Rinaldi Spa Class Win “Very Special” Against Larger Teams

Three-time CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa class winner David Perel says Rinaldi Racing’s latest victory was “very special” for what he described as a small team competing against far larger squads.

The No. 45 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo that Perel shared with two-time IMSA GTD champion Alessandro Balzan and 24 Hours of Spa newcomers Dylan Medler and Rafael Duran moved into the Silver Cup lead with just a couple of hours to go as it jumped the No. 30 WRT BMW M4 GT3 EVO during the penultimate round of stops.

Perel, who previously topped the Pro-Am class with Rinaldi in 2018, joked that the result was particularly special given the hot temperatures that “geriatrics” he and Balzan faced.

“This one was really tough just physically, I did the maximum driving time so I’m pretty destroyed,” added Perel.

“Rinaldi is a small team and Michele Rinaldi who owns the team he also engineers the car — he’s like a true racer, he drives the truck to the track.

“To beat a team like WRT to the win so close to the end of the race was very special.”

Perel highlighted the role of his teammates in securing the victory, including teenager Duran who was one of the youngest drivers participating.

“Dylan and Rafa it’s their first time in the race and their stints today after the night were so, so important that we didn’t lose time overall, no track-limits penalties or anything like that,” he explained.

“That was essential for Ale and I to try to bring this car home.

“It was my tenth time doing this race so every time I’ve finished on the podium, it’s been a win. Every other time, it’s been nothing but pain.”

JMR Won’t Sit Back After Achieving Spa Success

Another smaller-sized squad that was among this year’s 24 Hours of Spa class winners was JMR, which took Pro-Am Cup honors after an eventful race.

The Malaysian squad only became an independent operation last year having previously been founded in 2019 with a partnership with Triple Eight Race Engineering.

JMR’s No. 0 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R that team owner Prince Jefri Ibrahim shared with his brother Prince Abu Bakar, Ben Green and Jordan Love triumphed by three laps as none of the cars in the division had a straightforward race.

“Just to finish is an achievement, to win it is a dream,” Prince Jefri told Sportscar365.

“We went through a lot in the race, we had a few penalties, but we kept on pushing all the way to the end. It’s been a tough journey but it’s a rewarding one.”

The Corvette had slipped a couple of laps down from the class lead amid mid-race track-limits and causing a collision penalties, but fought back from these challenges.

“Trying to find the car setup the whole week wasn’t the easiest one and then also in qualifying we had some technical difficulties with the car and that’s what made us all the way at the back — Ben only got one lap in in qualifying,” Prince Jefri explained.

“From where we were starting the race to where we finished it’s an incredible feeling.”

He added the team “will learn a lot” from the experience of competing alongside a field full of long-established sports car squads.

“We have to up our game every time so we’re not going to sit back [after this result],” said Prince Jefri.

“It’s only a year since starting the independent team so to be where we are today is a huge motivation for us all to keep on pushing.”