2nd July 2019
Strakka Racing will field two Mercedes-AMG GT3 race cars in the Total 24 Hours of Spa on 27-28 July 2019. The team’s roster of drivers will contest the notoriously challenging endurance event, held at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium.
The Mercedes-AMG performance team celebrated success at last year’s race as Nick Leventis, Chris Buncombe, Lewis Williamson and David Fumanelli crossed the finish line second in class to stand on the Pro-Am podium. The #43 sister car, competing in the Pro class, finished just outside the top ten after a gruelling 24 hours and 508 laps of the 21-turn, 7.004km circuit.
For 2019, the team will be aiming for more champagne moments with a six-strong driver squad across its two Mercedes-AMG GT3 race cars. The #43 will be driven by Christina Nielsen and two drivers to be confirmed, while the #44 will compete with drivers Lewis Williamson, Gary Paffett and Tristan Vautier taking turns at the wheel.
Christina Nielsen (#43): “Spa is one of the biggest races of the year a driver can do. The track is legendary and a favourite amongst many. Everyone knows that the competition is insane and it’s 24 hours of that, so without a doubt it’s going to be intense. It’s been a couple of years since I last raced at Spa; I’ve spent time preparing on the Strakka simulator and have a really busy summer schedule with Spa being a part of that, so I’ll have had plenty of time behind the wheel to get me prepared for the race.”
Tristan Vautier (#44): “I really look forward to racing with Strakka. From the first race in Laguna Seca we know the team is strong and my teammates are great to work with and very competitive and that weekend went well until our very unfortunate mechanical failure. This motivates me a lot for the Spa 24h and I hope we can reproduce the same level of performance but this time executing the perfect race to get a strong result. The competition will be tough and Spa is always challenging with many factors to deal with but I’m confident with our package and can’t wait to be there in July.”
Jay Davenport, Strakka Racing Director: “The 24 Hours of Spa is an incredible endurance event, with some 200 drivers and over 60 cars competing for honours around the clock through changeable conditions. Last year was a huge accomplishment for the team, securing a podium and strong result in the Pro standings. We know we’ve got the driving talent and the pace this year, we now need to bring it all together on track and execute a trouble-free race to bring home the results we know we can achieve.”
The Total 24 Hours of Spa will take place on 27-28 July as part of the 2019 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup, starting at 16:30 CET on Saturday 27 July.
