Total 24 Hours of Spa “Battling it out once again for victory”
Blancpain | 23.7.14 | Aktuálně
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This past season Louis Machiels has become one of the fixed assets in the Blancpain Endurance Series and especially the 24 Hours of Spa, the world’s most important endurance race for GT machinery. This coming weekend the fourth round of the Blancpain Endurance Series is on the programme and once again Louis Machiels, together with his teammates Niek Hommerson (NL), Andrea Bertolini (IT) and Marco Cioci (IT), are aiming for a top result in this Belgian Ardennes classic. This quartet will in fact be competing in the renowned Ferrari 458 GT3 of the top Italian AF Corse team, this time around bearing start number #53.
Louis Machiels is a 43 year-old entrepreneur, with a passion for endurance racing. He started off his career in karting, moved on to single-seaters and then later reappeared in the competition world in the Ferrari Porsche Challenge. In 2009 he won the 24 Hours of Zolder, and one year later produced a strong result at the 24 Hours of Le Mans at the wheel of a ProSpeed Competition Porsche 911 He has on several occasions competed in the 24 Hours of Spa and only very few Belgian drivers could have left their mark during the last edition of the 24 Hours of Spa as emphatically as Louis Machiels. This Limburg based driver, who was also the Pro/Am champion in the Blancpain Endurance Series in 2011 and 2012, won the category in 2012. And this season the ambition is clear-cut: to battle it out up front for victory in Pro/Am.
Louis Machiels: “We are not altering our formation. We are in fact competing with the Ferrari 458 Italia GT3, in Amato Ferrari’s AF Corse team, with which in 2012 we experienced such a successful year and also fought up front in 2013. My teammates will also be on hand with former GT world champion and fourfold FIA GT champion Andrea Bertolini. Marco Cioci is also a top driver, having won various international GT races, amongst which the 12 Hours of Abu Dhabi and was the 2008 GT Open champion. Last but not least there’s my regular friend Niek Hommerson, with whom I have been competing for many years. So no surprises, apart from the fact that the race still has to be run and in the meantime I’m also more than fully aware that each year Spa can produce its surprises, both good and bad. 61 cars, all in the same class, with a list of strong drivers as long as your arm… Success is definitely not a certainty.”
One of Machiels’ teammates is the Italian GT legend Andrea Bertolini, who only last week was hard at work in the Austrian round of European Le Mans Series.
Andrea Bertolini: “I’m fully confident, amongst others thanks to consistent factors in our team: same car, same team and same crew on board. Our strength lies in the close bond between us. Louis and Niek are friends, and that’s how we work together. Out on the track we all have the same goal: to win. Just check out our history in this race. Back in 2011 we were leading our category, with a clear view of an overall podium and then we were shown that black flag. I’m not going to look back on that incident, but it has left a sour taste. We won in 2012 and last year we were in the lead until we had that burst tyre. So we do have something special with Spa and this year I truly believe in it with the assets we have in hand.”
The 24 Hours of Spa kicks off on Wednesday with the traditional parade from the circuit over a public road through to the centre of Spa. The cars remain in Spa during the afternoon, prior to returning to the circuit in the evening. At 11.55hrs on Thursday the free practice and qualifying sessions take off, whilst on Friday evening at 18.50hrs the top players will be battling it out to see who will be taking the start from pole position on Saturday at 16.30hrs. Rendezvous on Sunday at 16.30hrs for the finish.
Meer info: http://www.blancpain-gt-series.com/
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