24 Hours of Le Mans

ProSpeed Competition Le Mans 24H lineup known

© Planetlemans – Marcel ten Caat

To the surprise of many ProSpeed Competition had Dutchman Paul van Splunteren confirmed when the 55 entries for the Le Mans 24 Hours in June were confirmed. Van Splunteren, owner of Porsche Centre Eindhoven and GT3.nl, will make his debut at Le Mans in the Belgian Porsche 997 GT3 RSR.

Van Splunteren was asked by ProSpeed Competition team owner Rudi Penders and did not hesitate to say yes. Joining Van Splunteren will be joined at Le Mans by another Dutchman, Niek Hommerson, and Louis Machiels from Belgium.

According to Van Splunteren Penders asked the three drivers because of their result in the 2009 Total 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. In that race the three drivers, joined by Raymond Coronel, finished ahead of the team’s lead car with its pro-drivers. “The invitation was a direct result of our successful performance in the Belgian classic. Back then we managed to finish ahead of the team’s factory car and finished fourth in class”, says Van Splunteren. (The team was eventually excluded from the results after using engines with steel sleeves, which did not conform with the FIA homologation papers.)

While all three drivers will make their debut at the Circuit de la Sarthe their aim is clear: “To finish the race and take a top five finish in our class.”

In order to prepare for the 24 Hours of Le Mans ProSpeed is likely to enter a Porsche 997 GT3 RSR for Van Splunteren, Hommerson and Machiels in the Le Mans Series 1000 KM of Spa-Francorchamps in May, before setting off for France.