Motorsport: Convincing Swiss teams at Spa
After a great race to catch up at the Spa 24 Hours, Nico Müller and his Audi team finished third overall. Emil Frey Racing shone in the early stages and brought both Jaguars to the finish of the toughest GT race. In the end, there were mixed feelings among all the Swiss who had made a positive impression at the Spa 24 Hours. Because [...]
In the end, there were mixed feelings among all the Swiss who had made a positive impression at the Spa 24 Hours. Because in the end, the results did not match up to what they were capable of. Starting with the Emil Frey Racing team, which had sensationally taken the lead of the 65-car field under its own steam in the early evening with one of the two Jaguars it had developed itself. That Jonathan Hirschi, of all people, was then involved in a minor collision with Nico Müller's Audi R8 LMS was simply bad racing luck.
Disappointment despite third place on the podium
Both cars were then set well back. Nico Müller and his team partners René Rast and Laurens Vanthoor worked their way up from 46th intermediate place to an unexpected third overall behind the winning BMW M6 and a Mercedes. As Nico Müller's Audi was on pole position after the disqualification of the six fastest Mercedes (use of non-homologated electronics), the lowest podium position nevertheless amounted to a quiet disappointment. "We never gave up and were rewarded for it, although if it hadn't been for the rain in the closing stages it wouldn't have been enough for a podium. When you drive away from pole, of course you want to win, especially since I was already second last year."
Emil Frey Racing celebrates double finishes
The six drivers and all the staff from the Safenwil team also had one laughing and one crying eye at the end. In terms of speed, the two Jaguars would have been capable of the big surprise. But Jonathan Hirschi's accident with the new car and a time-consuming defect in the drive train with the proven car threw both driver trios far behind in the night. In the end, it was just a matter of getting both cars to the finish in one piece, which was achieved thanks to a great team performance. Team boss and driver Lorenz Frey: "In terms of performance, more would have been possible. With the double finish we achieved our minimum goal. We learned a lot this weekend."
How the biggest GT3 race in the world went and how the Swiss did, you can read in our live ticker from Belgium.
www.autosprint.ch/motorsport/liveticker-24h-spa
Photos: Archive
