24 Hours of Spa – Pier Guidi, Ledogar and Nielsen in contention for Ferrari

This Prancing Horse triumph – the first since 2004 – was not, however, easy to achieve.

Less than an hour from the finish, heavy rain fell on the track. On the Team WRT side, we were in perfect timing to change the Audi's tires. In the hands of Dries Vanthoor, it was thought to be heading towards victory. Which would have allowed Charles Weerts to become, at 20 years and 5 months, the youngest winner of the 24 Hours. A prognosis all the more logical as the intervention of the Safety Car, following several off-track exits due to terrible grip conditions, had placed several cars between the new leader's Audi and the 488 driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi.

This was without counting on the exceptional skill of the Italian driver, literally unleashed on a wet track. In a few laps, he overtook the cars that separated him from his “prey”. Then he offered himself a breathtaking overtake : outside in Blanchimont at more than 200 km/h as he fell from the ropes. Great art, nothing to complain about.

UN
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EV
ABLE!!!

Take a bow @IronLynx_ and Pier Guidi!! 🙌🙌#Spa24h 🇧🇪🎢 I #GTWorldChEu pic.twitter.com/N2ddTUl5sy

— CrowdStrike 24Hours of Spa (@24HoursofSpa) August 1

So that's it Ferrari rewarded by an involvement for many years which had never resulted in such a triumph in the GT3 era. As for Vanthoor, Weerts and van der Linde, we imagine that their talent will ultimately be expressed through a victory.

Finally, the podium was completed by theAston Martin Official vintage of Nicki Thiim, Ross Gunn and Marco Sorensen. Proof of the intensity of the fight ahead: she finished 1.24.957 behind the winners.

Find in issue n°2323, available Monday evening digitally and Wednesday on newsstands, the analysis of the 24 2021 Hours of Spa by our special correspondent.

Dominique Dricot