24h of Spa – Laurens Vanthoor, a cautious favorite

The flavor of a victory in the 24 Hours of Spa, Laurens Vanthoor knows her well. The native of Hasselt had the double round of the clock in Spa in 2014, at the wheel of an Audi R8 LMS ultra from Team WRT.

One of the major figures in Vincent Vosse's team will logically be among the favorites for the 2016 edition. The Blancpain champion Endurance Series 2014 will be aligned with the No. 8 R28 LMS, supported by Audi Sport, alongside Nico Müller and René Rast, the latter having won with Vanthoor in 2014.

However, it is with great caution that the trio will present themselves at the start of the fourth round of the 2016 Endurance Cup. “I am trying to approach this race in the most neutral way, admits Vanthoor. I try to avoid being both pessimistic and optimistic, and by taking the 24 Hours as a normal race, even though we know she's not. Because of the car, the team, the support from Audi and the drivers, we know that the #28 is among the contenders, but so many things can happen. »

After a start to the season below expectations on the Endurance scene, Vanthoor only has 20 points in the championship, hence the importance of this double clock, where points are awarded after 6, 12 and 24 hours. “The fact that we need big points to stay in the title race adds a bit of pressure, but it won't affect our strategy. At the end of the day, this is the kind of race that may be worth more than a championship…”

Team WRT will enter five Audi R8 LMS this weekend, with the presence of Will Stevens, Manor driver in WEC and former driver of the team of John Booth and Graeme Lowdon in F1, or even Bertrand Baguette, called at the last minute to replace Peter Kox on the No. 4.