Qualifying
The average fastest time of all four drivers was achieved by Pure Rxcing’s 911, driven by Aliaksandr Malykhin, Joel Sturm, Marco Seefried and Klaus Bachler. Subsequently, the quartet also secured first place in the Bronze Cup on Thursday evening. In the Pro classification, the 911 GT3 R fielded by Manthey EMA came out on top. The endurance classic starts on Saturday at 4:30 pm (CEST).
In increasingly difficult weather conditions, the Porsche customer teams delivered outstanding performances with the 911 GT3 R at Spa-Francorchamps. Averaging the fastest lap times of all drivers, the GT3 racer campaigned by Pure Rxcing, which contests the Bronze Cup, prevailed. This achievement was mostly thanks to Aliaksandr Malykhin: The UK racer set a fast time of 2:18.937 minutes early in the first quarter of the qualifying session. Afterwards, an accident interrupted the session. After the restart, the track conditions had deteriorated due to heavier rain that drivers struggled to improve their times. Malykhin’s teammates Joel Sturm and Marco Seefried from Germany, as well as the Austrian Klaus Bachler then turned Malykhin’s top performance into a surprising best time of the whole field.
Positions two, six and eight in the Bronze Cup also went to Porsche customer teams. Huber Motorsport’s No. 20 Porsche 911 shared by Antares Au (Hong Kong), the German DTM driver Tim Heinemann, Matteo Cairoli from Italy and Jannes Fittje (Germany) occupied position three in the overall classification. CLMR’s 911 GT3 R driven by the all-French quartet of Clément Mateu, Hugo Chevalier, Steven Palette and works driver Frédéric Makowiecki progressed to sixth overall, while the Herberth Motorsport car ranked eighth in the overall timesheet. Herberth Motorsport relies on Germans Alfred and Robert Renauer as well as Ralf Bohn with Dutchman Kay van Berlo.
The three Pro-911 racing cars tackled the qualifying with a handicap: with just three drivers per car, they were only permitted to head out onto the track in the second quarter – by then, however, the rain had already intensified. The so-called Grello run by the customer team Manthey EMA made the most of this disadvantage. Ex-Porsche Junior Julien Andlauer from France, as well as the two works drivers Kévin Estre (France) and local hero Laurens Vanthoor still managed to advance to seventh overall. Rutronik Racing and Dinamic GT Huber Racing, however, missed out on reaching the Super Pole session.
In P20, Australians Stephen and Brenton Grove can look forward to taking part in the Top-20 time trial as the sixth and last 911 GT3 R crew. They will be supported in their Grove Racing team by fellow Australian Anton de Pasquale and Earl Bamber. The New Zealander won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the 919 Hybrid in 2015 and 2017 as a Porsche works driver.
The final hunt for the top 20 grid positions begins on Friday between 3:35 pm and 4:05 pm (CEST). The 24-hour race on the Belgian Grand Prix circuit gets underway on Saturday at 4:30 pm local time. The long-distance classic is considered the most significant event for GT3 cars worldwide and counts towards the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup as well as the Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC). Drivers and cars earn points for the GT World Challenge after six, twelve and 24 hours. The race will be live-streamed on the website www.intercontinentalgtchallenge.com.
Qualifying quotes
Sebastian Golz (Project Manager Porsche 911 GT3 R): “That was an excellent qualifying for us and the Porsche customer teams. Six 911 GT3 R cars in the top 20 – that’s a fantastic result. Regardless of whether it’s the Pro, Pro-Am or Bronze Cup category, the guys did a super job. Of course, some had luck on their side with the driest condition in the first session. But still, the last three qualifying quarters were very wet and tricky for everyone. Tomorrow we face the Super Pole session. Let’s see what we can do there. Everyone’s feeling positive, which is the most important thing this weekend.”
Aliaksandr Malykhin (Porsche 911 GT3R #911): “I’m so proud of our team. We did a great job under tricky conditions. The mood among us drivers is great and we help each other tremendously by sharing information about the track conditions and our 911 GT3 R. I managed to lay the foundations with my lap time, and my teammates and our engineers then built on that perfectly to get us into the Super Pole.”
Tim Heinemann (Porsche 911 GT3 R #20): “Of course, we’re super happy to qualify for the Super Pole. That was quite unexpected. We were lucky enough to benefit from driving in the dry Q1 segment. A top-20 spot is a great place to start the race, which we will prepare for in tomorrow’s warm-up.”
Kévin Estre (Porsche 911 GT3 R #92): “What a crazy qualifying! The decisive factors for us were when to go out on track with which tyre and with which air pressure. The team did a great job in this respect. We were the best-placed car from the Pro category – which, because we’re a three-driver crew, we weren’t allowed to take part in the dry first qualifying heat. We all turned flawless laps which contributed to us making it into the Super Pole.”
Laurin Heinrich (Porsche 911 GT3R #96): “Given that we weren’t eligible to participate in the first qualifying quarter in dry conditions, it was obviously very difficult to achieve a good average lap time. We did our best, but it wasn’t quite enough, even though our Porsche 911 GT3 R was very fast in the rain. So we start my first 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps from the 30th grid spot. It’s a long race, so nothing is lost yet.”
Qualifying result
1. (BC) Bachler/Malykhin/Sturm/Seefried (A/UK/D/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R #911, 2:28.569 minutes
2. (1st GC) De Haan, Gamble, Fagg, Macdonald (GB/GB/GB/GB) McLaren 720S GT3 EVO #5, 2:28.923 minutes
3. (2nd BC) Au/Heinemann/Cairoli/Fittje (HK/D/I/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R #20, 2:29.103 minutes
6. (4th BC) Palette/Mateu/Makowiecki/Chevalier (F/F/F/F), Porsche 911 GT3 R #44, 2:30.323 minutes
7. (1st Pro) Vanthoor/Estre/Andlauer (B/F/F). Porsche 911 GT3 R #92, 2:30.456 minutes
8. (5th BC) Bohn/A. Renauer/R. Renauer/van Berlo (D/D/D/NL), Porsche 911 GT3 R #91, 2:30.497 minutes
20. (7th BC) B. Grove/S. Grove/Bamber/de Pasquale (AUS/AUS/NZ/AUS), Porsche 911 GT3 R #23, 2:31.502 minutes
30. (15th Pro) Preining/Heinrich/Olsen (A/D/N), Porsche 911 GT3 R #96, 2:32.039 minutes
31. (9th BC) /Jewiss/Meyrick/Maassen (UK/UK/UK/NL), Porsche 911 GT3 R #62, 2:32.104 minutes
35. (2nd PAC) Leutwiler/Jacoma/Fontana/Menzel (CH/CH/CH/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R #24, 2:32.405 minutes
37. (16th Pro) Güven/Müller/Engelhart (TR/D/D) Porsche 911 GT3 R #54, 2:32.704 minutes
55. (17th BC) Sager/Nakken/Barker/Zöchling (A/N/UK/D), Porsche 911 GT3 R #55, 2:35.620 minutes
58. (8th SC) Sathienthirakul/Rappange/di Amato/de Leener (T/NL/I/UK), Porsche 911 GT3 R #56, 2:38.436 minutes
67. (10th PAC) Tjia/Shen/Simonsen/Beche (HK/HK/DKCH), Porsche 911 GT3 R #216, no time
68. (11th PAC): Washington/Sofronas/Bleekemolen/Long (USA/USA/NL/USA), Porsche 911 GT3 R #132, no time
Pro = Pro class; PAC = Pro-Am Cup; GC = Gold Cup; SC = Silver Cup; BC = Bronze Cup.
The preview
The 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps is regarded as the annual highlight of the GT3 season. At the 75th running of the tradition-steeped event in the Ardennes region of Belgium, a record number of 14 Porsche 911 GT3 R will line up on the grid next weekend. In its debut season, the racing car based on the 992-generation is one of the hot favourites at the endurance classic. The customer teams in the top pro category have set their sights on bringing home the ninth victory for a Porsche in this race.
Just under a year ago, Porsche showcased the new 911 GT3 R at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps for the first time. The race debut took place at the 24 Hours of Daytona in January. This coming weekend, 14 of these racing cars developed in Weissach will line up on the grid at the Belgian endurance classic. They represent the largest contingent ever fielded by the sports car manufacturer at what is arguably the world’s most important GT3 event. The new 911 GT3 R, based on the 992-generation, can produce up to 416 kW (565 PS). Eleven customer teams compete with a total of 53 drivers on the so-called Ardennes rollercoaster in four different classifications. To date, a Porsche has won this historic endurance race eight times. The last two wins came in succession: in 2019, Kévin Estre (France), Michael Christensen (Denmark) and Richard Lietz (Austria) secured overall victory with GPX Racing’s 911 GT3 R. A year later, the works driver trio Nick Tandy (United Kingdom), Earl Bamber (New Zealand) and Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) repeated the feat, this time for Rowe Racing.
“Fourteen Porsche 911 GT3 R – we’ve never been represented as strongly at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps! We’re delighted with the tremendous support from our customer teams, which also reflects their trust in our new car,” emphasises Sebastian Golz, Project Manager Porsche 911 GT3 R. “The race itself is likely to be a tough one again. A 72-strong field of almost equally matched GT3 cars on just seven kilometres of track, piloted by many potential winners: this gives the event, which has long since developed into a 24-hour sprint, a clear and unique selling point. It’s everyone against everyone there. After the test drives, we feel well-prepared. I hope that a ninth victory for a Porsche at this endurance highlight is within reach for us.”
The race
The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps has thrown one of the greatest challenges at racing drivers from all over the world since 1921. In 1924, just three years after its inauguration, the first 24-hour race was contested in the east of Belgium, not far from the German border – making this classic just one year “younger” than the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans, which celebrated its centenary in 2023. The racetrack back then measured about 15 kilometres and ran between the towns of Francorchamps, Malmedy and Stavelot. In 1979, the distance was shortened. Measuring 7.004 kilometres and featuring 21 turns, the storied Grand Prix circuit is still the longest track on the Formula 1 calendar. The “Ardennes rollercoaster” still deserves its nickname, by virtue of the spectacular steep section “Raidillon/Eau Rouge” and the downhill passage with the notorious “Blanchimont”. At the end of the start/finish straight, however, drivers encounter the tight “La Source” hairpin – one of the slowest corners of the GT3 season. Before the 2022 season got underway, the storied racetrack underwent an extensive upgrade. As part of this modernisation, new gravel traps and grandstands were added, among other features. The basic layout, however, remained the same. Due to its location in the Ardennes, teams and drivers must expect unpredictable weather conditions at any time.
The 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps will once again run as part of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup and the Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC). With a 72-strong field of GT3 racing cars, the grid line-up for the 75th edition of the event sets a new benchmark. At the highlight of the GT3 season, drivers and cars receive points after six, twelve and 24 hours respectively.
The customer teams and drivers
The 14 Porsche 911 GT3 R cars will compete in four different classification groups at Spa-Francorchamps. The hot favourites for overall victory start in the 19-strong Pro Division, reserved for fully professional crews. Three 911 racers with three drivers per car tackle this class. Manthey EMA is represented by a powerful trio consisting of former Porsche Junior Julien Andlauer from France as well as works drivers Kévin Estre and local hero Laurens Vanthoor. Rutronik Racing puts its trust in three former Porsche Juniors: Laurin Heinrich from Germany and the Norwegian Dennis Olsen as well as works driver Thomas Preining from Austria. All three are causing a stir in this season’s DTM with the new 911 GT3 R. The same applies to Dinamic GT Huber Racing: DTM drivers Ayhancan Güven (Turkey) and German Christian Engelhart, as well as his fellow countryman Sven Müller share the cockpit of the Italian-German squad’s Pro car. Güven and Müller also came up through the Porsche Junior ranks.
In the Pro-Am classification, GMG Racing by Car Collection Motorsport, Modena Motorsport and Grove Racing will each campaign a Porsche 911 GT3 R. In this class, at least two drivers must hold “Bronze” status, share the wheel for at least eight hours and sit in the cockpit for at least 60 minutes per race quarter.
In the Silver Cup, Dinamic GT Huber Racing flies the flag for Porsche with a 911 GT3 R. In this category, the four drivers per race car must have a FIA “Silver” grading. Put simply, this class is reserved for semi-professionals.
The bronze class has been reorganised. With 25 entries, it makes up more than a third of the grid. In this category, four drivers may share a car however, no more than one may have “platinum” status and two “silver” status. The fourth driver must be “Bronze” graded. The Porsche customer teams Herberth Motorsport, Pure Rxcing, Huber Motorsport, Grove Racing, CLRT, Dinamic GT Huber Racing and Team Parker racing have entered a total of seven 911 GT3 R cars.
Live streaming of the event
The 24-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps gets underway on 1 July at 4:30 pm. A free live stream of the classic can be seen on the website http://www.intercontinentalgtchallenge.com.
Drivers’ comments on the race
Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche 911 GT3 R #92): “The 24 Hours of Spa is something special for me. The track is only an hour’s drive from my home and it’s a very competitive race with a lot of drivers in the same class. I’m looking forward to it! Joining forces with Kévin Estre and Julien Andlauer, we have a strong driver line-up at Manthey EMA and a similarly great chance to fight for victory. I’ve won this race twice. I’ll do my very best to finish on top of the podium a third time.”
Christian Engelhart (Porsche 911 GT3 R #54): “With a record field of 72 cars, the Spa 24 Hours is a massive event and, as the biggest GT3 race in the world, a real challenge. I can’t wait for it to get underway! Of course, we’d love to win – just like the 71 others. Unfortunately, we couldn’t prepare as well this year because our Porsche was involved in an accident at the Nürburgring 24-hour race. That’s why we weren’t able to take part in the track test. We’ve got a tight schedule ahead of us at Spa to get the car set up as quickly as possible in the practice sessions. Nevertheless, we’re heading to the event feeling very optimistic and we’ll do our utmost to finish well ahead of the competition in this long and difficult race.”
Thomas Preining (Porsche 911 GT3 R #96): “Our test at Spa went very well. In terms of the car, we’re in the right performance window. I have a lot of faith in the team. We’ve learned a lot together and I think we can implement it very well now. I’m confident that we can squeeze the maximum out of the Porsche 911 GT3 R’s potential. My teammates are also fired up. It’s going to be a cool week with, hopefully, a good ending.”
Klaus Bachler (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911): “Our expectation is definitely to compete for victory in our class. We have a very strong team and a very good driver line-up. But a 24-hour race is tough and with 72 GT3 cars on the track, it doesn’t come without its challenges. We have to drive smart and stay out of trouble. If we can get through without any problems, we should be in a good position at the finish line.”
Porsche’s customer teams and drivers
Pro class
Dinamic GT Huber Racing (#54)
Ayhancan Güven (TR) / Sven Müller (D) / Christian Engelhart (D)
Manthey EMA (#92)
Laurens Vanthoor (B) / Kévin Estre (F) / Julien Andlauer (F)
Rutronik Racing (#96)
Thomas Preining (A) / Laurin Heinrich (D) / Dennis Olsen (N)
Pro-Am Cup
Car Collection Motorsport (#24)
Nicolas Leutwiler (CH) / Ivan Jacoma (CH) / Alex Fontana (CH) / Nico Menzel (D)
GMG Racing by Car Collection Motorsport (#132)
Kyle Washington (USA) / James Sofronas (USA) / Jeroen Bleekemolen (NL) / Patrick Long (USA)
Modena Motorsport (#216)
Francis Tjia (HK) / John Shen (HK) / Benny Simonsen (DK) / Mathias Beche (CH)
Silver Cup
Dinamic GT Huber Racing (#56)
Tanart Sathienthirakul (T) / Jop Rappange (NL) / Daniele di Amato (I) / Adrien de Leener (UK)
Bronze Cup
Huber Motorsport (#20)
Antares Au (HK) / Dennis Fetzer (D) / Matteo Cairoli (I) / Jannes Fittje (D)
Grove Racing (#23)
Brenton Grove (AUS) / Stephen Grove (AUS) / Earl Bamber (NZ) / Anton de Pasquale (AUS)
CLRT (#44)
Steven Palette (F) / Clément Mateu (F) / Frédéric Makowiecki (F) / Hugo Chevalier (F)
Dinamic GT Huber Racing (#55)
Philipp Sager (A) / Marius Nakken (N) / Benjamin Barker (UK) / Christopher Zöchling (D)
Team Parker Racing (#62)
Derek Pierce (UK) / Kiern Jewiss (UK) / Andrew Meyrick (UK) / Xavier Maassen (NL)
Herberth Motorsport (#91)
Ralf Bohn (D) / Alfred Renauer (D) / Robert Renauer (D) / Kay van Berlo (NL)
Pure Rxcing (#911)
Klaus Bachler (A) / Alex Malykhin (UK) / Joel Sturm (D) / Marco Seefried (D)
24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps – all outright Porsche victories
2020 Tandy / Bamber / Vanthoor (Porsche 911 GT3 R)
2019 Lietz / Christensen / Estre (Porsche 911 GT3 R)
2010 Dumas / J. Bergmeister / Ragginger / Henzler (Porsche 911 GT3 RSR)
2003 Ortelli / Lieb / Dumas (Porsche 911 GT3 RSR)
1993 C. Fittipaldi / Jarier / Alzen (Porsche 911 RSR)
1969 Chasseuil / Ballot-Léna (Porsche 911)
1968 Kremer / H. Kelleners / Kauhsen (Porsche 911)
1967 Gaban / Van Assche (Porsche 911)
The schedule (all times CEST)
Thursday, 29 July
11:20 – 12:50 hrs: Free practice 1
18:10 – 19:10 hrs: Pre-qualifying
21:20 – 21:35 hrs: Qualifying 1
21:42 – 21:57 hrs: Qualifying 2
22:04 – 22:19 hrs: Qualifying 3
22:26 – 22:41 hrs: Qualifying 4
23:00 – 00:30 hrs: Night practice
Friday, 30 June
15:35 – 16:05 hrs: Super Pole
20:35 – 21:05 hrs: Warm Up
Saturday, 1 July
16:30 hrs: Start 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps
Sunday, 2 July
16:30 hrs: Chequered flag 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps