Walkenhorst-BMW leads at 14-hour mark as full-course yellow remains in place

Walkenhorst-BMW leads at 14-hour mark as full-course yellow remains in place

The #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport BMW M6 GT3 held a sizeable lead as darkness gave way to daylight at the Total 24 Hours of Spa.

A contender throughout the race, the #34 machine led when a red flag flew just before the 11-hour mark. The stoppage was necessitated by an accident involving the #666 Attempto Racing Lamborghini and the #31 Team Parker Racing Bentley. The respective drivers – Jürgen Krebs and Andy Meyrick – were transferred to hospital.

Racing resumed just after 04.50 with the #34 Walkenhorst-BMW at the head of the field, but it was just another half an hour before the arrival of a full-course yellow period following an accident for the #90 AKKA ASP Team Mercedes at Les Combes.

A round of pit stops followed, after which the #34 led in the hands of Christian Krognes, with the #7 Bentley Team M-Sport car in second driven by Jules Gounon. The British squad has made a phenomenal recovery from the very back of the grid to run 1 minute 40 seconds seconds behind the leader.

The #23 GT Sport Motul Team RJN Nissan sat third in the hands of Welshman Matt Parry, with the #2 Audi Sport Team WRT car fourth and the #29 Montaplast by Land Audi remaining a strong contender in fifth place.

The #333 Rinaldi Ferrari led a close-fought Pro-Am battle, with the #42 Strakka Racing Mercedes and the #540 Black Swan Racing Porsche running directly behind in the overall order.

The #12 Ombra Racing Lamborghini led in Silver Cup, as it had done for several hours, with the #78 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini in P2. The #77 Barwell Motorsport Lamborghini continued to lead the Am Cup standings, while the #67 GDL Racing Lamborghini Super Trofeo car occupies top spot in Groupe National.

The full-course yellow remained in force at the Belgian circuit as the race moved into its 15th hour.