The Porsche customer teams with the 911 GT3 R at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps are still within striking distance of the leaders after two-thirds of the race distance. Manthey EMA's "Grello" led the field several times during the night. At 8:30 a.m. he was fourth, directly followed by Rutronik Racing.

After a turbulent night with several yellow phases, some of which lasted two hours, the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps remains exciting. At 8:30 in the morning there were still five Porsches in a lap with the leaders. This means that they still have good chances of a top ranking. After two thirds of the race distance, the 911 GT3 R of the Manthey EMA customer team enjoyed the best starting position. The drivers of the "Grello" can look back on an eventful night. At around 9:17 p.m., Julien Andlauer had taken the lead with the “Grello”. Forty-five minutes later he had to serve a 30-second penalty for violating the track limit when he stopped to refuel. As a result, the number 92 fell back to fifth place. Two early tire changes also brought the Porsche out of the pit stop rhythm. However, thanks to a clever strategy in the caution phases, the car driven by Andlauer, his French compatriot Kévin Estre and Belgian Laurens Vanthoor never lost contact with the front-runners. The "Grello" was able to take the lead twice more during the night. At 8:30 a.m. Estre defended the fourth. Rank.

Quasi in the slipstream of the Manthey EMA car, the 911 GT3 R from Rutronik Racing has taken fifth position. The three Porsche DTM drivers Thomas Preining from Austria, Dennis Olsen from Norway and Laurin Heinrich from Germany made it through the night largely without any problems worth mentioning.

The number 54 Porsche driven by Dinamic GT Huber Racing was unlucky. The car of the German Christian Engelhart and the two former Porsche Juniors Sven Müller (Germany) and Ayhancan Güven (Turkey) used a yellow phase to take the overall lead for the second time around 6:30 a.m. in the morning. Once again, however, the joy was short-lived: when the safety car released the race half an hour later, a competitor turned the 911 GT3 R over in the La Source hairpin. At the 16-hour mark, the car was in 15th place.

Thanks to a largely problem-free performance, the Pure Rxcing customer team was able to move up to first place in the Bronze Cup class in the morning. The drivers Klaus Bachler (Austria), the two Germans Joel Sturm and Marco Seefried as well as the Brit Aliaksandr Malykhin moved up to 13th position in the overall standings. Directly behind: Herberth Motorsport with the Dutchman Kay van Berlo – promo driver from Porsche Motorsport North America – and the three Germans Ralf Bohn as well as Robert and Alfred Renauer.

The 24-hour race on the Belgian Grand Prix circuit is considered the world's largest event for GT3 vehicles. It counts for the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup and the Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC). Drivers and vehicles receive points for the GT World Challenge after six, twelve and 24 hours. The race will be streamed live on the website www.intercontinentalgtchallenge.com.

Quotes about the race
Sebastian Golz (Project Manager Porsche 911 GT3 R):“We got through the night well and are constantly chasing a place on the podium. The guys really set a great pace - regardless of whether it's Team Dinamic GT, Team Manthey EMA or Rutronik Racing. We're just struggling a little with track limits at the moment. But that also means they really drive the cars to the limit. We're well in the top 10, but we also want to attack in the Pro-Am and Bronze Cup categories, where things are looking good.” Laurens

Vanthoor (Porsche 911 GT3 R #92): “The cool conditions do the trick it not easy. On the cold asphalt, you quickly pick up the pickup with the tires. If I have my way, it should warm up quickly. But overall things are already looking good for us and things are going in the right direction.”

Dennis Olsen (Porsche 911 GT3R #96): “Everything has gone pretty well so far. Unfortunately, we didn't advance as quickly as we would have liked in the early stages. But when Laurin Heinrich took over for the first time, he was able to show the speed in our Porsche 911 GT3 R. From then on we consistently put the pressure on. The car has been running like clockwork so far. However, you have to use the tires correctly over the entire stint. We have an exciting final phase ahead of us – things get pretty intense on the track.”

Ralf Bohn (Porsche 911 GT3R #91):“We don't want to praise the day before the evening, but we can be very satisfied. After a very good start from Kay van Berlo and great performances from Alfred and Robert Renauer, I was able to complete my first three stints without any problems. We actually only had a flat tire, but Kay recognized that early enough and we were able to change the tire in the pits in good time. The Porsche works well and so does the team. We are currently in second place in the Bronze Cup. Of course everyone wants to win. But first, our goal is to get through.”

Current results: https://www.intercontinentalgtchallenge.com/watch-live