Ortelli wants to repeat the 2003 stunt at Spa

Next Saturday, at 16 p.m., Stéphane Ortelli will start the 24 2010 Hours of Spa. His weapon? An Audi R8 LMS, entered by the W Racing Team, competing in the GT3 category. On paper, victory does not seem possible. And yet, in 2003, the Monegasque achieved the impossible: winning the Belgian double round of the clock aboard an N-GT (ex-GT2), overcoming the overpowering GT (ex-GT1) supposed to be untouchable. . At the time he had a Porsche which he shared with Romain Dumas and Marc Lieb. The Oreca driver in the French FFSAGT3 championship is therefore well placed to know that anything is possible during this event.

“The biggest endurance race in the world is Le Mans, says the winner of the Le Mans classic in 1998. But the most beautiful is Spa! And I'm not saying that because I'm in Belgium, within a Belgian team, and with Belgians as teammates. Spa is a race during which anything can happen. First there is the circuit, unique in its kind, which remains for me the most beautiful. A circuit which makes driving physically difficult, because there are few places to breathe. If you tumble behind a GT4 on the Kemmel climb, your only respite on a lap disappears. Then there is the weather, which certainly adds to the charm of this extremely prestigious race. In fact, unlike Le Mans, it is possible to win Spa by driving a slower car, as I demonstrated in 2003 with this Porsche GT2 right in the middle of the GT1s. And then, Spa is a circuit with which I have a special relationship. I have always done well there, whether in GT or Porsche Supercup. So I am extremely delighted to be back for this double round of the clock? »

To support him aboard the racing car from the brand with the rings, the 40-year-old driver will be able to count on the Belgians Kurt Mollekens (double winner and defending champion), François Verbist and Stéphane Lémeret.

“In 2003, David beat Goliath, and I must say it was a great story? Belgian, continues Stéphane Ortelli, not without humor. The kind of thing unimaginable in Sarthe. So why not do it again this year? My teammates know the track perfectly, and the Audi R8 LMS will have the endurance kit, a guarantee of greater reliability. I am very confident. It goes without saying that at the start of the race, we will be behind the Porsches and BMW GT2s, without forgetting the Ferrari peak. But Spa is long, difficult, and anything can happen. If we are ahead in the GT3 category, we will necessarily not be far from the overall score. The undeniable strong point of this 2010 edition is to be more open than ever. Frankly, I'm looking forward to it, especially since the official Test Day went very well for us? »

Indeed, this Test Day saw the sister car, which will be entrusted this weekend to Frank Stippler, Frank Biela, Grégory Franchi and Vincent Vosse, achieve the best time of the GT3, not without beating some residents of the category in the process. GT2. Testing begins on Thursday morning.

Find the presentation of the 24 Hours of Spa with timetables and practical information in your AUTOhebdo magazine, on newsstands tomorrow.