Calado Puts Kaspersky Ferrari on 24H Spa Pole

Photo: Vision Sport Agency

James Calado and Kaspersky Motorsport have taken pole for the Total 24 Hours of Spa in a fast-paced Super Pole session on Friday evening.

The Brit set a lap time of 2:17.390 in his No. 55 Ferrari 488 GT3 to secure the top starting position by just 0.057 seconds over Mirko Bortolotti’s No. 63 Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini Huracan GT3.

Calado will share driving duties with Giancarlo Fisichella and Marco Cioci in the AF Corse-run car, as they seek to give Ferrari its first overall win in the Belgian endurance classic in 13 years. 

Frederic Vervisch put the No. 2 Audi Sport Team WRT Audi R8 LMS into third position, thanks to a 2:17.630 lap.

A dead heat between Laurens Vanthoor and Jonny Adam was at point for provisional pole but will start fourth and fifth in the No. 117 KUS Team75 Bernhard Porsche 911 RSR and Oman Racing Team with TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage GT3, respectively.

Both drivers set an identical lap time of 2:17.674, and Adam scored the Pro-Am class pole.

The No. 1 Audi Sport Team WRT Audi of Rene Rast will line up sixth, with Frank Perera qualifying the No. 84 Mercedes-AMG Team HTP Motorsport entry in seventh position.

Eight manufacturers were represented in the top-10, while the fastest 17 cars were placed within one second of each other in the heated fight for pole.

Defending race winner Philipp Eng, meanwhile, qualified the best of the BMW M6 GT3s in 11th, in the No. 99 ROWE Racing entry.

The session determined the grid order for the top 20, with positions 21 on back set in the two qualifying sessions on Thursday evening.

David Perel scored the Am class pole in the No. 888 Kessel Rscing Ferrari Ferrari, qualifying 47th overall, while the Group National pole-sitter is the No. 991 Speedlover Porsche 991 Cup of Gregory Paisse,  in a class of two.

The race gets underway tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. local time. Warmup took place before Super Pole, and so cars will have no track action until the race.

RESULTS: Super Pole

Jake Kilshaw

Jake Kilshaw is a UK-based journalist. He is a graduate of Politics and International Relations.