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Written by Joe Holding
Audi"s #8 LMP1 entry won its first race of the year at the Six Hours of Spa this weekend, taking an unlikely victory in an incident-packed event despite its rivals looked stronger throughout.Porsche had locked out the front row in qualifying with Brendon Hartley and Timo Bernhard taking pole, while Toyota"s #6 car secured third ahead of their teammates and the two Audis.All three of the major manufacturers led the race at some point, although none of them reached the chequered flag unscathed: early pace-setters Porsche were beset with energy problems which slowed them down, while Toyota had a shot at victory cruelly wiped out by an engine failure in the second half of the race.It left the reliable Audi of Lucas di Grassi, Loic Duval and Oliver Jarvis free to lead the field home, while privateers Rebellion Racing secured their second consecutive podium following their third place finish at the Six Hours of Silverstone.In the LMP2 class, G-Drive Racing was unable to convert qualifying dominance into a win as the Signatech Alpine of Gustavo Menezes, Nicolas Lapierre and Stephane Richelmi prevailed on race day.Starting in second, the #36 car took the lead in the fourth hour before a period under the safety car brought their rivals back into contention. A quick burst after the restart was followed by a final stop for fuel, after which they were able to overhaul Extreme Speed Motorsports" Luis Felipe Derani for the win.Meanwhile in the GTE classes AF Corse"s Ferrari was quickest once again, but they were unable to repeat their one-two finish from Silverstone three weeks ago as the engine of their leading #51 car expired just nine minutes from the end.Gianmaria Bruni and James Calado"s retirement cleared the way for teammates Sam Bird and Davide Rigon to take their second straight win in the other car, followed by one of Chip Ganassi Racing"s Ford GTs and Aston Martin"s #98 Vantage.Aston"s other car was flipped out of the race early on after contact with an LMP2 car, and Stefan Mucke later departed the circuit in an ambulance following a huge crash through Eau Rouge in the #66 Ford GT.Fortunately the German driver was unhurt despite the magnitude of the accident.Finally in the GTE Am category, Pedro Lamy, Mathias Lauda and Paul Dalla Lana converted their pole position into a first place finish at the Belgian track, and now lead the Am standings by a solitary point from AF Corse.The Italian team"s Ferrari secured second behind AMR, while Larbre Competition"s #50 Corvette took third.With two races done and dusted, the World Endurance Championship"s showpiece event is next up on the calendar: the 24 Hours of Le Mans. June can"t come quickly enough.Image credit: Drew Gibson (Lead) & FIA WEC (Others)
Date written: 9 May 2016
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 3346
Audi"s #8 LMP1 entry won its first race of the year at the Six Hours of Spa this weekend, taking an unlikely victory in an incident-packed event despite its rivals looked stronger throughout.Porsche had locked out the front row in qualifying with Brendon Hartley and Timo Bernhard taking pole, while Toyota"s #6 car secured third ahead of their teammates and the two Audis.All three of the major manufacturers led the race at some point, although none of them reached the chequered flag unscathed: early pace-setters Porsche were beset with energy problems which slowed them down, while Toyota had a shot at victory cruelly wiped out by an engine failure in the second half of the race.It left the reliable Audi of Lucas di Grassi, Loic Duval and Oliver Jarvis free to lead the field home, while privateers Rebellion Racing secured their second consecutive podium following their third place finish at the Six Hours of Silverstone.In the LMP2 class, G-Drive Racing was unable to convert qualifying dominance into a win as the Signatech Alpine of Gustavo Menezes, Nicolas Lapierre and Stephane Richelmi prevailed on race day.Starting in second, the #36 car took the lead in the fourth hour before a period under the safety car brought their rivals back into contention. A quick burst after the restart was followed by a final stop for fuel, after which they were able to overhaul Extreme Speed Motorsports" Luis Felipe Derani for the win.Meanwhile in the GTE classes AF Corse"s Ferrari was quickest once again, but they were unable to repeat their one-two finish from Silverstone three weeks ago as the engine of their leading #51 car expired just nine minutes from the end.Gianmaria Bruni and James Calado"s retirement cleared the way for teammates Sam Bird and Davide Rigon to take their second straight win in the other car, followed by one of Chip Ganassi Racing"s Ford GTs and Aston Martin"s #98 Vantage.Aston"s other car was flipped out of the race early on after contact with an LMP2 car, and Stefan Mucke later departed the circuit in an ambulance following a huge crash through Eau Rouge in the #66 Ford GT.Fortunately the German driver was unhurt despite the magnitude of the accident.Finally in the GTE Am category, Pedro Lamy, Mathias Lauda and Paul Dalla Lana converted their pole position into a first place finish at the Belgian track, and now lead the Am standings by a solitary point from AF Corse.The Italian team"s Ferrari secured second behind AMR, while Larbre Competition"s #50 Corvette took third.With two races done and dusted, the World Endurance Championship"s showpiece event is next up on the calendar: the 24 Hours of Le Mans. June can"t come quickly enough.Image credit: Drew Gibson (Lead) & FIA WEC (Others)
Date written: 9 May 2016
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 3346
