Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific’s teams and drivers battled to some impressive results in the 74th running of the TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa, with KCMG putting in an excellent recovery drive and Singha Racing Team TP 12 making the Pro-Am podium.
Returning for a third effort at the world’s biggest GT3 race with Porsche, Hong Kong-based KCMG suffered brake issues in qualifying on the #47 Porsche 911 GT3 R, which left Nick Tandy, Laurens Vanthoor, and Dennis Olsen 65th on the starting grid.
Undeterred by the unexpected setback, 2020 24 Hours of Spa winner Tandy recovered to 30th by the end of the opening stint. Team-mates Vanthoor and Olsen, who had claimed a podium finish with KCMG at the 2022 running of the Rolex 24 in Daytona in January, then helped carry the momentum, so much that the #47 crew was ranked 10th at nightfall.
The star-studded trio even led early on Sunday morning, before shuffling back down the order as temperatures rose again after dawn. 24 hours after starting last, KCMG crossed the line in seventh overall and as the leading Porsche, capping a fantastic 58-spot comeback.
In the Pro-Am category, Singha Racing Team TP 12 shone through the Belgian Ardennes, as two-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Earl Bamber joined forces with his team mate from their victorious 2021 Thailand Super Series campaign, Piti Bhirombhakdi, GT World Challenge Asia podium finisher Tanart Sathienthirakul, and French driver Christophe Hamon. Dodging all the typical Spa 24H pitfalls, the quartet clinched a very solid third in class.
Racing in the Pro-Am-entered #24 Herberth Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R was former Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Selected Driver Alessio Picariello, who teamed up with Swiss ace Niki Leutwiler, and German duo Stefan Aust and Nico Menzel. As the designated starter, Picariello impressed in the early stages of the event, topping the Pro-Am category in the opening hours.
Laurens Vanthoor, #47 KCMG Porsche 911 GT3: “We did the best we could with seventh. In hindsight, there’s always things you can do better, but we tried our best and managed to finish as the leading Porsche. It was quite a battle but I’m proud of how we managed to come back from our grid position. We were leading the race for a while at night but unfortunately when the sun came out and the temperatures went up, we lacked a bit of pace.”
Nick Tandy, #47 KCMG Porsche 911 GT3: “In the end, to be disappointed with a top-10 result in a race like this shows the heights of the ambition of this team. It looked so good this morning but, in the end, we just didn’t have the pace when the temperatures rose. I think we can be all really proud of how we executed the whole weekend. The race has been fantastic, the car was faultless throughout the event, the team were amazing in the pitstops. I am happy with how we raced, even though I think the end result is disappointing for everyone. But we can be pleased as we gave our best.”
Dennis Olsen, #47 KCMG Porsche 911 GT3: “It was a good race, especially considering that we started P65, which was not where we expected to be. We kept our heads high and focused on trying to gain as many positions as possible and move towards the front, which we did. We were even leading at one point, which shows how well the whole team has done a great job to prepare for this race. The engineers, the team manager, the whole crew, everyone has done an exceptional job. That’s how we managed to go from last all the way to the front. This was the maximum we could do.”
Alexandre Gibot, Managing Director Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific: “It was great to see so many teams and drivers flying the Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific colours at the TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa, the world’s biggest GT3 race. We are really proud of KCMG’s fighting recovery through the field to grab a fine Top-10 finish in the premier class. It was an incredible comeback and they should be delighted with their work. Many congratulations as well to Singha Racing Team TP 12 for their well-deserved Pro-Am podium, in a race where getting to the end already is an amazing achievement.”
Source. Pole/Photo. Porsche
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