Spa 24 Jam: Live Update Balapan dari Spa-Francorchamps

If you're fairly new to the 24 Hours of Spa, it would be easy to compare it to that other endurance classic, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

However, while you have four defined categories showcasing different performance capabilities, this is a huge field of performance balanced sportscars across nine different manufacturers and models.

It means the cars are evenly matched from top to bottom, putting the emphasis on the drivers here. It means - more so than Le Mans - it is critical to stay on the lead lap.

Why? Well, if you are around 2mins behind but on the lead lap, a safety car will wipe much of that margin up as the pack bunches up.

If you're a lap behind, then you'll be bunched up with the lead pack + 1 lap... and even if you're quick, you'll still need to adhere to those blue flags!

The #107 Bentley Continental GT has stopped on the F1 home straight with apparent technical issues to bring out yellow flags.

The only Bentley in this race - a rather garish orange and yellow liveried one at that - it has been off the road or pointing in the wrong direction several times this week. Thankfully this time it has stopped next to the hatch in the pit wall to get the VIP entry into the pit lane.

We've gone green... and we don't mean in an eco-conscious way. In fact, Greta Thurnberg might want to look away as 61 rumbling V8 sportscars hit the throttle and get those revs singing once more.

We are racing again - 20 hours 25mins to go. 

A big off for the John Deere Tractor entry, it is forced onto the track but - good news - it has now rejoined the grass and is still in the race

And the tractor goes a lap down under the safety car! #Spa24h#FanatecGT#GTWorldChEu#IGTC@Pirelli@AWS@CrowdStrike@fanatec@TotalEnergiespic.twitter.com/KW8B42MlzP

— TotalEnergies 24Hours of Spa (@24HoursofSpa) July 30, 2022

Did someone attach a 'KICK ME' note on the back of the #57 Winward Mercedes...?

This is its THIRD spin at the hands of a rival coming through... and each time it has been Jens Liebhauser at the wheel.

Only Kylie has completed more spins in such a short space of time...

The @WinwardRacing #57 Mercedes-AMG can't catch a break. It's fourth incident after being assisted into a spin by the #12 Audi before being tagged by a chasing McLaren... #Spa24h#FanatecGT#GTWorldChEu#IGTC@Pirelli@AWS@CrowdStrike@fanatec@TotalEnergiespic.twitter.com/2J0v8MDixV

— TotalEnergies 24Hours of Spa (@24HoursofSpa) July 30, 2022

The Course was Full... and it was all Yellow

The #10 Boutsen Audi has tank slapped into the gravel at Turn 11 and is now pointing the wrong way just to the side of the exit kerb. In short, it can't be left there, so we're going slow things down again.

The ideal time for Valentino Rossi to enjoy a shower and an espresso as he hands over to Frederic Vervisch, who begins his first stint during this fourth hour.

The cause of our current FCY, #10 Audi stranded in the gravel.#Spa24h#FanatecGT#GTWorldChEu#IGTC@Pirelli@AWS@CrowdStrike@fanatec@TotalEnergiespic.twitter.com/IDZLGwFOog

— TotalEnergies 24Hours of Spa (@24HoursofSpa) July 30, 2022

WHERE'S ROSSI?

He's in... FIFTH!

In what is turning into a monster stint by the Italian, Valentino Rossi is still pounding around in the Audi and benefiting from all of these FCY periods to be dragged back up into contention.

Admittedly, he is a bit out-of-sync with others in terms of strategy and has picked up fistfuls of positions as rivals ahead pit, but we took a screenshot anyway...

Incidentally, there are couple of cars in the Top 10 below worth highlighting:

Around 6 weeks have passed since Jota swept to a dominant class victory in that other 24 hour race you may have heard of, in France or something...

Having done the business in LMP2 in France, Jota is now giving GT in Belgium a crack this time with a gorgeous jade-coloured McLaren 702S. It is running eighth having started down in 27th.

Also, the Orange1 KPAX Lamborghini - which went from pole position to 30th on the grid after failing technical checks - has battled its way back up to seventh place as the best placed Lamborghini Huracan

Off we go again, third time lucky hopefully!

A few incidents, alternate strategies and opportunistic overtaking has shaken the overall Top 10 up a bit, so here's your update with 21hrs 15mins remaining

1 - #2 GetSpeed Mercedes                2 - #88 AKKODIS APS Mercedes

3 - #54 Dinamic Porsche                   4 - #71 Iron Lynx Ferrari

5 - #25 Sainteloc Audi                       6 - #100 Toksport WRT Porsche

7 - #6 Orange1 KPAX Lamborghini.   8 - #38 Jota McLaren

9 - #19 Emil Frey Lamborghini [pic]   10 - #51 Iron Lynx Ferrari

29 - #46 VR46 WRT Audi

Green flag... oh, no, sorry make that FCY. Again.

The field manages about a lap before the #97 Beechdean Aston Martin finds itself, well, beached in the gravel at Les Combes. 

More significantly, however, the FCY call caught out Al Zubair Al Faisal in the #777 Al Manar Racing by HRT Mercedes, who doesn't register the slowing #91 Allied Porsche in front of him and instead smacks into the back of it.

Both cars are in the pits with damage in what is a particularly big blow for the #777 car, which was well clear as the best of the SIlver Cup entries and was running well inside the overall top ten after two hours of racing

Al Manar's Mad Max Mercedes!

LIVE https://t.co/bexLp6gjoP#IGTC | #Spa24Hpic.twitter.com/KTDN18PRDk

— Intercontinental GT Challenge (@IntercontGTC) July 30, 2022

Being tapped into a spin while under safety car conditions? How rude!

Incident under the Safety Car...

The #9 Porsche is hit by the #93 Mercedes-AMG Gold Class leader as they turn into La Source. The Porsche coming away with a puncture and damage.#Spa24h#FanatecGT#GTWorldChEu#IGTC@Pirelli@AWS@CrowdStrike@fanatec@TotalEnergiespic.twitter.com/9SqcwYEeJ7

— TotalEnergies 24Hours of Spa (@24HoursofSpa) July 30, 2022

The spinners:  #33 WRT Audi and #27 Leipert Lamborghini.

Also, rather unfortunately, the #57 Winward Mercedes, which has been spun again to contribute to this second FCY about 20mins after its shove into the gravel trap caused the first FCY.

Aaaaaand we've managed just a single lap before we're back to FCY.

A spicy restart has resulted in several victims with some cars in the gravel trap and others dragging bodywork along the ground as they head back to the pits... 

If you can't be trusted to run, you'll just have to walk...

GREEN FLAG

The safety car is in, the race is back on and we're basically restarting this race again. But while the field has been bunched up, there are pockets of lapped cars peppered between them.

Cue a frantic restart as leaders and backmarkers jostle... where's Michael Masi when you need him?!

Just under 22 hours of racing remains in the 2022 24 Hours of Spa... so far, 50 laps have been completed, the field is being stretched and Mercedes are 1-2. Here is how the Top 20 looks...

GT racing and MotoGP don't have much in common but some things don't change...

Valentino Rossi has just served a penalty for track limit violations. In his defence he does have two more wheels to worry about these days...

FCY means a pit-stop and change of driver for the majority of the field, which means Maxi Gotz now leads the way in the GetSpeed Mercedes from Daniel Juncadella in the AKKODIS Mercedes.

The GPX Martini Porsche is in the hands of Richard Leitz, while Thomas Preining in the Dinamic Porsche managed to escape out of the pit lane ahead of the Daniel Serra steered Iron Lynx Ferrari.

It took almost two hours but we have our first FULL COURSE YELLOW...

The #57 Winward Mercedes - leading the Gold Cup runner at the end of the first hour - is beached in the gravel trap at Bruxelles after rather rudely being barged out of the way by the Garage 59 McLaren.

More drama for the #57 Mercedes-AMG of @WinwardRacing as it gets helped into the gravel by the #188 McLaren.#Spa24h#FanatecGT#GTWorldChEu#IGTC@Pirelli@AWS@CrowdStrike@fanatec@TotalEnergiespic.twitter.com/8tkayRZA2c

— TotalEnergies 24Hours of Spa (@24HoursofSpa) July 30, 2022

An intriguing battle has developed for fourth place between the #54 Dinamic Porsche and the #71 Iron Lynx Ferrari.

Why? Well, Come Ledogar is being harassed by the very car he drove to the top step of the podium in this race last year together with Nicklas Nielsen and Alessandro Pier Guidi.

Having already dropped from 1st to 4th this hour already since taking over from Klaus Bachler, for now he has kept his old company car behind him...

66 GT cars thundering through Eau Rouge inches from one another... you can just feel the rumble!

The @24HoursofSpa race is on.

Live stream and timing >> https://t.co/QkipjGHm1B#PerformanceIsAnAttitude#GT3#Spa24hpic.twitter.com/XKitCLcI1B

— Audi Sport (@audisport) July 30, 2022

The #26 Sainteloc Audi car suffers the ignominy of being the first entry to strike something solid after Cesar Gazeau loses the rear of the LMS evo II on the exit of Blanchimont, spinss round, biffs the wall with the front-end and limps the fortunately short distance to the pits for repairs

The quickest crash and recovery you'll ever see at that corner!

22h 40m to go | Top 10 Pro Class {Top 4 picture L to R]

1 - #2 GetSpeed AMG Mercedes      2 - #88 AKKODIS APS AMG Mercedes

3 - #54 Dinamic Porsche                 4 - #221 GPX Martini Porsche 

5 - #71 Iron Lynx Ferrari                 6 -#777 Al Manar Racing by HRT Porsche

7 - #32 Audi Sport Team WRT.        8 - #19 Emil Frey Lamborghini

9 - #25 Audi Sport Team Sainteloc. 10 - #51 Iron Lynx Ferrari