> Comtoyou’s Drudi/Sorensen/Thiim beat heartbroken AF Corse
> WRT and ROWE seal BMW’s Intercontinental one-two
> Au scores second IGTC Independent Cup win in as many races
> 99,500 spectators attend centenary edition of the world’s biggest GT3 race
> Result: 2024 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa
There was joy for Aston Martin and heartbreak for Ferrari at the centenary CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa where an unusual late incident handed Comtoyou Racing’s Mattia Drudi, Marco Sorensen and Nicki Thiim victory in the final 60 minutes.
Behind, the #32 Team WRT BMW shared by Sheldon van der Linde, Dries Vanthoor and Charles Weerts scored maximum Intercontinental GT Challenge points by finishing third overall. That was one place adrift of AF Corse’s Alessandro Pier Guidi, Davide Rigon and Alessio Rovera who were set for victory until a stationary Lamborghini blocked Pier Guidi at pit entry.
As well as the Aston Martin moving from second to first, the incident also promoted ROWE’s BMW which then appeared well set to finish as runner-up. However, a small driver time miscalculation forced the M4 featuring Dan Harper, Max Hesse and Augusto Farfus to re-set its stint length with just minutes remaining, dropping the car to sixth overall and second in IGTC’s classification.
It slotted in behind Walkenhorst’s Aston Martin, which collected a 10-second penalty at the flag following contact with Pier Guidi’s recovering Ferrari, and GRT Grasser Racing’s Lamborghini that had started on pole.
BMW’s IGTC one-two moves it back into championship contention with only the Indianapolis 8 Hour Presented by AWS remaining, while ROWE’s appeal against the ADAC Ravenol 24h Nurburgring result – which has prevented Round 2 points from being applied – is due to be heard on July 10.
Intercontinental’s other full-season manufacturers, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche, both endured difficult days.
Mercedes-AMG’s top finisher – AlManar Racing By GetSpeed – also won Spa’s Gold class by finishing seventh overall in the hands of Al Faisal Al Zubair, Dominik Baumann, Philip Ellis and Mikael Grenier. That was one position ahead of the leading Porsche (SSR Herberth) crewed by Matt Campbell, Mathieu Jaminet and Fred Makowiecki who beat fellow factory drivers Julien Andlauer, Sven Mueller and Patric Niederhauser (Rutronik Racing).
Elsewhere, Antares Au scored his second IGTC Independent Cup victory in as many rounds with Lionspeed x Herberth. The Porsche he shared with Alexander Fach, Martin Rump and Alessio Picariello was the sole finisher in a class that also featured Prince Jefri Ibrahim (Triple Eight JMR) and Adrian D’Silva (EBM).
The Brickyard hosts Intercontinental’s season finale on 4-6.