6h Spa – Syndication Server

Hypercar era’s first privateer win a long time coming, but oh so sweet

Yes, there was luck involved. Yes, it took a red flag and an extended race. Yes, it took an off day for Toyota and a very significant misfortune for Ferrari. But for Hertz Team JOTA, which became the first British team to win a WEC race overall and the first privateer to win in the Hypercar era Saturday in Spa, it felt like this result had been coming for a while.

The signs were there for all to see in Qatar back in March, when the No. 12 crew finished second to the same Penske Porsche that finished runner-up at Spa. Prior to that, it finished fourth in Bahrain last November and it turned heads at Le Mans on the biggest stage, leading the centenary running despite having only taken delivery of its first 963 for a handful of weeks before the race.

Sam Hignett and David Clarke’s longstanding team may look like a factory and operate like one, but this is a fully private operation, powered by commercial nous and a band of highly skilled engineers and drivers.

One year on from its debut with the car at the 2023 6 Hours of Spa, in which it spent the weekend “with stacks of boxes of parts from Porsche in the back of the garage” and fought its way through the race having had zero prior testing time, Hignett feels the long nights and early starts were worth it en route to Saturday’s milestone result.

A fairytale day for JOTA brought with it only a single blip — the loss of the sister No. 38. Jakob Ebrey/Motorsport Images

“It’s been great,” he told RACER amid the post-race celebrations for the team on pit lane. “We were here last year having only had the car for seven days. We had no spares and making bits up during that race. So to come here a year later with two cars is special, and it could have been even more unbelievable if the No. 38 hadn’t been wiped out. They had pace today.”

For Will Stevens and Callum Ilott, who shared the No. 12 as a pair while Norman Nato was on Formula E duty, the second half of the race was a nerve-wracking experience.

At first, the team felt it had played a perfect hand, pitting the No. 12 just as the red flag came out for the heavy incident for the Cadillac and No. 31 BMW on the Kemmel Straight. But as the clock continued to wind down with the race under red flag conditions, diving in began to look like a colossal error. The car was down to 10th on the timing screens at that point and looked set to secure half a point as the race hadn’t quite reached 75 percent distance (enough for full points to be awarded).

That was until race control decided to extend the race by the length of the red flag just minutes before the race clock hit 0:00. It was a move that has since been heavily criticized by Ferrari, which sat 1-2 at the time of Earl Bamber’s shunt, having battled through the field from 10th and 19th on the grid with its factory 499Ps.

The record crowd of fans trackside didn’t complain, though — there was in fact an audible cheer from the stands when it became clear the race would restart after the lengthy barrier repairs that lasted almost two hours.

Timed to perfection. JOTA’s decision to pit when they did, just before the race stoppage, set them up for Stuttgart’s epic duel in the Ardennes. Jakob Ebrey/Motorsport Images

It set up a sprint finish, in which the No. 12 JOTA Porsche and No. 6 championship-leading Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 prospered purely because they had pitted just before the race was neutralized. Almost the entire Hypercar field was forced to pit when the cars got moving again, vaulting the two Porsches up the order, creating a two-way duel for the win.

“Yeah, there was an element of luck in this one,” Stevens admitted after the race. “But I’m a firm believer that you create your own luck in this game, and we executed perfectly all day long.”

While he was watching it unfold, Ilott was installed and tasked with holding back Kevin Estre in the factory car behind for the final 90 minutes. He did so in fine style, crossing the line almost unchallenged after a metronomic run to the checkered flag.

“To get the win is incredible. The pit stops were amazing and we managed to jump the No. 6 in that pit stop before the red flag. Once we were in clear air the pace was amazing lap after lap,” Ilott, who dedicated the race win to Anthoine Hubert, said after the race. “Trying to manage the gap wasn’t easy but I knew where I had the advantage with tires and traffic and managed to pull away.”

The 2024 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps will live long in the memory. It joins a collection of spectacular WEC races at the fabled Belgian circuit dating back to the championship’s inaugural season in 2012. It wasn’t without its dramas, it wasn’t without its heartbreak and scary moments, but it was a thriller that produced one of the most unlikely results.

Will Stevens summed it up perfectly: “This proves what we’ve always said — we’re not just here to take part. It shows how much we’ve grown up and learned. No team deserves it more than ours and I am proud to deliver this result. It’s a special weekend.”

With a result this significant, it’s always tempting to write entirely in superlatives. It feels justified today. With each passing race, the 2024 WEC season feels like it will live up to pre-season expectations and be looked back on as one for the ages.

As for JOTA’s performance today, perhaps the most exciting aspect is that it feels like the best is yet to come for this team in Hypercar competition… Watch this space.

JOTA gains first privateer Hypercar victory in tumultuous Spa 6 Hours

Hertz Team JOTA scored a historic maiden overall WEC victory in the 2024 running of the FIA WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps Saturday, battling through a race that was red-flagged and extended after a major incident on the Kemmel Straight involving …

The red flag occurred four hours and 13 minutes in when Earl Bamber — driving the No. 2 Cadillac in a fight with the No. 99 Proton Porsche for third overall — hit the concrete wall on driver’s right hard after swiping the front of Sean Gelael’s No. 31 WRT BMW. The contact occurred as he moved across the track to get alongside the Porsche. This resulted in Bamber getting air while spinning after hitting the wall head-on.

Thankfully Cadillac and BMW quickly confirmed that Bamber and Gelael were OK after the violent incident, which also sent the BMW into the barriers on driver’s left.

“Great that Caddy built strong chassis, so it’s nice to walk away from that one,” Bamber said after the incident. “It’s a real shame for the result because I think we were on to something real good today. I think we had good strategy, good speed, so again we showed like in Qatar that if we have things go the right way we can definitely challenge for podiums in this championship. It’s good to realize that. Imola was just a bump on the radar performance-wise. Now we look forward to Le Mans.”

After nearly two hours of cleanup work and barrier repairs, the record crowd of more than 88,000 fans trackside was treated to more than an hour of intense racing. The safety car set up a thrilling sprint finish, in which Hertz Team JOTA stole the show a year on from its Hypercar debut at the same circuit.

The race simply fell into the hands of the British team’s No. 12 Porsche — and the No. 6 Porsche Penske 963 — as both pitted just before the red flag, giving the two a sizable lead when the race resumed — the rest of the field stopped either for emergency service under safety car and then again under green, or for fuel shortly after the race restarted.

As the red flag came out, Ferrari looked in control, with the No. 51 having risen to the lead in the fourth hour and the No. 50 second after a fight from the back of the grid. Like most of the field, they needed to pit both cars, which meant the chances of a 1-2 finish evaporated.

In the run to the flag, with the rest of the pack a minute behind, it became a duel between Callum Ilott and Kevin Estre. Estre was unable to catch Ilott and pass, despite the fact that the factory car had a full set of fresh tires for the final stint, while JOTA opted to change just the left side Michelins on its contender to gain track position. The No. 6 drivers still lead the championship standings heading into Le Mans, though, with a third consecutive top-three finish.

Ilott eventually crossed the line 12.3s in front, scoring JOTA its first WEC overall win, the first privateer win of the Hypercar era and the first privateer FIA WEC overall win since Rebellion’s LMP1 victory at CoTA in 2020.

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“It’s great. It’s a year since we got the car and the team just do a fantastic job all the time. We got lucky, but you make your own luck. It’s a shame Norman [Nato, occupied with Formula E this weekend] isn’t here with us, but I couldn’t be happier,” said Will Stevens.

“We just executed at the end; everyone did an amazing job. What a day!” Ilott added.

Ferrari’s No. 50 499P — disqualified after qualifying — took the final spot on the podium after a strong recovery drive from the back of the field by Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen.

The sister car would come home fourth in yet another WEC race in which the Ferrari 499Ps had the pace and consistency to win but failed to do so.

Proton Competition’s No. 99 Porsche completed the top five after an astonishing performance from the German team.

The car held the lead at the halfway mark after Julien Andlauer stormed to the front in the opening stint. After Neel Jani handed over the driver’s seat, Andlauer added to his mesmeric effort by making a series of daring moves up the inside at Eau Rouge/Raidillon on an Alpine and both Toyotas to haul the car back into contention. Leaving the final result to one side, in many ways Proton was the more impressive privateer Porsche team at Spa.

The two Toyotas ended up a disappointing sixth and seventh, with the No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari eighth.

Porsche wound up with double-success at Spa, with the Manthey Porsche LMGT3 team taking class honors as well. Motorsport Images

In LMGT3, a last-lap move at Les Combes decided the order of a 1-2 for Manthey and Porsche, when Richard Lietz dived up the inside of Klaus Bachler to score the EMA 911 its first win of the season. It also secured a double win for the German marque on the day.

That pass relegated championship leader Pure Rxcing and its new car to second place. It was nevertheless a remarkable performance from Alex Malykhin, Joel Sturm and Bachler after starting 10th following the team’s incident in qualifying that forced its crew to build up a new chassis overnight.

Heroic work was done after a dramatic moment that saw Iron Lynx’s Lamborghini take a splash of fuel at the start of the final lap from the lead, dropping the car to third.

“I had no information from the team; I thought maybe [the others] were struggling with tires,” race-winner Lietz said.

“It was only when I passed him (Klaus Bachler) that I was told that he was low on energy. I think our friends from the Italian side, the Lambos, they also had an issue with energy at the end, so I think the race restarted at the correct time for us. Some fuel saving some tyre management and at the end, some luck.”

Off the podium, the No. 85 Iron Dames Lamborghini, which started from pole and built a comfortable lead early on, took fourth. The team lost crucial seconds to a delay at its final stop and contact with the No. 7 Toyota at La Source.

Like Iron Lynx’s Huracan, United Autosports’ No. 92 McLaren GT3 EVO came achingly close to claiming its first win of the season. James Cottingham, Nicolas Costa and Gregoire Saucy were in the fight throughout after Cottingham’s strong start, often locked in a battle with the Iron Dames Lamborghini for the lead.

The way its strategy panned out, the red flag restart shuffled the pack significantly and forced the McLaren to pit for a splash with 10 minutes to go, dropping the car to fifth.

The red-flag incident wasn’t the only significant crash in the race, as the action was interrupted earlier on by a lengthy safety car in the second hour for barrier repairs after a three-car accident at Bruxelles.

Rene Rast in the No. 20 WRT BMW M Hybrid tagged Phil Hanson in the No. 38 Hertz Team JOTA Porsche, sending Hanson into Ahmad Al Harthy in the No. 46 WRT BMW, who was a passenger as the M4 was sent veering off the road and into the barriers.

The hit for Al Harthy was hard, the car retiring on the spot with heavy front-end damage. Hanson, meanwhile, after ending up backing into the tires, briefly got the car fired but was unable to get back into the race. The contact occurred because Hanson was lifting and coasting into the braking zone down the hill while overtaking the No. 46 BMW. Again, thankfully both drivers were OK.

Vincent Vosse, team principal of WRT, said he believed it was a racing incident, with “the cars in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

In general, the attrition rate was unusually high at Spa. Eight cars retired — the ones damaged in the two crashes, plus four others: the No. 95 United Autosports McLaren, gearbox oil leak; the pole-sitting No. 5 Penske Porsche, crashed out at Blanchimont while running third; the Lamborghini SC63, suspension failure; and the No. 81 TF Sport Corvette, withdrawn with a gearbox issue.

RESULTS

Spa pole-winning Ferrari disqualified; Porsche to pole

Ferrari AF Corse’s No. 50 499P has lost its pole position for Saturday’s 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps after the car was found to be underweight in the post-qualifying technical checks. As a result, Porsche Penske Motorsport’s No. 5 963 will start …

Ferrari AF Corse’s No. 50 499P has lost its pole position for Saturday’s 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps after the car was found to be underweight in the post-qualifying technical checks.

As a result, Porsche Penske Motorsport’s No. 5 963 will start tomorrow’s race from the front. Matt Campbell’s 2m03.107s is the new pole time and the No. 2 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R has been promoted to the second space on the front row.

Ironically, the delayed pole is Penske’s 100th pole position in sports car racing.

“After having checked the Technical Delegate report, the Stewards considered the minimum car weight did not comply with the relevant regulations. Consequently, the Stewards decided to impose the disqualification of car 50 of the qualifying and Hyperpole sessions and the deletion of the lap time of these sessions,” the official stewards’ bulletin reads.

The Ferrari, which was qualified by Antonio Fuoco, will start at the back of the 19-car Hypercar grid after the penalty.

“The Ferrari 499P number 50 was found to be around 1 kg under the minimum weight mandated by regulations,” the Ferrari team said in a statement. “After a collision with another car during FP3, the 499P number 50’s damaged rear end had to be replaced with a new component, which led to the weight discrepancy discovered on Friday evening.”

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In LMGT3, United Autosports’ No. 95 McLaren which qualified second in class was found to have been underweight too, and will start from the very back of the grid as a result.

The No. 46 Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3 was promoted to second on the grid alongside the pole-winning Iron Dames Lamborghini.

REVISED QUALIFYING RESULTS

Fuoco wrests back Spa WEC pole for Ferrari

Ferrari AF Corse’s No. 50 499P will start tomorrow’s 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps from pole position after Antonio Fuoco set a time half a second quicker than anyone else in Hypercar Hyperpole this afternoon. The Italian’s best time on the fabled …

The Italian’s best time on the fabled Belgian circuit was a 2m02.600s. The time was so quick he parked up in pit lane with more than two minutes remaining in the session, confident nobody could match him. He was right.

“It was a really good qualifying. We made a big difference today with the tires with a different approach that worked really well,” said Fuoco after earning his second straight WEC pole.

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Matt Campbell came closest in the No. 5 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963, securing a spot on the front row with a 2m03.107s. The Australian’s time was less than a tenth up on Alex Lynn, who pushed hard and delivered the third fastest time in the lone Cadillac V-Series.R.

Proton Competition also showed a flash of pace in the session. Julien Andlauer ended up fourth in the No. 99 Porsche, ahead of the No. 12 JOTA example which added to the strong showing for the 963.

“It’s been an amazing start to the week. We have more potential here, the car feels good. To be in Hyperpole is great, to be in the top five and close to Penske is even better,” Andlauer said.

The remaining places in the top 10 were filled by the No. 6 Porsche, No. 8 Toyota, No. 35 Alpine, No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari and No. 20 BMW.

Outside the top 10, the No. 51 Ferrari AF Corse 499P was the fastest car that didn’t make the cut. While Antonio Fuoco went fastest of anyone in the No. 50 sister car during qualifying with a 2m02.462s before going on to set the pole time, James Calado ended up 11th with a 2m03.002s.

The No. 7 Toyota, which won last time out in Imola, also didn’t make it through, it will start 15th with a best time of 2m03.738s.

In fact, the only factory team to get both of its cars in the shootout was Porsche Penske Motorsport. It could have been a very different story for its two 963s, though, as Kevin Estre and Matt Campbell nearly came together at Les Combes on their out-lap, the Frenchman coming inches from rear-ending the No. 5 under braking.

The No. 38 Hertz Team JOTA Porsche managed to make it out for the first session following Oliver Rasmussen’s off in Free Practice 3. It will start 18th behind the Lamborghini SC63 and both Peugeots — neither 2024 9X8 made it into the top 10.

The headline in LMGT3 came early in Hyperpole, when the championship-leading Pure Rxcing Porsche brought out red flags for a huge incident at Raidillon. Alex Malykhin, pushing to earn his second pole position of the season, lost the rear-end on entry, sending him backward into the tire barriers on driver’s right at full speed.

Thankfully Malykhin was confirmed as OK by Manthey via a radio message played on the TV broadcast, after being taken to the medical center for checks on a stretcher. The impact was hard and severely damaged the car.

Pure Rxcing subsequently told RACER Malykhin is “bruised” but has been cleared to race by doctors. The car is damaged beyond repair so the team is having a replacement chassis delivered. It is currently en route. The team says it has enough parts on hand to build up a new car for the race.

Once the session resumed, Sarah Bovy went on to take pole for her home race with a 2m20.755s lap in the No. 85 Iron Dames Lamborghini. This marked the team’s first pole of the season.

“The feeling was great in the car,” Bovy said. “I saw such a big crowd in the tribune (grandstand). It was great. I’m super proud of the Iron Dames today — first pole for Lamborghini in the WEC!”

Sarah Bovy celebrates pole for Iron Dames and Lamborghini at Spa. Jakob Ebrey/Motorsport Images

The No. 95 United Autosports McLaren will start alongside the Iron Dames Huracan on the front row. Josh Caygill’s 2m21.092s to go second fastest provides further evidence that United is making real progress with the McLaren GT3 EVO.

“It’s really nice to get a result for the boys, everyone’s working so hard at United and McLaren so it’s good to repay them,” Caygill said.

The second row will be occupied by the No. 46 WRT BMW and No. 91 Manthey EMA Porsche. James Cottingham in the No. 59 United McLaren ensured both of the United’s cars will start from a strong position by qualifying fifth.

In qualifying for the LMGT3 teams ahead of Hyperpole, both Proton Mustangs came achingly close to making the shootout. Giorgio Roda and Ryan Hardwick came within two-tenths of Arnold Robin’s time which put Lexus into the top 10 for the first time this season.

The positive boost for AKKODIS ASP was only brief, though, as Robin was unable to set a time in Hyperpole and will start ninth. His No. 78 RC F LMGT3 failed to fire up after the red flag and was pushed back into its garage.

The biggest surprise was the performance from Darren Leung in the No. 31 WRT BMW, which is carrying success ballast for winning at Imola. He will start the race 13th.

The 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps is set to start at 1pm local time on Saturday.

RESULTS

WEC’s growth in quality and quantity in plain sight at Spa

On the eve of the third round of the 2024 FIA WEC season, the increase in the championship’s competitiveness, popularity and relevance is on full display, At Imola last month the crowd was enormous, with more than 70,000 fans in attendance over the …

On the eve of the third round of the 2024 FIA WEC season, the increase in the championship’s competitiveness, popularity and relevance is on full display,

At Imola last month the crowd was enormous, with more than 70,000 fans in attendance over the three days, and the racing on track was fierce in both classes. This week, the crowd is already building, with a strong turnout of fans for the practice sessions ahead of Saturday’s race, which is expected to be held in front of another record crowd.

Comparing the atmosphere at these early races to previous seasons, when the top class was smaller and fewer factories were activating the championship, in some areas it’s night and day. WEC meetings now feel like major sporting events on a regular basis.

In the past, the opening rounds of the season often felt purely like a table-setter for Le Mans rather than important in their own right, with few drivers or teams worried about the standings. Now, with a 19-car top class, the drivers appear more focused than ever before on scoring points consistently, keeping an eye on the championship fight to come later in the season. And the WEC is all the better for this shift in mentality.

Clearly, teams always want to win every weekend and to maximize their points haul. But the WEC has matured, growing from a series that was previously described to this writer by a former LMP1 program head as “a tax on competing at Le Mans,” to a world championship that is now seen as highly valuable to OEMs and worth fighting tooth and nail for.

Crowd-pleasing cars like Ferrari’s 499P Hypercar are making the FIA WEC a season-long draw. JEP/Motorsport Images

Evidence of this came in the pre-event press conference. When asked about his thoughts ahead of this weekend’s six-hour race, reigning drivers’ world champion Sebastien Buemi reflected on the challenges Toyota faced in the opening round at Qatar, making it clear how important it was to come away with an eighth-place finish.

“We didn’t have such a good start to the season — we were slow but we still managed to take a decent amount of points,” he said. “You still wait until Le Mans because it’s 50 points for a win (with a maximum of 90 points handed out through the first three races), but as a team, if one car is clearly ahead you end up supporting the sister car.

“We didn’t have such a good start in the No. 8, but we’ve scored OK.”

In simple terms, back in the LMP1 Hybrid days, a bad day might see you finish fourth or fifth. Now, an issue, crash, or error on strategy can see you finish outside the top 10 and come away with nothing.

The downside of the deeper class this year is being felt by teams like Cadillac Racing. The U.S.-flagged outfit, with a year of data to work with, headed into the 2024 season with high expectations after a strong run early in 2023 which saw the team finish regularly in the top five and on the podium at Le Mans. The V-Series.R has also become a race and title winning car in IMSA GTP, adding to the team’s level of confidence heading into year two of the global program.

Despite having the pace at Qatar to challenge towards the front of the field, it was disqualified post-race for a technical infringement. Then in Imola, the team struggled to find a strong base setup and finished 10th. This left it with just a single point on the board ahead of the trip to Belgium.

“We come here dreaming of securing a good result. Imola didn’t go our way so being competitive and scoring lots of points has to be the aim,” Cadillac driver Alex Lynn said. “It’s extremely difficult to make up the difference later in the season these days. The category is so strong, so if you have a bad start it’s difficult to catch up. You may need a great Le Mans to haul yourself into a championship fight if you struggle.”

Porsche Penske’s 963 Hypercar of Kevin Estre, Andre Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor has set the pace thus far at Spa-Francorchamps but the team is thinking more long term. JEP/Motorsport Images

Currently, Porsche Penske Motorsport’s No. 6 crew of Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor and Andre Lotterer hold a 16-point advantage in the drivers’ standings after a win in Qatar and second-place finish in Imola. This uptick in form has exceeded the team’s expectations and prompted its drivers to think longer term this weekend.

“We want to fight for the championship, so the mindset is consistency,” Vanthoor told RACER. “Last year we were never in the fight so we were targeting single races. This year I would say we have exceeded our expectations so far, but it’s a reward for the work over the winter. It’s paying off now.

“Porsche and Penske are two names that fight for wins and championships, but taking time to get it right is normal. It’s a long year but so far we’ve shown that we are there and we hope to continue the fight in Le Mans too.

“This weekend is difficult to predict. But looking back at Qatar we expected that circuit to be one of the best for the 963, Imola (a very different circuit) was one we were scared of but we were OK. That gives me confidence we will be there all year. I don’t expect dominance like Qatar, but if you can score a podium that’s great.

“Today, I’m not thinking about Le Mans being the next race.”

More evidence that while the 24 Hours is still the Big One, the other WEC races are building a rising cadence of their own.

Project 1 AO Porsche withdraws from Spa 6 Hours

Project 1 AO’s Porsche 911 RSR 19 has been withdrawn from the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, following PJ Hyett’s off at Raidillon in qualifying earlier today. The American lost the rear of the car while …

The American lost the rear of the car while up the hill on a flying lap early in the session, which sent him into a spin and nose-first hard into the barriers. The impact damaged the car significantly, forcing the team to withdraw the car as it is unable to repair it in time for tomorrow’s race.

As for Hyett, he walked away but was taken to hospital for assessment. Thankfully, it was determined that Hyett suffered no severe injuries in the incident.

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“We were of course very concerned about PJ’s condition, the impact was quite severe,” said team boss Axel Funke. “We assume that he will be fit again for Le Mans; we know about his speed and that we are able to win with him, Gunnar (Jeanette), Matteo (Cairoli) and the team. I’m very happy that he’s already feeling better.”

The team will further assess the damage to the Porsche next week when it returns to its base in Lohne, Germany.

Kobayashi puts Toyota back on top in third Spa 6H practice

Toyota Gazoo Racing regained its position at the top of the timing screens in the third and final FIA World Endurance Championship practice session this morning at Spa on a drying track following morning showers, with the times tumbling at the end …

The quickest lap came from Kamui Kobayashi at the very end of the session, a 2m08.702s, in the No. 7 GR010 HYBRID. It was a time seven-tenths faster than the rest of the Hypercar field, although it surely would have been eclipsed had there been any additional opportunities for flying laps from the other drivers. With each passing minute in the closing moments of the session, improvements were coming in thick and fast.

Kobayashi’s time came just after Earl Bamber put Cadillac Racing’s No. 2 V-Series.R to the top of the screens with a 2m09.436s.

Third overall was the fastest LMP2 runner, the No. 31 ORECA from Team WRT. Ferdinand Habsburg reeled off a rapid 2m10.268s to go better than Gabriel Aubry who also impressed with a late flyer to go second with Vector Sport.

Aubry’s late time was a 2m11.229s, which was good enough for fifth overall, just below the Hertz Team JOTA Porsche 963, which enjoyed a very strong session. Will Stevens set the No. 38’s best time, a 2m10.434s.

It was a beneficial session for JOTA, which finally found pace and completed 22 laps with its brand-new car. It was also Antonio Felix da Costa’s first chance to get behind the wheel after missing Thursday’s action because of his Formula E simulator commitments with Porsche in Germany.

Sixth overall was the fourth-fastest Hypercar, the No. 8 Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010, with a 2m11.344s from Ryo Hirakawa. The No. 3 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R, following its overnight engine change, completed the top five and ended the 60-minute session sixth overall. The team will be relieved to be up to speed so fast and to have completed 15 laps after missing most of Free Practice 2.

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In the GTE Am class, Iron Lynx’s No. 60 Porsche 911 RSR 19 set the pace with a 2m25.726s from Matteo Cressoni at the end of the session, the Italian improving on a previous class-topping lap from his teammate Alessio Picariello.

The No. 777 D’Station Aston Martin ended up second, with the No. 83 Richard Mille AF Corse Ferrari making it three manufacturers in the top three.

There were only two significant incidents in the session, beyond a couple of spins, in the tricky conditions.

The first was an error from Lilou Wadoux, who had an off at Jacky Ickx corner, spinning at slow speed and sliding backwards into the tires in the No. 83. The car did eventually return to the session after being extracted from the gravel. The car was not damaged significantly from the impact, which will have come as somewhat of a relief for the AF Corse team, following yesterday’s FP2 incidents.

Fred Makowiecki also a minor off into the tires, sideswiping the barriers after a trip to the gravel at the bottom of the circuit in the No. 5 Porsche 963. He was able to continue without outside assistance and return to the pits for a check-up.

UP NEXT: Qualifying will get underway at 5:00pm local time.

RESULTS

Cadillac, AF Corse Ferrari bounce back from Spa setbacks

After long nights for both sets of mechanics, the two AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE EVOs and the No. 3 Cadillac Racing V-Series.R are back in action at Spa following yesterday’s incidents in Free Practice 2. At AF Corse, getting its pair of 488 GTE EVOs …

At AF Corse, getting its pair of 488 GTE EVOs that came together at Raidillon yesterday ready for track action today has been a colossal task.

The No. 21, which hit the rear of the No. 54 as it was exiting the endurance pits after an error from Diego Alessi, was damaged beyond repair in the incident. Thankfully, Ferrari confirmed to RACER last night that both drivers are OK. Alessi, however, has been handed a 30-second stop-and-go penalty to be served during this week’s race, or the next race he takes part in.

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Alessi was found by the stewards to have caused the FP2-ending collision with the No. 54, which was exiting the pits on cold tires and under the protection of white flags, and on the racing line, as instructed by the race director.

AF Corse has had to source a replacement car for the No. 21. Its No. 54 example, on the other hand, is almost ready to go after an overnight shift by the mechanics to repair the extensive damage to the car’s front and rear.

Meanwhile, at Cadillac Racing, the No. 3 IMSA-crewed V-Series.R is also now fully prepped for today’s track action.

Following the fire out on track, which the team admitted was caused by a “self-induced error,” an engine change was required. The team had to transport a spare engine to the circuit from Germany before fitting it overnight.