Walkenhorst Motorsport celebrates class victory at 24h Spa

Walkenhorst Motorsport celebrates its first major success with Aston Martin: Romain Leroux, Oliver Söderström and Mateo Villagomez win the Silver Cup for the team at the 24h Spa.

Only one week had passed between the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring and the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, the highlight of the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS season. After a disappointing first race for Walkenhorst Motorsport, the Melle-based racing team did not have much time to prepare for the world’s largest GT race. The Lower Saxony-based team took to the traditional Spa-Francorchamps circuit with two Aston Martin Vantage GT3. The three factory drivers Christian Krognes, David Pittard and Henrique Chaves drove the team’s top car, while Romain Leroux, Oliver Söderström and Mateo Villagomez competed in the Silver Cup with start number #35.

‘After winning the race in 2018, the 24h Spa will always have a special place in our hearts. The victory was practically our international breakthrough. After our good speed last year, we travelled there again confident that we would be able to fight for strong results this year,’ said team founder Henry Walkenhorst.

Qualifying on Thursday evening took place in changeable weather conditions, with the top car making it into the Superpole, where the fastest 20 cars battled for pole position on Friday afternoon. The Silver Cup car finished second in the highly competitive Silver Cup and a strong 25th in the overall standings. A good starting position for the three fast young drivers!

Henrique Chaves from Portugal was appointed by the team as the driver for the two fast Superpole laps. However, on his second push lap, Chavez lost control of the car at the exit of the Fagnes chicane and crashed hard into the barrier. The Aston Martin was so badly damaged in the impact that it was unable to take part in the race. Fortunately, Henrique Chaves was able to leave the car uninjured.

The team’s focus in the race was therefore on car number 35. Walkenhorst Motorsport announced that the trio of cars should complete a consistent race without penalties, as this is the key to success among the 74 GT3 cars. The car remained in the leading group of its class throughout the entire race and had been leading the category since the night before. The Aston Martin also stayed ahead in a temporary three-way battle for the best position in the Silver Cup. After Romain Leroux, Oliver Söderström and Mateo Villagomez prevailed in a direct duel, the three drivers were able to pull away from their pursuers in the class with fast and consistent lap times in the final stages of the race and saw the chequered flag first in the Silver Cup – a great success for the entire team after the difficult last few days!

‘This victory in the Silver Cup at the 24h of Spa was important for our team! After the challenging 24-hour race at the Nürburgring and the accident involving the #34 in Superpole, this well-deserved victory makes up for a lot and rewards us for the great efforts of the last few weeks,’ said Managing Director Jörg Breuer. ‘Our three drivers and the entire team made no mistakes over the entire distance, which I believe was the key to success. We always had the right strategy and all the pit stops were flawless. This was our first major success with Aston Martin Racing and shows that we are working together in the right direction. We will continue to work hard and are aiming for further successes in the second half of the season.’

The GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup will continue on the last weekend of August at the Nürburgring, which will be the only German round of the SRO racing series this year. The Sprint Cup will visit Misano and Magny-Cours beforehand. The Italian race will take place in three weeks’ time. Walkenhorst Motorsport will field one car there for Mateo Villagomez and factory driver Henrique Chaves.