The 74th edition of the 24 Hours of Spa has started with the dispute of the first free session. After the ‘Bronze Test’ prior to the start of the test, the 235 drivers and 66 GT3 vehicles that make up the grid have had the first joint training in which to start the work for the race. A session that finished with Dries Vanthoor at the top of the time table after setting a time of 2:17.858 at the controls of the Audi #32 in a session with up to four red flags.
The FP1 has been of ‘short relays’since the work on the track has been carried out in the available spaces that they have left the four neutralizations in the form of a red flag that have occurred during training. The first of them occurred a few minutes after the initial green flag and the cause was the Lamborghini #8 of Nicolás Gomar. However, the longest stoppage came a few minutes later for the problems of Nico Müller’s #46 AudiGT3 in which Valentino Rossi competes.
During the second half of the session there were still two more red flags, one for Hubert Haupt leaving the track with the #5 Mercedes of the team that he directs and another for the accident of the BMW #28 of Samantha Tan Racing in the ‘Raidillon‘. Maxime Oosten’s impact against the protections was quite spectacular, forcing the car to be recovered with a crane. Between one mishap and another, some of the proper names of the weekend have begun to show the ‘leg’.
In addition to Dries Vanthoor, fellow Belgian Alessio Picariello has left his mark on FP1 with the #24 Porsche after finishing 17 thousandths behind the best time of the #32 Audi. This result has allowed Herbert Motorsport’s Porsche 911 GT3-R to lead the times in the Pro-Am Cup. For its part, the #57 Mercedes was third thanks to Lucas Auer’s best lapwhich in turn has allowed him to lead the Gold Cup. The ‘top 5’ has been completed by the BMW #98 and #34, with Augusto Farfus and Jens Klingmann as protagonists.
In a Spanish key, the first free practice session has left an unequal distribution of luck. Jules Gounon has placed the #88 Mercedes in which Dani Juncadella competes in seventh position. For his part, the Álex Riberas’ Aston Martin #23 finished in 12th place. Miguel Molina has indeed been the protagonist in the #51 Ferrari after signing the best time in his GT3, but the Catalan driver has not been able to get past 22nd place. In the final part of the time table are Albert Costa’s #63 Lamborghini (53rd) and Isaac Tutumlu’s #27 (64th).
Photos: GT World Challenge Europe