The 24 Hours of Spa wants to emancipate itself

The 24 Hours of Spa have taken a decisive turn in recent years. After opting for GT after touring, after taking advantage of the GT1 exhibition, the 24 Hours of Spa seem ripe to take off on their own. One thing is certain, the double round of the clock in Spa will no longer take place as part of the GT1 World Championship. Jean-François Chaument, boss of Race, promoter of the event, is ready to break away from SRO (Stéphane Ratel Organization), promoter of GT1 and who contributed to improving the image of the race.

« Our collaboration with SRO has been very fruitful. Thank you, in passing, to Stéphane Ratel?s team for having spent so much energy to bring together the exceptional poster for this edition. In the future, however, Race will regain more freedom. In particular, we want to decide on the curtain-raising events. One thing is certain: the GT1 world championship will no longer be organized as part of the 24 Hours », explains Mr. Chaumont.

The organizer of the event claims that the GT1 mechanics are now too heavy but is not giving up on continuing the collaboration with SRO for the GT2 and GT3. “ This involves too many technical, sporting and financial constraints. During the event, Stéphane Ratel spoke of his project to create a GT2/GT3 championship which would be made up of six events. Five 3-hour rounds and the 24 Hours would constitute the flagship event of the championship. Why not ? In any case, we must achieve a more equitable balance of performance, particularly in terms of car autonomy. This year, some GTs had to refuel every 55 minutes and others returned to the pits after 1h10. There is work to be done in this area too. »

But the race organizer is already pleased with one essential element: increasing attendance. “ In total, there were 45.250 entries on Saturday and Sunday, specifies Jean‐François Chaumont. Which represents more than double compared to the 22.000 in 2009. The presale represents 3200 tickets. Through the Total network, 11.600 tickets were distributed »

To attract more people, Spa is looking towards its neighbors, notably France, and hopes that “people pilots” from France will be able to motivate their compatriots to travel. “ In the medium term, I hope we will double assistance. In particular, it is necessary to attract more spectators from neighboring countries. A battle between BMW and Mercedes should interest the German public. From France, we have to bring in celebrity pilots. Which would motivate the media and the French public. As for Great Britain, it is undoubtedly necessary to find partners among travel agencies. »