Preview: iRacing 24 Hours of Spa
Only since returning to GT3 competition with beginning of the 2021 season, Fischer Motorsport is now in position to enter one of the biggest GT3 races in the world. In previous years some of the team’s drivers made guest starts in the event for Mayer Simspeed Performance.
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, located in the beautiful landscape of the Belgian Ardennes is widely regarded as one of the true classic race circuits and beloved by drivers and spectators alike.
Since a drastic redesign of the track in 1979, that changed it from a very long public road circuit to a much shorter 7 km / 3.4 mile permanent racing circuit that it is today, it counts as one of the main stables of European racing circuits and has hosted just about any meaningful racing series from Formula One to the local VW Fun Cup.
“In my opinion it’s the best track in the world. You got everything here from slow hairpins, chicanes, top speed straights, long fast sweeping corners. And all of this with elevation changes that you just don’t see anymore in new race tracks these days.”, says Steve Claeys of EAGLE Speed Academy and EAGLE Race Simulators, one of the primary sponsors supporting Fischer Motorsport in the 24-hour race.
With two BMW M4 GT3, Fischer Motorsport will take the grid in the sixth edition of the iRacing 24 Hours of Spa, which was first run in 2016 and therefore counts as one of the oldest special events on the iRacing calendar.
Benjamin Fischer, Pascal Theis, Nathan Manning, Evan Wood and Marton Tihanyi will be the five-driver lineup to pilot the No. 84 BMW.
“I am so thankful for this opportunity, to be part of such an amazing team in such a big race. I’ve always loved Spa. It’s a fantastic track with a lot of history and a special atmosphere. To race here in the 24 hours means a lot to me. I can’t wait for Saturday.”, Marton Tihanyi said.
The Hungarian, along with Evan Wood from the United States, are both making their second start with Fischer Motorsport. Their debut with the team came in the iRacing 24 Hours of Le Mans two weeks ago.
Tobias Abel, Kyle Birnie, Jason Birnie, Niclas Pedersen and Manuel Mayer, who makes his first race start since the Nürburgring 24 Hours back in April will team up in the No. 85 BMW.
“Spa is one of my favorite tracks, so I’m really happy to be able to race here. The team has put in a lot of work for this, especially with this being our first year back in the GT3 class and with BMW. I hope we can reward ourselves. It’s going to be crazy competitive out there.”, said Manuel Mayer.
With a race date in late July, hot temperatures will once again play a significant role in the race and how teams and drivers will be able to conserve tires.
“I think tire management is going to be a huge topic in this race. Some teams will try to double stint tires during the day when it’s hot. But I’m pretty sure that this won’t work for everyone.”, explained Kyle Birnie.
“During the night hours, that’s a different story. Double stinting, maybe even triple stinting tires may be possible there, depending on the driver.”, Birnie added.
The starting grid will see a total of 55 GT3 cars take the green flag on Saturday 18:45 CEST / 12:45 pm EDT and both Fischer Motorsport cars will be equipped with onboard cameras for live streams on YouTube, to provide fans a way to follow all the racing action live.