Walkenhorst BMW hits the front as Catsburg paces pre-qualifying

Walkenhorst BMW hits the front as Catsburg paces pre-qualifying

The #34 Walkenhorst BMW of Nicky Catsburg emerged fastest in this afternoon's pre-qualifying session at Spa-Francorchamps. 

The 2015 race winner posted a 2m17.445s lap to lead the second outing of the day, beating Felipe Fraga (#88 Mercedes-AMG Team AKKA ASP) by 0.498s. 

The #78 Barwell Lamborghini placed third in the hands of Patrick Kujala, topping the Silver Cup in the process with a 2m18.055s. The British squad will look to defend its 2019 class victory this weekend with an all-new driver line-up.

With the next three spots occupied by the #9 K-PAX Bentley, the #72 SMP Ferrari and the #66 Audi Sport Team Attempto, six different brands were represented among the top-six in pre-qualifying. A further two – Lamborghini and Porsche – joined them among the overall top-10.  

The Pro-Am class was led by the #991 Herberth Porsche thanks to a 2m19.309s lap from Robert Renauer, which was good enough for 23rd overall. The #26 Sainteloc Audi topped the Am Cup, Steven Palette's effort placing it 46th overall. Full session times can be viewed here

All 56 entrants ran during pre-qualifying. An early red flag halted proceedings for several minutes when the #52 AF Corse Ferrari came to a stop at turn 15, after which there were no further interruptions. 

The next track activity begins at 18.55 when the full field will tackle qualifying. This will set grid positions 21-56, while also deciding which 20 cars will progress to tomorrow evening's Super Pole. All of the action will air on the Total 24 Hours of Spa website, the event's official Facebook page and the GT World YouTube channel.