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Intercontinental GT Challenge

Gounon Ahead for Akkodis ASP with Two Hours Remaining

Akkodis ASP leads ROWE Racing as 24H Spa enters critical strategic phase…

Photo: Kevin Pecks/SRO

Jules Gounon entered the final two hours of the TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa as the race leader for AMG Team Akkodis ASP.

Gounon moved to the lead of the race when Luca Stolz pitted the No. 2 AMG Team GetSpeed Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo shortly before the end of the 22nd hour.

With the different strategies poised to play out over the final two stints, Gounon led by four seconds from Nick Yelloly in the No. 98 ROWE Racing BMW M4 GT3.

Yelloly overtook Daniel Serra’s Iron Lynx Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 on the Kemmel Straight and closed down the ASP Mercedes-AMG but couldn’t find a way past.

The ASP and ROWE machines appeared to be best-positioned strategically heading into the closing stages, with GetSpeeed potentially needing an extra fuel stop after Stolz came in before the hour elapsed.

With two to go, Serra was around 16 seconds behind Yelloly in the third-placed Ferrari while Dan Harper sat fourth in the Junior Team-driven ROWE Racing BMW.

Maro Engel and James Calado were fifth and sxith for AMG Team GetSpeed and Iron Lynx, while Stolz slotted into seventh after making his Mercedes-AMG’s latest pit stop.

Beechdean AMR’s hopes of repeating last year’s Spa podium were dealt a blow when Nicki Thiim spun after a touch from Gounon as the pair battled through Eau Rouge.

Thiim managed to avoid hitting the barriers after a 360-degree rotation, but his Aston  Martin Vantage GT3 incurred a left-rear puncture that forced the Dane to crawl back to the pits, losing valuable time.

With two hours to go, Konsta Lappalainen led the Silver Cup class in Emil Frey Racing’s No. 14 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo, but only after Thomas Neubauer pitted his No. 30 WRT Audi from the front.

Ferrari squad Iron Dames has controlled the second half of the race in Gold Cup, with Michelle Gatting running 18th overall and two places ahead of Pro-Am leader Alessio Rovera in another Ferrari run by AF Corse.

Daniel Lloyd is a UK-based reporter for Sportscar365, covering the FIA World Endurance Championship, Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, among other series.

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