BMW Leads With Six Hours to Go

BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS, Audi Sport Team WRT and ROWE Racing are all still in with a shout of winning the Total 24 Hours of Spa, after 18 hours of racing at Spa.

After 392 laps the No. 45 BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS BMW Z4 GT3 of Dirk Werner, Augusto Farfus and Maxime Martin leads by almost a minute, with Audi Sport Team WRT’s No. 2 Audi R8 LMS in second place.

Nick Catsburg, who set the fastest lap of the race on lap 301, moved the No. 46 BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS BMW Z4 GT3 into third place just before the end of the 18th hour, after the No. 99 ROWE Racing Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 made its 18th stop.

At the end of the 16th hour both BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS cars were given a drive through penalty for overtaking under yellow. The team successfully appealed the penalty for the race leading No. 45 BMW, but it was too late to have the other penalty cancelled as well.

A brief full course yellow on lap 357 helped the Belgian team to increase its advantage over the WRT Audi, with the No. 45 car making its pitstop right when the FCY message was shown on the screen.

Race Control has been very strict in enforcing the track limits in the last couple of hours, with numerous warnings and drive through penalties for teams.

The No. 71 GT Russian Team Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 retired after Lewis Plato crashed into the barriers at turn 14, it was 16th overall when it crashed in the 16th hour.