Team MANN-FILTER Mercedes Tops Free Practice

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27 June 2024, 1:11 PM

A 90-minute Free Practice session in the sunshine kicked off the official on-track proceedings for the 2024 Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa on Thursday morning.

Topping the times was the #48 Mercedes AMG Team MANN-FILTER AMG GT3 Evo of Lucas Auer with a 2:15.234. The top 34 cars logged a fastest time within a single second, and the times took a significant leap forward on the much-resurfaced track from the same session last year where times in the dry were in the 2:18s!

The #22 Schumacher CLRT Porsche was second fastest in the hands of Lauren Heinrich with Fabian Schiller next up in the #2 GetSpeed AMG.

64 of the 66 cars set a time within 2.5 seconds during the session. The only outliers were the #38 Haas RT Audi (which had a brush with the wall, sustaining rear-end damage that is currently being repaired), and the Phantom Pro Porsche, the car suffering a broken clutch on its out lap with Jaxon Evans at the wheel.

The session saw multiple interruptions with three red flags, the first early in the session for a spin at Pouhon for the #19 GRT Lamborghini, the car requiring recovery from the gravel.

Jef Machiels had significant contact with the barriers at Raidillon in his #52 AF Corse Ferrari inside the final half hour just as DSC’s Michael Zalavari and Ewn Wane arrived at the Raidillon grandstand (for their first taste of track action at Spa!)

The #52 came to a rest in front of the grandstand. Quick intervention saw the medical team on-site within 30 seconds, and Machiels was able to exit the car without assistance to a cheer and applause from the crowd. The Ferrari, with damage to the right side and rear, was lifted away, and after a quick repair to the tyre barrier, we were underway again.

There was another red flag with eight minutes remaining to remove the #9 Bousten VDS Mercedes of Thomas Drouet, which had come to a stop at Jacky Ickx corner.

A quick recovery saw the session go green with a few minutes left, allowing a last dash for the teams.

The next track session is Pre-Qualifying at 16:20 local time.

FREE PRACTICE TIMES >>

Image courtesy of SRO

Author: Ewan Wane, Graham Goodwin, Michael Zalavari

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