Nick Catsburg grabbed the full haul of GT World Challenge Europe points at the six-hour mark of the 2022 TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa as the pressure applied to the #71 Iron Lynx Ferrari paid off, the bright yellow Ferrari 488 of Davide Rigon having to defend hard in the sixth hour, the effort enough to ensure that the car had to pit as the hour expired, the BMW staying out and crossing the line first to claim the points.
The ‘top of the hour’ strategic battle came after a significantly less troubled period than the third hour, as the madness subsided a number of cars went off strategy. The best of them was the #55 AMG Team GruppeM Mercedes-AMG, which vaulted to the lead in the hands of Mikael Grenier. The German squad moved to the head of the field with the Canadian and then cycled through Maxi Buhk and Maro Engel while remaining at the front.
The #55 made two pit stops during the sixth hour, dropping it out of the lead but not out of contention.
Both the #98 ROWE Racing BMW and the #221 GPX Martini Racing Porsche, also went off strategy, in pursuit of the 6-hour points, moving the #71 Iron Lynx Ferrari into the lead. The Italian squad had been in the mix from the start, though this was its first stint at the head of the field.
At the six-hour mark the #88 AMG Team Akkodis ASP took third and scored crucial championship points too, particularly for overall drivers’ championship leader Raffaele Marciello.
In Silver Cup, the #11 Tresor by Car Collection Audi had taken control after the elimination of the #777 AMG control, but a long pit stop during the sixth hour dropped the Italian squad to fifth in class. Team WRT led at six hours with its #30 Audi, followed by the #14 Emil Frey Racing Lamborghini.
The early Gold Cup also leader also hit problems, with the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG initially out front before contact with the #188 McLaren sent it tumbling down the order. It was replaced at the head of the class order by fellow Mercedes-AMG squad Haupt Racing Team, which maintained its advantage at six hours with Indian racer Arjun Maini running 20th overall.
Herberth Motorsport controlled early proceedings in Pro-Am and despite slipping back during the middle hours of this period it was back out front at six hours, albeit with the #188 Garage 59 McLaren of Henrique Chaves closing rapidly.
The #35 Walkenhorst Motorsport BMW led Bronze Cup after a damper failure hampered the #20 SPS automotive performance Mercedes-AMG, though the latter was catching at the six-hour mark.
