Kurtz Hails Pro-Am Class Win in “War of Attrition”

Photo: JEP/SRO

George Kurtz said claiming class honors in the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa came amid a “war of attrition” in the Pro-Am ranks, which saw only three of the six starters take the checkered flag.

Kurtz, longtime co-driver Colin Braun as well as Nicky Catsburg and Ian James came out on top in the centenary edition of the Belgian endurance classic, taking their No. 04 CrowdStrike by Riley Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo to a 15-lap victory over their nearest competitor.

While having been in the top-two of the race virtually from the start, the team’s competition began to fall by the wayside from the third hour, including a dramatic rollover accident by the No. 888 Triple Eight JMR Mercedes-AMG of Martin Konrad, who was uninjured from the shunt.

The No. 100 Team RJN McLaren 720S GT3 Evo, which was its nearest competitor for much of the race, dropped out with turbo issues in the closing hours.

The American squad, in its second 24 Hours of Spa appearance, was the only Pro-Am car not to have faced any significant setbacks, which Kurtz said was key to the win.

“The entire team did a fantastic job all week,” he said. “The CrowdStrike by Riley guys gave the four of us a great Mercedes-AMG.

“It really was a war of attrition so staying out of trouble was the name of the game. We were able to keep circulating and stay out of trouble more than our competition.

“We kept cranking off laps, so hats off to my co-drivers and team for doing a great job.

“Until the race is over, anything can happen. I’ve been close in many long races and seen them slip away. Colin, Nicky and Ian did a great job to make sure we could make it to the finish for the win.”

Braun, who logged time in the Mercedes-AMG during the heavy rain-impacted overnight hours, acknowledged the challenge they had at hand with keeping the car on track.

“George did some time under the safety car in the pouring rain, which looked sketchy,” Braun told Sportscar365. “They’re like, ‘You’re next! When it goes green, you’re getting in.’

“I’m like, ‘Oh great, this is going to be exciting.’

“I jumped in there and I was surprised. I did two wet races here in Spa before but I was surprised how much water hangs in the air in the forest section.

“You could not see anything from the top of Raidillon to Turn 5, you’re just flat out hoping that nothing is in the way. Fortunately it wasn’t.

“It was a bit crazy overnight but we had to try to be aggressive when we needed to and then be smart towards the end and just take care of our car and make sure we were there in the end.

“It was one of those races where we had to be fast at times and also smart and make good decisions after that.”

While Catsburg scored back-to-back Pro-Am wins at Spa following his triumph last year with SunEnergy1 Racing, Kurtz notched his second 24H Spa class win after taking Bronze category honors in 2022, while it was the first race wins for both Braun and James.

The Bill Riley-led crew was largely made up of its championship-winning Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS operation.

“I think it’s been some time since an American team actually had a class victory,” Kurtz added.

“The fact that we can come over here, spending most of our time in America with World Challenge America, and the races that we do, I think is a testament to the competition there and the level of professionalism in the teams.

“When you add the fact that it’s the 100th anniversary [of the race] and all of the wins we’ve had, some big races obviously, this one included, it makes it really something to remember.”

Davey Euwema contributed to this report

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John