In what turned out to be one of the most exciting GTE races in WEC history, Ford scored the victory in GTE Pro and Clearwater Racing enjoyed an exceptional debut race in the series, winning the Am class in dramatic last minute fashion.
It was a hard-fought affair in both classes, with multiple teams showing off race-winning pace, which should make for a fascinating season.
Now though, it’s all about final preparations ahead of Le Mans, with the trip to Spa giving the teams and drivers a second and final race to warm up for Le Mans race-week in.
Here’s a look at what to expect in both GTE classes – which have seen no changes to the entry since last month’s curtain raiser – ahead of the six-hour race this Saturday in the Ardennes:
GTE Pro
In the top class, Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK will be looking to repeat its successful outing at Silverstone, in which the #67 GT of Andy Priaulx, Harry Tincknell and Pipo Derani prevailed despite losing a time in the pits for a door issue. It was an incredible drive from the trio, particularly from Tincknell at the end of the race when he took the lead after the Safety Car for the #7 Toyota’s off put the car in with a chance.
For the #66, finishing fourth was a disappointment after looking like the stronger of the two throughout, but the pace of the car faded towards the end and Olivier Pla, Stefan Mucke and Billy Johnson missed out on a podium.
What the #66’s struggle at the end did mean though, was that three manufacturers made up the podium, with the #71 AF Corse Ferrari taking second and the #91 Porsche GT Team 911 finishing third in the car’s WEC race debut.
Both AF Corse and Porsche were definitely in the mix, the balance of performance proving to create close racing, at least for this early stage
Both AF Corse and Porsche were definitely in the mix, the balance of performance proving to create close racing, at least for this early stage. AF Corse in particular looked strong with both its cars, and would have had a shot at a double podium too had the #71 not been involved in a collision with the #13 Rebellion Oreca.
All four drivers in the camp though, are capable of fighting with the best GTE Pro’s other factories have to offer, Alessandro Pier Guidi in his debut for the team in the WEC fitting in straight away.
Porsche meanwhile, will be pleased with the pace and performance of the new 911, which appears to be a massive step up from the 2016 model, even based on a small sample at this early stage.
At Silverstone Fred Mako and Richard Lietz finished up with the silverware in the #91, but the #92 was just as pacy early on with Michael Christensen and Kevin Estre racing at the head of the field early in the race before a fire at Luffield forced the car into retirement.
The speed is already there, the only potential issue is reliability going forward following the #92’s demise, but as the car has proved over in IMSA, it appears to be almost ready for Le Mans already in the durability department.
The only disappointed party after Round 1 was Aston Martin Racing, both its Vantages unable to match the pace of the other three factories. The team will field there’s no need press the panic button at this stage though, as Paul Howarth’s systematic approach to endurance racing proved last year when the team got hot at the right time to take two of the titles on offer.
The only disappointed party after Round 1 was Aston Martin Racing, both its Vantages unable to match the pace of the other three factories
Within the two teams, while there was little to shout about, WEC debutant Daniel Serra did perform well all weekend, with no notable errors or questions decisions out on track. The future is bright for the Dunlop development driver, who has already gelled well in with his teammates Jonny Adam and Darren Turner in the #97.
Spa could be an interesting race for the AMR crew, which will be looking for a better set of results. The focus at this early part of the season is Le Mans though, and there is a fresh set of BoP for the race in June.
GTE Am
Like Pro, the five-car GTE Am class provided those watching with a thrilling race at Silverstone featuring a controversial conclusion following a coming together between the #98 Aston Martin of Pedro Lamy and the Spirit of Race Ferrari of Miguel Molina while battling for the lead on the final lap, allowing Matt Griffin’s Clearwater Ferrari to storm through and take the win just corners before the finish.
It was a hotly contested battle, with the #98 leading throughout, Griffin charging to the lead before making a splash in the closing minutes and Molina coming alive after a quiet race for the AF-Corse run Ferrari team.
At Spa, the #98 Aston of Paul Dalla Lana, Mathias Lauda and Lamy will be focused primarily on taking the win after the disappointing end to the race at Silverstone. The 2016 Vantage looks to be one of, if not THE, most competitive package in the class, though the competition from the two Ferraris looks to be strong.
At Spirit of Race, Thomas Flohr is still getting to grips to the sharp learning curve racing in GTE as a gentlemen driver in the WEC imposes. As he improves though the car can likely compete consistently up front as Francesco Castellacci and Molina are both quick.
Clearwater meanwhile will head to the Ardennes confident. While the team knows that the win on its debut came as a surprise, the trio of Keita Sawa, Matt Griffin and Mok Weng Sun are capable of competing with the best the class has to offer over the course of a race to give themselves a chance to win each weekend. It must be noted though, that like at Silverstone, there will be a steep learning curve for Mok Weng Sun and Sawa, who are yet to turn laps on the world-famous Belgian circuit.
In the Porsche camp, Gulf Racing and Dempsey Proton – who let’s not forget are still getting to grips with their new Dunlop rubber – will be aiming for better fortunes at Spa. Gulf however, did managed to mix in with the top three during the race at Silverstone during Ben Barker and Nick Foster’s stints behind the wheel.
The 2015 Porsche isn’t quite there on pace with the newer Aston Martin and Ferrari though, so consistency from both sets of drivers will be paramount if they are to compete for a podium spot. We’ll reserve our judgment on whether the current BoP will allow a 2015 Porsche to be truly competitive over a race-distance going forward.
Saturday’s 6 Hours of Spa is set to begin at 14:30pm local time in Belgium.
