24H Spa: Unexpected chance for Julien Apothéloz 🎥

Julien Apothéloz (center gallery) had actually no longer expected to take part in the famous 24-hour race on the Spa-Francorchamps GP circuit. In 2022, the Zurich native will concentrate on the Nürburgring endurance series with a Mercedes team, where he recently shone with two fourth-place finishes.

Reward for the good performance in the previous year
Last week, an unexpected call came from Allied Racing, where the winner of the 2018 Swiss Young Driver Challenge competed in the 2021 GT World Challenge Europe and also in Spa as the season highlight - and apparently made a good impression.

Julien Apothéloz: "The team still needed a second silver rider to start in the new Gold Cup. So they came back to me at short notice. Unfortunately, I wouldn't have been able to start at Spa otherwise for budget reasons. I'm honored that Allied Racing has placed its trust in me, and I'd like to thank them for that. All the more reason for me to look forward enormously to this exciting race week."

Rapid switch from the Mercedes to the Porsche
There's no question that Julien Apothéloz will again give his best. The rapid switch from the Mercedes-AMG with V8 front engine to the Porsche 911 GT3-R with the six-cylinder powerplant installed in the rear will be a challenge for him, as he was unable to take part in the pre-practice session (action photos gallery) due to the last-minute commitment.

Julien Apothéloz: "The Porsche has very unique handling, but I got on very well with it toward the end of the 2021 season. In the meantime, the team has made great progress with the car set-up. So I'm confident that I'll be able to match my previous performance in terms of driving."

Quartet with ambitions in the Gold Cup
His three race partners in the number #91 sports car are Ayhancan Güven, Florian Latorre and Alex Malykhin. The Turkish Porsche contract driver is the gold driver in the team, the experienced Frenchman has silver classification like Apothéloz, and the Russian competing under a neutral flag is the mandatory bronze driver.

Together, the quartet is aiming for a top finish in the newly created Gold Cup, for which 15 teams are registered.

Julien Apothéloz: "I think that in this constellation we are certainly one of the stronger pairings in this classification. But to get on the podium, which is our goal, you always need the necessary racing luck in such a competitive race."

In full length live on YouTube
The 24 Hours of Spa will be held next weekend for the 74th time since 1924. More than 100,000 spectators are expected along the track over all four days.

The first highlight is the big drivers' parade in the center of Spa on Wednesday evening. Practice begins on Thursday, with the race starting at 4:45 p.m. on Saturday, July 30, after a long ceremony.

66 GT3 teams with over 230 drivers from 19 nations are entered. The marathon twice around the clock counts towards the GT World Challenge Europe and the Intercontinental GT Challenge, which is effectively a world championship for GT3 sports cars.

The whole race can be watched on the GT World YouTube channel at this Link be followed live.

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