Overcome Bathurst and the first rounds of the GT World Challenge, both on European soil and in America, all eyes begin to focus on the 24 Hours of Spa, the queen event of the GT3 category. In the Ardennes, the calendars of the GTWC Europe and the Intercontinental GT Challenge intertwine, as well as projects from dozens of drivers, teams and brands. A scenario that of the 24 Hours of Spa that the Canadian Samantha Tan will discover this summer competing with his own team in the 74th edition of the Belgian Endurance Classic.
Samantha Tan is one of the new talents on the global GT3 scene. After competing last year at the controls of a BMW M4 GT4 in the framework of the 24H Series, the Canadian is contesting her first campaign with GT3 machinery. Samantha had the opportunity to be among the first drivers to compete in the BMW M4 GT3 at the 24 Hours of Dubai held in the month of January. With this same vehicle he competes this year in the GT World Challenge America with his own team, ST Racing.
Following the line of last year, in which he added a race to his program within the 24H Series, Tan wants to add a race to his project in the GTWC America. And the female has chosen the event of events. Samantha Tan and her ST Racing team will compete in the 74th edition of the 24 Hours of Spa with a BMW M4 GT3 entered in the Silver Cup. Tan’s teammates will be named in due course, as the structure wants to look for ‘Silver’ pilots, but with talent and experience in Spa.
At the end, experience is key to having a good role in a scenario as competitive as Spa, even if you are racing machinery from the brand that has the most wins in the event. In fact, BMW has scored 24 outright victories at the Belgian event, the last being for the Walkenhorst Motorsport team in 2018. However, the 74th edition of the event will also be a ‘new’ stage for the brand as it competes for the first time with the new BMW M4a vehicle that takes over from the BMW M6 GT3.
ST Racing effort will be private, as much as it flies the BMW flag or may even count on support from BMW North America. With everything, it will be a great opportunity for Samantha Tan to gain top-level experience in one of the most competitive scenarios in the world such as the iconic Spa circuit. Although it seems difficult for the team to fight for victory in the Silver Cup, it will be interesting how far the Canadian pilot can go along with her future teammates.
Photos: GT World Challenge Europe