More Lineups Confirmed in Updated 66-Car Entry for Spa

SRO Motorsports Group has issued an updated entry list for next weekend’s TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa, confirming more completed driver crews and an extra car.

GetSpeed Performance has added a third Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo to its stable, increasing the total number of entries for the race by one to a new total of 66.

The Nürburgring-based team will field its extra No. 44 Mercedes-AMG in the Gold Cup class with Patrick Assenheimer, Jim Pla, Michael Blanchemain and Axel Blom driving.

That entry adds to GetSpeed’s existing Pro and Silver Cup (pictured) cars that compete full-time in Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup.

Assenheimer was originally due to drive the No. 3 Mercedes-AMG in Silver but that car now has a three-man combination, after the German’s switch to the Gold entry.

Almost all of the driver lineups for Spa, which is a round of both the Endurance Cup and the Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli, have now been finalized.

Among them, GTWC America and Lamborghini Super Trofeo ace Loris Spinelli has joined Sky-Tempesta Racing’s Gold Cup effort with the No. 93 Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo.

IMSA driver and 2017 Rolex 24 at Daytona GTD class winner Daniel Morad is set for his 24 Hours of Spa debut as a member of the No. 777 Al Manar Racing by HRT squad, which is also competing with a Mercedes-AMG albeit in Silver Cup.

Vincenzo Sospiri Racing has completed its two-car roster by adding last year’s Lamborghini Super Trofeo world champion Mattia Michelotto to the No. 163 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo. Michelotto currently drives for VSR in the Italian GT Championship.

DTM Trophy front-runner Theo Oeverhaus and American racer Don Yount have signed with Walkenhorst Motorsport to drive the German team’s No. 35 BMW M4 GT3 in Bronze Cup, which is effectively a rebranded Am Cup class.

They replace Mario and Friedrich von Bohlen who were on the original entry list.

Four-driver Bronze Cup crews are allowed one Silver-rated driver, enabling teenage prospect Oeverhaus to join Walkenhorst for his joint GT3 and 24-hour race debut.

Tim Mueller has replaced Intelligent Money British GT Championship points leader Ian Loggie in the No. 20 SPS Automotive Performance Mercedes-AMG, which is the only other Bronze Cup challenger at Spa.

Allied-Racing has adjusted its Gold combination, with FIA World Endurance Championship GTE-Am driver Ben Barker no longer shown in the No. 91 Porsche 911 GT3 R.

Instead, the German squad has enlisted Ayhancan Guven, who recently stood in for AF Corse’s Nick Cassidy at the Norisring DTM round, and team regular Julien Apotheloz to link up with Alex Malykhin and Florian Latorre as a quartet.

Allied-Racing’s No. 22 Porsche, meanwhile, now includes Vincent Andronaco who currently drives for the team in the GT4 European Series and ADAC GT4 Germany.

Mikkel O. Pedersen, who races in the WEC for Team Project 1, has been added to the No. 56 Dinamic Motorsport Porsche, while Nico Menzel joins Herberth Motorsport.

Ruben del Sarte is the fourth member of the AGS Events Lamborghini lineup that will race in the 15-car Gold Cup division.

There is still one driver to be confirmed by sole Bentley outfit CMR, which has former WEC LMP2 racer and Dani Pedrosa’s Super Trofeo co-driver Antonin Borga shown alongside GTWC Europe Endurance Cup full-timers Nigel Bailly and Stephane Lemeret.

The updated entry list also confirms the factory-assisted Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo IIs in the Pro category that Audi Sport announced last week.

Spa track action gets underway on Tuesday with a three-hour Bronze driver test.