Motorsport: Countdown to the Spa 24 Hours

All the teams have arrived in Belgium and set up in the paddock. Now the final preparations for the world's biggest GT3 race begin. In the middle of it all is the Emil Frey Racing Team with two Jaguars. It is a race of superlatives. What Le Mans is for the sports prototypes, Spa is for the GT3 sports cars closer to series production - a marathon twice around [...]

Who's in front at the end? A pack of 65 equally matched GT3 sports cars will start the 24 Hours of Spa on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in front of packed grandstands.

It is a race of superlatives. What Le Mans is for the sports prototypes, Spa is for the GT3 sports cars that are closer to series production - a marathon twice around the clock in which the best GT teams and drivers in the world take part. For the 68th staging of the classic in the Belgian Ardennes, 65 teams with eleven different brands have registered, 29 of them in the Pro classification. Pro stands for Professionals, i.e. teams with one to three professional racers in their line-up. A good 20 of them have a realistic chance of winning the overall race - so the starting position before the Spa 24 Hours is completely open.

Strong pilots for the Safenwil team at the start
From outsiders to teams taken seriously, Emil Frey Racing from Safenwil has transformed itself. "We have earned the respect of the other manufacturers," says team boss and driver Lorenz Frey, pleased with the recognition. Even if the two big cats are not in the running for overall victory - this would be tantamount to a sensation - they will certainly show their claws. The names of their tamers already speak for this. Of the twelve winners of previous events, two are on the Swiss team. The Monegasque Stéphane Ortelli, who will take over from Alberto Costa (E) and Lorenz Frey at the wheel of car number 14, won with Porsche in 2003. And last year, Markus Palttala won with BMW. The Finn forms the second Jaguar team with start number 114 together with Jonathan Hirschi from Neuchâtel and former GP driver Christian Klien from Vorarlberg (AutoSprintCH reported).

Emil Frey Racing is flying the flag: the Safenwil-based big cat is no longer alone in Belgium; for the first time, the Swiss team is bringing two Jaguar G3s to the starting line.
Emil Frey Racing is flying the flag: the Safenwil-based big cat is no longer alone in Belgium; for the first time, the Swiss team is bringing two Jaguar G3s to the starting line.

Live ticker from AutoSprintCH around the clock
Of the twelve Swiss drivers, Nico Müller has the highest hopes for victory. Last year's runner-up shares one of the factory-supported Audi R8 LMS cars with Laurens Vanthoor (B) and René Rast (D), who won at Spa in 2014. For Rolf Ineichen, Patric Niederhauser (both Lamborghini Huracan) and Alex Fontana (McLaren), good top ten finishes are realistic with their teams, which also applies to Emil Frey Racing as the smallest manufacturer among the giants.

The "Total 24 Hours of Spa", as it is officially titled, starts at 16:30 on Saturday, July 30. AutoSprintCH reports in the live ticker on www.autosprint.ch about the racing action around the clock and is primarily dedicated to Emil Frey Racing. In addition, there are regular updates, interviews and impressions on the Emil Frey Jaguar Racing Facebook page.

www.24hoursofspa.com
www.emilfreyracing.com
Photos: Archive

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