IGTC: Mercedes / Marciello Take Pole For Spa 24

Raffaele Marciello put the #88 Mercedes-AMG Team AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG GT3 he shares with teammates Felipe Fraga and Timur Bosguslavskiy on pole for the Total 24 Hours of Spa, the Italian driver lapping the 7.004 kms Belgian circuit in 2:32.166.

Joining the #88 car on the front of the grid will be the #31 Audi Sport Team WRT Audi R8 LMS GT3 in which Kelvin van der Linde lapped in 2:32.386.

Completing the top three was the #4 Mercedes-AMG Team HRT Mercedes, Maro Engel putting in a 2:32.522 in car he shares with Luca Stolz and Vincent Abril.

2019 winners GPX Racing could only manage sixth on the grid, Thomas Preining lapping the #40 Porsche 911 GT3-R in 2:32.990, the best of the Stuttgart marque’s times in the final qualifying session ahead of tomorrow’s 24 hour contest.

The rain, which had plagued races earlier in the day, had abated by the time the 20 cars eligible for the Super Pole shoot-out were prepared for the 30-minute session.

Alessandro Pier Guidi, at the wheel of the #51 AF Corse Ferrari F488 GT3 had topped the time sheets in the warm-up for the Total 24 Hours of Spa field held immediately prior to the Super Pole session, the Italian pilot putting in a 2:34.154 on his ninth lap.

Kevin Estre had to nurse the #47 KCMG Porsche 911 GT3-R back to the pits at the end of warm-up, a puncture slowing the car to a crawl and causing issues to cars hurrying back to the garage to prepare for Super Pole.

Super Pole got underway at 18:22 local time with light reducing but the track remaining dry.  Tom Blomqvist in the #27 HubAuto Ferrari was the first car out, the British-Swedish driver enjoying a practically empty circuit to put in a 2:34.273, over two seconds quicker than the #27 car’s qualifying lap the previous evening.

Time started to tumble and, after the first five runners, Albert Costa was quickest, lapping the #163 Emil Frey Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 in 2:33.400. Christopher Haase in the #25 Audi was the first driver to break into the 2:32s, the Sainteloc pilot lapping in 2:32.979.

There was disappointment for Laurens Vanthoor in the #98 ROWE Racing Porsche who could only manage a 2:36.890, over two seconds slower than Haase’s provisional pole lap.

It was Maro Engel, however, who set the session alight when he lapped the #4 HRT Mercedes in 2:32.522 before Raffaele Marciello in the #88 AKKA ASP Mercedes put in a 2:32.166 to secure pole position.

“The position doesn’t matter but it’s always good to start in the top five or top ten,” said a calm Raffaele Marciello after stepping out of the car. “The clean lap was quite nice for me. It looks like it will be dry (for the race) and for me that is better. I hope for the dry but it will be the same for everyone. We will see and we will do our best.”

The lights go out for the start of the 2020 Total 24 Hours of Spa at 15:30 local time on Saturday October 24.