Audi moves from 54th to 2nd place in the Spa 24 Hours.
03-08-2021 13:13 - MOTORSPORT
Without driving a lap, the driver Dries Vanthoor already lost all chances of a good starting position on Thursday evening. Instead, the race began for him and his teammates Kelvin van der Linde and Charles Weerts on the third from last row on the grid in 54th position. In the closing stages, the three drivers fought an impressive battle with Ferrari. 52 minutes before the end of the race, Audi Sport Team WRT decided on rain tires just before a threatening shower. When the floodgates opened, Dries Vanthoor was on the right tires while the Ferrari team had to stop again and put on rain tires. However, a safety car made the gaps significantly smaller again and Vanthoor had to admit defeat to his opponent three laps before the end. “That was brilliant motorsport with an absolute heartbeat finale,” said Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “Our drivers Kelvin, Dries and Charles delivered great sport together with Audi Sport Team WRT. After a deficit of 4.6 seconds a year ago, the deficit was even smaller this year. ”Dries and Charles delivered great sport together with Audi Sport Team WRT. After a deficit of 4.6 seconds a year ago, the deficit was even smaller this year. ”Dries and Charles delivered great sport together with Audi Sport Team WRT. After a gap of 4.6 seconds a year ago, the gap was even smaller this year. "
Behind the winner, Audi achieved a unified team performance in a field with seven manufacturers in the top ten and 58 participating driver teams in total. In addition to the starting number 32, three other Audi R8 LMS landed in the top ten. Robin Frijns, Dennis Lind and Nico Müller drove the start number 37 of the Audi Sport Team WRT. Small setbacks always cost the crew time: a lack of fuel forced Dennis Lind to make an unscheduled stop in the pit lane at night, a tire damage later interrupted Nico Müller's rhythm. After a drive-through penalty in the final phase, the team crossed the finish line in fourth place.