Podium for W&S Motorsport at the guest start in the FFSA GT in Spa-Francorchamps

The Cayman GT4 #73 was shared by Max Kronberg and Daniel Blickle. For the first race on Saturday evening, Kronberg qualified for third on the grid in the Am class. For both drivers, it was their debut in the series and on the seven kilometre long Formula 1 race track in the Ardennes, where it was exceptionally warm even in the evening hours with 24°C air and 40°C asphalt temperatures. After Kronberg was able to solidly defend his position in the first race despite the turmoil after the start and consistently drove fast lap times, Blickle continued this performance after the driver change. He was already sniffing at the lead in the class when a puncture forced him to make an additional pit stop and thus ended all hopes of a podium.

On Sunday afternoon, temperatures reached an oppressive 28°C and the asphalt was heated up to almost 50°C. Blickle then started the race from fifth position in the Am class. After a contact with an opponent early in the race, the suspension was damaged, which affected the performance of the car. Despite all this, the Swabian won several duels in his stint and handed over the #73 Cayman GT4 to Kronberg at the halfway point, on course for the podium. He also held his own in the duels and was in first place in the class for several laps. He fought until the last corner and was rewarded with third place in the Am class.

In the Cayman GT4 #37, Andrey Solukovtsev went into the two races over one hour each as the only driver. For him it was also the premiere on the demanding race track, so the focus was on gaining as much experience as possible. In the first race, he gradually worked his way forward from far back in the field after the start and saw the chequered flag in seventh place in the Am classification.

The second race did not go well for Solukovtsev. He took up the sprint from seventh position in the Am class and struggled with the track limits. After 21 laps, he crossed the finish line in tenth place in class.

The next two rounds of the GT4 European Series season will be held next weekend as part of the 24h Spa-Francorchamps. Here, W&S Motorsport will compete again with the two Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport and the drivers Max Kronberg and Hendrik Still in the #38 and Andrey Solukovtsev and Mikhail Loboda in the #37.

Quotes after the race

Daniel Schellhaas, Team Principal W&S Motorsport: "Basically we are quite satisfied with the weekend. The aim of the guest start was to give the drivers the opportunity to get to know the very demanding track and to collect important data for our crew. We succeeded and even had the class win in sight. Third place for Max and Daniel on Sunday is a nice end to the guest start weekend. Now we have to analyse everything in order to deliver accordingly next weekend here in Spa, with an even bigger field of competitors in the GT4 European Series."

Max Kronberg, Driver #73: "I have now got to know a few tracks in Europe and completed many laps on the Nordschleife. But Spa-Francorchamps was absolutely new territory for me. The circuit is fascinating and I can confirm that it is probably one of the most beautiful. That's why I'm glad that we were able to get used to it in the French GT series and then compete in the GT4 European Series rounds here. Daniel, who also made his debut on the track, did a great job. It was fun to share the cockpit with him again. The fact that we even came third in class in the second race is the well-deserved reward for the hard work of the entire team. Many thanks for that!"   

Daniel Blickle, Driver #73: "It was my first time driving at Spa-Francorchamps and it was a great experience. So far, I've mainly driven on the Nordschleife and endurance races. It was nice to get some sprint race experience here. Thanks to my teammate Max and the team for giving me this chance. We were able to improve constantly over the course of the race weekend and even fought for victory in the Am class in the first race. But unfortunately, a puncture put a spanner in the works. In the second race, we were again at the front of the field and took third place in the class for a podium finish."

Andrey Solukovtsev, Driver #37: "The circuit at Spa-Francorchamps is absolutely amazing and it is great that we had the chance to do a guest start here. We completed our program in preparation for the GT4 European Series. Together with our driver coach Nicolaj Møller Madsen and the team we worked on the car and they helped me to find the right speed. Everyone did a great job and we are ready for the next weekend."