With the sun greeting the 20 fastest drivers participating in this evening’s Superpole session for the Total 24 Hours of Spa, conditions were perfect. With only eight tenths of a second separating the 20 car field in Thursday’s qualifying session, there were fireworks expected for Superpole.
Maro Engel in the #00 AMG-Team Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG was the first to beat the quickest time of Thursday evening, lapping the 7.004-kilometre circuit in a time of 2:18.223.
Sadly it was not enough to claim pole position, as Clemens Schmid in the #85 HTP Motorsport Mercedes-AMG eclipsed this with a time of 2:18.025 and was nearly toppled immediately after by Felix Rosenqvist who lapped within 0.009s of the Austrian’s time.
This year sees the first appearance of BMW’s mighty M6 GT3, which qualified 15th in the hands of Dutchman Nick Catsburg – the #98 car set a time of 2:19.517 with teammate Alexander Sims achieving a best time of 2:19.865 minutes in the #99 car. BMW starts the Ardennes marathon as reigning champions after last year’s victory for the BMW Z4 GT3, so they’ll be looking to improve from their lowly grid position and put the AMG Mercs under pressure during the race.
As with all Superpoles, time passes quickly, and it wasn’t long before Dani Juncadella (#56 Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG), Maxi Götz (#86 AMG-Team HTP Motorsport Mercedes-AMG) and Shane Van Gisbergen (#58 Garage 59 McLaren) took to the track and attempted to grab pole in the closing minutes.
The Black Falcon driver was on a faster lap when he missed his braking point in the final chicane. Then bad luck struck the fastest man of Thursday’s qualifying session, Shane Van Gisbergen – the McLaren driver slowing down on the track and causing a yellow flag situation. That ruined the flying lap of Maxi Götz, which would have been fast enough for pole, and ended the session, leaving the top-six places filled solely by the AMG Mercs.
Don’t expect them to remain quite so dominant in the race. The BMW’s will be looking to improve, while the Audi R8 LMS of Laurens Vanthoor (#28) and Franck Perera (#74) are poised to mount their attack from 7th and 8th on the grid.
The race starts at 16:30 CET on Saturday 30th July, with 65 cars fighting it out for the GT3 class.
* * *
With Thanks
-
Words:Kevin Mc Glone.
Pictures:Kevin Mc Glone(Red Square Images), BMW Motorsport, Audi Media.
Written By

Red Square Images
Red Square Images, headed up by Kevin Mc Glone, specialise in motorsport and automotive photography covering Industry trade shows and launches, FIA GT1, GT3, GT4, LMES, ALMS, British GT, Britcar, BTCC, Blancpain Endurance Series and GT Cup.
The team are available across Europe to capture the action at every major event in the calendar. They offer an extensive range of services from their headquarters situated at the heart of Britain's motorsport industry, near Silverstone Circuit, and can process and deliver images rapidly around the world.
Try These Next
Stories we think you'll enjoy
May 4, 2022
Valentino Rossi, an Audi R8 LMS GT3, and a debut at Brands Hatch
As a motorbike racer, Valentino Rossi is quite possibly the greatest we’ve ever known; as a sportsman, he sits comfortably along the peak of the…
April 8, 2022
The Nürburgring Prepares for it’s 24-Hour Party People
As the Nurburgring 24h Rennen prepares for the return of fans, Kevin Mc Glone looks back to 2019 which saw him capture a spectacular Audi win.