GPX Racing stopped in its momentum at the 24 Hours of Spa

La Porsche #221 of GPX Racing did not go unnoticed at the 24 Hours of Spa, with its livery paying tribute to the Martini-Porsche 917 of 1971. With the formidable trio composed of Michael Christensen, Kévin Estre and Richard Lietz, already victorious in 2019, the German was part of the many contenders for victory in the 74th edition of the Spades classic. Despite a complicated Super Pole, the crew held their place in the top positions before seeing an engine problem cut them off.

“We had a good race until we retired, reacted Richard Lietz. We were always at the front, the car worked well, we were able to adapt the set-up as we went along to obtain excellent balance. But suddenly the engine gave up on me. It's really a shame. I don't think such a mishap had ever happened to me behind a safety car! »

“The Superpole exercise was not easy because we know Pirellli tires less well than the teams that regularly participate in this championship, adds Kevin Estre. But we achieved the objective we set for ourselves by getting into the top 5. In the race, we were good on strategy and increasingly efficient on the track. At night, it was as if the track was coming to us, a shame not to have been able to enjoy it until the end. »

Kevin Estre in the pit lane (Photo Florent Gooden / DPPI)

The night seemed to be the right setting to see the No. 221 shine, but it was not able to complete its effort. “We gave everything, the car behaved better and better, and we were really fast at night, confirms Michael Christensen. The team has always made the right decisions and we, the drivers, have been able to avoid mistakes, which is not always easy with 66 cars on the track. This sport is sometimes cruel, but we are together again tonight to celebrate our great performance. »

“We followed our plan to the letter during the week, explains Pierre-Brice Mena, the Team Principal. Despite testing disrupted by numerous red flags, we found performance quite quickly. The drivers and technical team were calm before the race. We applied a staggered strategy which gave us a small advantage over other favorites, and allowed us to seize certain opportunities. We stayed between P2 and P4 until the engine suddenly failed. We will now work on the rest of our program in Endurance GT3 which will be a mix between familiar circuits and new experiences. »

The GPX Martini Racing is in fact studying several tracks for the coming months: the Gulf 12 Hours, the final event of theIGTC (Intercontinental GT Challenge), a return to the 24 Hours of Dubai, which the team won in 2021, or even a discovery of the 24 Hours of Daytona.

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