WEC: Toyota takes first historic Hypercar win at Spa-Francorchamps

United Autosports USA dominate LMP2 category

In LMP2 the United Autosports USA squad took a conclusive victory with Filipe Albuquerque, Phil Hanson and Fabio Scherer combining to vanquish their opposition.

The reigning champions gave a notice of intent by topping all of the practice and qualifying sessions ahead of the race, before Hanson and Albuquerque built a solid lead in order for WEC rookie to consolidate the gap and take a debut victory.

JOTA took an accomplished second and third in class after both of its cars stealthily climbed up the order.  The No.28 trio of Sean Gelael, Tom Blomqvist and Stoffel Vandoorne looked set for an excellent runner-up position but were forced to take a late race penalty for contact with the Alpine Hypercar.

This allowed the No.38 Jota Oreca-Gibson of Roberto Gonzalez, Antonio Felix da Costa and Anthony Davidson through to grab second in the final moments of the race.

Racing Team Nederland’s line-up of Giedo van der Garde, Frits Van Eeerd and Job Van Uitert finished fourth and also took the first ever LMP2 Pro/Am trophy.

Local favorites Team WRT were engaged in the podium fight on their WEC debut but were forced in to a long pit-stop after a clutch issue in the fourth hour.

GTE Pro

In the LMGTE Pro category it was Kevin Estre and Neel Jani that dominated with a lights-to-flag victory in the No. 92 Porsche 911 – RSR. It marks the Porsche GT Team’s second consecutive win at Spa and Estre’s fifth WEC victory.

Meanwhile, WEC returnee Jani made a dream comeback taking his fifth win in the series – the Swiss driver’s first since Le Mans in 2016.

The No. 51 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado finished second, 35 seconds adrift of the category-winning Porsche. The sister No. 52 Ferrari which was driven by Miguel Molina and Daniel Serra claimed the final podium spot.

Britain’s Oliver Gavin signed off an incredible 30-year racing career with a fourth place finish – the legendary sportscar driver and team-mate Antonio Garcia putting in a solid effort with the Chevrolet Corvette C8.R on its debut on European soil.

In the race’s closing hour, the No. 91 Porsche 911 RSR – 19 which was driven by Gimmi Bruni and Richard Lietz lost time after it made impact with the No. 7 Toyota, incurring a puncture. The team were also penalized with a track limits drive-through penalty. They eventually finished fifth, 20 seconds adrift of the Corvette.

Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia and Oliver Gavin finished fourth in GTE Pro at the Six Hours of Spa on Saturday with their No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R – the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.

The first appearance at Spa by Corvette Racing was significant for two reasons: it marked the first race outside the United States for the mid-engine racing Corvette, and it also marked Gavin’s final start with the team after 20 years.

The main target for the Spa event was to gain knowledge and experience with the C8.R in the FIA WEC ahead of August’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Corvette Racing will send two of the mid-engine racers back to Le Mans after missing last year’s event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Garcia qualified fifth but the race pace of the Corvette was encouraging in a fight among three manufacturers. He drove the first two stints on the same set of Michelin tires – a different strategy than the other GTE Pro entries – in an effort to be in better shape to fight at the end.

Gavin drove the middle two stints of the race, including the race’s first full-course caution. It marked the 204th appearance in a Corvette Racing entry for the veteran, who ended his career with 51 victories – including five at Le Mans – and five IMSA championships. Gavin moved up to fourth in class during his stint as one of the Porsches suffered a punctured tire.

GTE Am

The LMGTE Am category was never short of drama but it was the No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo driven by Francois Perrodo, Nicklas Nielsen and newcomer Alessio Rovera who eventually crossed the finish line first.

The reigning category champions finished 44 seconds clear of the No. 33 TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage shared by Ben Keating, Dylan Pereira and Felipe Fraga. Completing the podium was Italian outfit Cetilar Racing, the Ferrari benefiting from a Full Course Yellow to climb up to third despite contact with the No. 1 Richard Mille LMP2 car earlier in the race.

The No. 88 Dempsey-Proton looked set to complete the podium to ensure three different manufacturers in top three positions but a late penalty dropped the Porsche 911 RSR – 19 out of contention, with the trio eventually finishing fifth. Fourth place went to the No. 54 AF Corse Ferrari.

Neither the No. 46 nor the No. 56 Team Project 1 cars started today’s race. Egidio Perfetti hit the barrier at Raidillon during yesterday’s qualifying, the damage of the shell structure on the rear left of his Porsche 911 RSR – 19 unable to be repaired in time.

Also unable to start today’s race was the GR Racing Porsche 911 RSR – 19 after Michael Wainwright crashed during the outlap, incurring damage to the No. 86 car only 10 minutes before the green flag was dropped.

Race Results