Theeba confirms new drivers
Theeba Motorsport has confirmed the crew of its #81 Mercedes-AMG, which will contest the full campaign in the Bronze Cup class. Team owner Reema Juffali will anchor the line-up, running her first full season in the championship after making a winning debut at last year’s CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.
The Saudi racer will be joined for the 10-round campaign by Ralf Aron, who returns to top-line motorsport after a five-year absence. The Estonian clinched the Italian F4 title in 2015 and went on to win races in European F3, but has not competed at the professional level since. At Endurance Cup rounds, their crew will be completed by Alain Valente, who is set to contest his season year in the long-distance series after representing HRT in 2022.
Silver Cup effort for Tresor Attempto
Having already announced a Pro crew, the new Tresor Attempto Racing alliance has now added a Silver Cup effort to its 2023 programme. The #99 Audi will be driven by Lorenzo Patrese and Alex Aka in Sprint, with Pietro Delli Guanti joining them for Endurance events.
Patrese showed well last year as part of Tresor’s previous alignment with Car Collection Motorsport, while Aka is a mainstay of the Attempto Racing line-up and among the most quickest Silver-rated drivers in the paddock. Delli Guanti is the only series newcomer, though the 19-year-old has already driven GT3 machinery for Tresor Attempto Racing at last year’s Gulf 12 Hours.
Madpanda Motorsport Endurance Cup drivers confirmed
Madpanda Motorsport has added Alexey Nesov to its Endurance Cup line-up alongside team owner Ezequiel Perez Companc. The 19-year-old has experience of single-seater and GT series, as well as extensive success in sim racing. This puts the Barcelona-based squad in a strong position for the Fanatec Esports GT Pro Series, which awards real-world championship points.
Nesov and Perez Companc will be joined in the #90 Mercedes-AMG by a yet-to-be-announced third driver to compete for Silver cup honours. Madpanda Motorsport has already confirmed that Jesse Salmenautio will partner Perez Companc in the Sprint Cup.
Spa 24 Hours support races confirmed
The full list of support series for the 2023 Spa 24 Hours has been revealed. Eight races will be staged across four series, complemented by track sessions for spectacular GT1 machinery and virtual motorsport in the paddock.
A new addition for 2023 is McLaren Trophy Europe, a single-make championship in which competitors can choose from the new Artura Trophy or the 570S Trophy. Set to debut in support of the Circuit Paul Ricard 1000kms (2-4 June), it will consist of two 50-minute races per event, while the format has been tailored so that the Bronze driver makes the difference.
The first McLaren Trophy Europe race will run at 13:30 on Friday, while the second outing represents the final competitive action before the main event, getting underway at 11:55 on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe returns. It has been a mainstay of the 24 Hours of Spa support package for more than a decade thanks to its long-standing association with GT World Challenge Europe. The one-make series features huge grids of identical Huracán Super Trofeo Evo2 machines, while its combination of pro, semi-pro and amateur drivers ensures that the racing is always unpredictable.
The trip to Spa will be for the third round of the 2023 championship. The programme consists of a pair of 50-minute races, the first on Friday at 15:55 and another at 10:35 on Saturday.
Another GT series with huge grids set to compete at Spa is the GT4 European Series and GT4 Scandinavia. Over 60 cars (with more than 50 from the full-season GT4 European Series grid) are expected to take part in a pair of hour-long races for this combined event. The first is set for 18:00 on Friday evening and the second at 13:15 on Saturday afternoon.
Completing the bill are races for the Formula Regional European Championship, non-competitive track action for the GT1 Sports Club and e-sports races from the Fanatec Esports GT Pro Series at a designated Fanatec Esports Arena at the circuit.
Pic top: SRO/ Jules Benichou
