overall leader comes in for his first stop. Four cars in the top five have come in! Only Bertolini has stayed out.

17:01- Duncan Huisman has put his Mühlner Motorsport Porsche in the gravel trap at turn 8. He was second in G3.

17:02- And into the pit comes Andrea Bertolini with the #1 Vitaphone Maserati.

17:04- Lucky moment for the Vitaphone Maserati. Coming out of Rivage it was Martin Rich who nearly lost control of the S-Berg Lamborghini and skidded into the path of the MC12. Contact was avoided though. Duncan Huisman has rejoined.

17:06- After completing the pit stops Fässler is still leading, currently going quick again.

17:09- Marcel Fässler improves the quickest lap time, setting a 2:16.218.

17:10- The S-Berg Racing Lamborghini is slowly getting around with a left rear puncture.

17:11- In GT2 the lead has changed after the first round of pit stops. The #56 CR Scuderia Ferrari is in the lead, almost three seconds ahead of the BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari.

17:14- A big lead for the Phoenix Corvette. As the team did not change drivers their pit stop was quicker and after 31 laps the gap to Alex Müller is already 25 seconds. Miguel Ramos in the Vitaphone Maserati is in third place over 33 seconds behind the leader.

17:19- Fässler keeps lapping quicker than his team mates, the gap almost going to 30 seconds on Müller.

17:20- Philipp Peter has caught Michael Bartels and has moved into fourth place. Official retirement of the SRT Corvette…a pity after all the hard work done by the team.

17:22- Ruberti is not letting Müller getting away. The gap stays at around a second between the first two cars in the GT2 category.

17:24- For sure he is not. After writing the above Ruberti found a place to pass and took over the GT2 lead again and is now eight tenths ahead. Two seconds quicker last lap.

17:30- More problems for the Exagon Engineering Ferrari 430 GT3. Vincent Radermecker is behind the wheel, but the car is slowly going around the track.

17:32- Star drive by Menten so far. Despite being punted off at the start he is already back in sixth overall and is slowly but steadily catching the cars ahead of him.

17:35- Bartels did a 2:24, Menten a 2:18. The gap is now under three seconds

17:37- Another better lap time from Menten who is now about a second and a half behind the Vitaphone Maserati.

17:39- Richard Lietz is also going quickly again the IMSA driver has moved up into second place in GT2, 4.5 seconds behind Ruberti. Melo in the AF Corse number 50 has gone into third in class.

17:43- Bartels is still some 1.5 seconds away from Menten, but being chased by the Dutchman has worked out well. The gap to the car ahead of him, the Gigawave Aston, is only 3.3 seconds.

17:45- Tim Sugden is going well in the Trackspeed Porsche 997. After overtaking Chris Niarchos he now managed to pass Craig Baird and moves up to ninth in class. Ahead of him are the two Prospeed Porsches.

17:46- As Menten passes Bartels and takes fifth place it is Tomas Enge who comes into the pit.

17:48- It has started to rain here. The track has gone wet now.

17:50- At the moment it is just light drizzle, but this could lead to interesting situations as we are getting close to the second round of pit stops.

17:51- Lap times are going up. Compared to the faster lap times earlier on they are now almost up to ten seconds slower.

17:52- The only two cars in the top eight to have made a second pit stop are the PK Saleen and the Lamborghini. PK’s stop was quicker and as a result the Saleen has moved up to seventh.

17:54- Menten spins the #5 Corvette at La Source.

17:55- The gaps between the top four in GT2 aren’t big. But Lietz in the IMSA Performance Matmut is still doing his best to get away from the rest.

17:56- He did get away now…as the others went in for a pit stop.

17:59- Over 50 seconds between first and second overall now.