Datum: 07.08.2019 · Sonstige

5th AM-rank at the 24h of Spa

Rinaldi Racing Ferrari of Ehret at the 24h Spa 2019 - picture by Rene Jüptner
Rinaldi Racing Ferrari of Ehret at the 24h Spa 2019 - picture by Rene Jüptner

Pierre Ehret has achieved a 5th class rank in the Am class with his Rinaldi Racing team mates at the 71st edition of the 24h of Spa. The Ferrari 488 GT3 of Pierre Ehret (D), Martin Berry (AUS) Jose Manuel Balbiani (ARG) and Rory Penttinen (FIN) crossed the finish line after 350 laps as 41st out of 72 started teams. The quartet scored a further 19 points in the AM classification and is now 6th in the class championship standings with 46 points ahead of the final heat of the series in Barcelona.

"This was one of the most difficult races I've driven here at Spa so far. The weather conditions changed constantly and you had to be very careful in the rain. However, our team prepared the car perfectly for the difficult conditions. The stints went smoothly except for a few minor spins. To be honest, we're still a little perplexed why we ended up 7 laps behind our team mates who won the class with the second Ferrari of the Rinaldi team. After a first analysis, our average times across all drivers were at least as fast as those of our victorious crew. We therefore suspect that we got caught up with the strategy and during the numerous safety car phases."

Although the Spa weekend had started with record summer temperatures, the Saturday and Sunday race was marked by numerous rainy periods, which resulted in 14 safety car phases, 11 full course yellows and even an almost 6-hour race interruption. Only half of the race was done under green. In the end, the GPX-Racing Porsche trio Richard Lietz, Kevin Estre and Michael Christensen won the race, while victory in the AM-Class went to Ehret's Rinaldi team-mates Alexander Mattschull (D), Manuel Lauck (D), Hendrik Still (D) and Christian Hook (D).

"We now have to wait for further analysis to see what it was all about in detail, because the car felt ok and we didn't have any penalties worth mentioning. In Barcelona on September 29th there are another 25 points to get in our class. Maybe we'll be able to clinch a podium result there at the end of the season."