CrowdStrike 24H of Spa - GRT makes history with a standout performance | Mountain Wolf
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ส.ค. 2024
- Polesetter of the race, fastest lap, and a spectacular fifth-place finish.
Grasser Racing experienced a thrilling weekend during the season highlight of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Endurance Cup. At the legendary CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, over 99,500 spectators witnessed the Lamborghini Squadra Corse-supported team from Styria go on the offensive with the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2. The event took place on the challenging 7.004-kilometer Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, featuring a newly asphalted track.
The PRO lineup of Franck Perera, Marco Mapelli, and Jordan Pepper impressed across the board in the #163 car, branded in the MOUNTAIN WOLF design. With the fastest car in the entire field of 66 GT3 vehicles, the trio set the pace throughout the weekend. At the end of an eventful and unpredictable race, the three Lamborghini factory drivers finished fifth, marking the best result for the Italian manufacturer in the Belgian endurance classic to date.
Already in the four-part qualifying on Thursday evening, the crew of the #163 car left nothing to chance. After excellent preliminary work by his teammates, Perera secured the fastest time in Q4. The 40-year-old Frenchman then competed in the Superpole on Friday afternoon for the team. In the single-lap shootout of the top 20, he was the last to go out. He achieved a historic pole position for GRT with a lap time of 2:13.718 minutes, breaking the previous track record for GT3 cars and securing the first pole for Lamborghini Squadra Corse in the history of the 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps.
On Saturday, Perera seamlessly continued his excellent performance from the qualifiers into the race. After maintaining first place at the 16:30 start, he led the way in the first stint. In the third lap, he set the fastest race lap early on, which held until the next morning. Shortly thereafter, however, the team’s luck turned. A problem with the refueling system, along with full-course yellow and safety car phases caused by incidents in the field, disrupted their rhythm. Over the course of the 24 hours, the race was neutralized for a total of 9 hours and 16 minutes. The numerous yellow phases, along with heavy thunderstorms and rain showers, turned the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa into a lottery. Perera, Pepper, and Mapelli fought back through the chaos multiple times. Mapelli set the fastest lap of the entire race on Sunday morning with a lap time of 2:16.105 minutes. In the final phase, the #163 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 was back in the fight for the top positions. After 478 laps, it was classified fifth on the lead lap.
Jordan Pepper (RSA) / Marco Mapelli (ITA) / Franck Perera (FRA)
#163 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2
Qualifying: P1 - Race: P5
Jordan Pepper: "We were challenged early on by circumstances beyond our control. After that, every time we made the right decisions and fought our way back, a full course yellow slowed us down. Ultimately, we managed to get back into the leading group multiple times. Then a FCY came one lap too late for our technical pit stop. We gave it our all and achieved Lamborghini's best result in this race, which we can be proud of. But with such a great car, you naturally want to achieve more. Despite everything, thanks to the entire team and my fantastic teammates. It was an incredible week."
Marco Mapelli: "When you think about how much energy and work the team put into the weekend, it's disappointing to finish only fifth. We had the fastest car on the track for most of the race and naturally wanted to win. But it wasn't our day. We made the best of the circumstances and have to be proud of ourselves. We never gave up; everyone kept fighting day and night, in rain and sunshine. I think when you come through such a race, you shouldn't complain about what could have been but acknowledge what you achieved. I'm looking forward to the next race."
Franck Perera: "It was an epic week for the 100th anniversary of this race. First of all, I'm incredibly proud of everyone on the team. We achieved incredible things together in these days. Of course, there were a few things here and there that we need to think about. We had a bit of bad luck and need to analyze what went wrong with the refueling at the start of the race. That may have cost us the chance to win. But we delivered a great fight, especially under these difficult conditions. We did everything right in the chaos and finished in the top five. That's okay, but of course, we wanted so much more. Thanks to GRT, Lamborghini, and my teammates. We were a great team.“
#montainwolf #spa #Lamborghini
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