In the 24 Hours of Spa Silver Cup class, the #12 Ombra Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 was dominant at the head of the class for much of the race but had to fend off intense late pressure to secure the victory.
The pole-sitting #54 Emil Frey Racing G3 Jaguar paced the early stages, but by the sixth hour, the Ombra car had advanced to the head of the field, with the #78 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini Huracan GT3 its closest rival.
This situation remained unchanged until the chequered flag fell some 18 hours later, but that tells only half of the story. With just 20 minutes to run the #12 Lamborghini came under massive pressure from the Barwell car, which almost forced its way past at La Source.
But, Ombra driver Alex Frassinetti held firm to secure class honours for the car he shares with Romain Monti, Andrea Rizzoli and Kang Ling.
An ecstatic Ling told us, “It is unbelievable to win the Total 24 Hours of Spa on my first attempt. We had a very clean race. We were not the fastest, but we made no mistakes, and I have three solid teammates. I’m super, super happy about this result.”
The Barwell-Lamborghini was next across the line, ahead of the #6 Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG, which completed the podium after an excellent comeback drive from the very back of the grid.
While the Barwell squad could not quite secure Silver honours, they nevertheless took home a set of Total 24 Hours of Spa winners’ trophies thanks to their #77 Lamborghini Huracan GT3’s dominant Am Cup performance.
The Barwell machine assumed control at the one-quarter distance and held its lead for the remainder of the race, spending more time at the head of its class than any other car in this year’s 24 Hours.
The crew of Leo Machitski, Richard Abra, Adrian Amstutz and Patrick Kujala finished five laps clear of their nearest Am Cup rival, the #9 Target Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3, to seal the victory.
This was an especially sweet win for Amstutz, who was involved in a fiery accident during last year’s 24 Hours and required the bravery of track marshal Leen Coremans to save his life. 12 months later, he is a Total 24 Hours of Spa winner.
“After my crash here last year I was not even sure that I would ever race again until this February”, said an emotional Amstutz. “It is thanks to the marshals that I am here, especially Leen Coremans and Leopold Adriaans. Without them, there would not have been a race for me today. I am eternally grateful.”
All of the Lamborghini drivers on the Silver Cup podium were Squadra Corse GT3 Junior Drivers.
