02.07.2023 – A race always among the protagonists and fighting for the top positions characterized the participation of Tresor Competition and Orange1 at the Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa, the third round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup 2023.
The Italian team fought for the overall podium and the Silver category throughout the race, demonstrating great determination, strategy, and driving skills from the crews. Tresor Competition faced the legendary challenge in the Ardennes with three Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II cars: the factory car #40 entered as Audi Sport Tresor Orange1, entrusted to the leading crew composed of Ricardo Feller (CH), Mattia Drudi (RSM) and Dennis Marschall (GER); the #99 with the Silver crew composed of Lorenzo Patrese (ITA), Pietro Delli Guanti (ITA) and Alex Aka (GER), entered as Tresor Orange1 and the #66 competing as Tresor Attempto Racing with the Bronze crew composed of Andrey Mukovoz, Kikko Galbiati (ITA), Dylan Pereira (LUX) and Sean Hudspeth (SGP).
The weekend immediately kicked off with the typical Spa weather, which mainly affected the practice days, including the four qualifying sessions. In the battle for pole position, car #40 finished in tenth place, securing a spot in the Super Pole with an average time of 2’30.773s. Car #99 ended with the fifth-best time in the Silver Cup (2’34.169s), while car #66 qualified with the twelfth time in the Bronze Cup (2’32.482s). Tresor Competition was satisfied at the end of the Super Pole, as Feller brought the #40 car to sixth place overall, making it the top Audi on the starting grid.
In the race, the #40 car was an absolute protagonist for the victory. It led the operations for a long time and remained in podium positions for a significant duration. Drudi, Feller and Marschall showcased their great value on the track, supported by the strategists from Audi Sport who followed the factory cars. The ending, marked by several neutralizations with safety cars and FCY shuffled the cards and the crew crossed the finish line in seventh place.
The performance of car #99 was extraordinary. The Tresor Orange1 crew, composed of Patrese, Delli Guanti and Aka, stood out unequivocally in the battle for the Silver Cup. Thanks to the excellent strategy from the Tresor Competition pit wall and the drivers’ strong determination, the Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II #99 first made a recovery to the category lead and then continued to build a significant advantage while leading. Just a few hours before the end, when the situation was becoming particularly favourable, a sudden technical issue forced the crew to retire.
Also worth noting is the performance of car #66. The damage to the splitter in the early stages of the race forced Mukovoz, Galbiati, Pereira and Hudspeth to concede some positions and focus a significant part of their race on coming back. The crew demonstrated great cohesion, guided perfectly by the pit wall, and throughout the night, they executed an impressive recovery. At the end of the 24 hours, car #66 crossed the finish line in eighth place in the Bronze Cup.
