Single seater star Oli Webb will be joined a pair of experienced endurance racers in Fortec Motorsports’ driver line-up for the Total 24 Hours of Spa.
Webb, who has become a regular with Fortec in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship this season as well as racing in Formula Renault 3.5 with Richard Dutton’s team, has scant endurance racing background, as he explains.
“I’m very much looking forward to my first ‘proper’ 24-hour race. After doing the Beetle Fun Cup 25-hour race for fun with friends and a sponsor six years ago, this will be my first proper endurance race.”
“To do it with Fortec and AMG in the SLS is a true honour. The test went well and out of 42 cars we ended up P13 on my first time, so I’m hoping we can get a great result with two great teammates with GT experience.”
Sharing the team’s Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 will be Alex Brundle and Karl Wendlinger.
Wendlinger is a familiar man with Mercedes racing machinery of all types, having been part of the silver arrow’s teams for the in the Group C era of sportscars, racing with the likes of Michael Schumacher and Heinz-Harold Frentzen. He also raced in cars carrying the Mercedes logo in Formula One, racing for March in 1991 and ’92 in cars powered by Mercedes-Benz based engines before moving to Sauber for 1993. The following season was cut short by a horrific accident at the Monaco Grand Prix, though he returned for six races in a Ford powered Sauber in 1995.
More recently he has become part of Mercedes’ works driver stable, representing the team in GT competitions, including the FIA GT1 World Championship.
Alex Brundle, son of Martin (one of Wendlinger’s F1 contemporaries) has the most recent endurance experience, arriving at Spa-Francorchamps only a month after finishing second in LMP2 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans as part of a full season FIA World Endurance Championship with OAK Racing.
The Total 24 Hours of Spa (July 27-28) will, however, be his first endurance event in a GT car.
“I’m pleased to add the Spa 24 Hours to my WEC season,” said Brundle. “There is great strength and depth in the field for the race, so I am confident that this is the right place and time for me to make a start in GTs. The Mercedes SLS, along with a strong driver line-up and Fortec support, will be a competitive package.”
www.theCheckeredFlag.co.uk will have full coverage of the Total 24 Hours of Spa weekend, including updates from throughout the race.
