Alonso team wins 6 Hours of Spa

#66 Ford GT wins GT-Pro category

Ford celebrated the first LMGTE Pro win of the WEC Super Season at the TOTAL 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps today.

Olivier Pla, Stefan Mucke and Billy Johnson claimed their first WEC victory after a race-long battle with the No.91 Porsche 911 RSR of Gianmaria Bruni and Richard Lietz.

The race was effectively won with just 45-minutes to go when Pla was able to execute an audacious overtake on Richard Lietz exiting Raidillon. The No.91 Porsche fell back in the closing stages to fourth place as first the sister No.92 Porsche claimed second and then Davide Rigon swept through to take the final podium position in the No.71 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo.

The No.67 Ford driven by Harry Tincknell crashed spectacularly in the second hour causing the second of three Safety Car periods. The British driver thankfully emerged from the Ford GT uninjured.

BMW made a promising debut at Spa as Antonio Felix da Costa and Tom Blomqvist finished in fifth position to claim useful championship points with the new BMW Team MTEK M8 GTE.

A thrilling LMGTE Pro category saw reigning champions Paul Dalla Lana, Pedro Lamy and Mathias Lauda take a record fourth consecutive win at Spa. The No.98 Aston Martin Vantage V8 had a comfortable lead but saw that eroded in the final hour when a Safety Car was deployed.

Lamy was forced into a defensive final stint as Euan Hankey in the TF Sport Aston Martin applied significant pressure. Just 0.2s covered the pair as they crossed the finishing line.

Weng Sun Mok, Keita Sawa and Matt Griffin ensured Clearwater Racing Ferrari took third position as they begin their second season in the WEC.

The next round of the WEC Super Season will be the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 16/17th June.

Quotes

TS050 HYBRID #7

Race: 2nd, 163 laps, 8 pit stops. Started from pit lane. Fastest lap: 1min 57.442secs

Mike Conway (TS050 HYBRID #7): “It was weird starting from the pit lane but we knew what we had to do. We had some help from the safety car periods and the full course yellows, which went our way and helped us to get into the fight with the other LMP1 ones. Kamui and Jose did a great job again today. It’s disappointing not to win but a one-two is the perfect result for the team."

Kamui Kobayashi (TS050 HYBRID #7): “Our car worked really hard to get back into the fight; I think we all drove really well to recover from the problem in qualifying. The car was quick today which is a good sign for Le Mans. Obviously I was hoping to win this race so second place isn’t the result I wanted but for the team it’s a positive start and we will all work hard now to be ready for Le Mans."

Jose María L¢pez (TS050 HYBRID #7): “I am very happy with this result for the team. Starting from the back was very hard and didn’t give us the best opportunity bit in the end we fought back and we showed the potential of car #7. I enjoyed the fight today. Finally to be back racing, particularly at this amazing circuit, was something special."

TS050 HYBRID #8

Race: 1st, 163 laps, 9 pit stops. Grid: 1st. Fastest lap: 1min 57.805secs

Winners Buemi, Nakajima and Alonso

Sebastien Buemi (TS050 HYBRID #8): “We are all happy to begin the season like that. It is the first time for Kazuki and I to race together with Fernando so it was important to start it well. I don’t remember the last time we had so many safety cars in a six-hour race and that meant we lost our advantage a few times. But it all went well in the end so a big thanks to all the team for their hard work. This was just a warm up for Le Mans so we still keep in mind that the next race is the important one."

Kazuki Nakajima (TS050 HYBRID #8): “I am very happy to win the first race of the season. It’s particularly nice because my stint started badly; a lot happened and it cost us some time. There was a mistake from my side as well but from then I got back into the rhythm. The triple stint was tricky but I am happy with the job we did. It’s a great start and we will be working hard to make sure we continue like this."

Fernando Alonso (TS050 HYBRID #8): “I am delighted to get this result. The whole weekend has been amazing in terms of team performance. There have been a lot of preparations with the winter testing and all the work back at the factory but we have to come to the race and deliver the result. We executed the race in the best way we could and I am extremely happy to win my