Belcar – Spa LMES Meeting - Preview
2 x 60 Minutes

The first round of the LMES is not the only endurance action at Spa this weekend (or in Europe / North America: we have the LMES, Belcar, ALMS, Spanish and French series events this weekend, plus Britcar). There will be two rounds of the MVD Belcar championship at Spa. Exceptionally, there will be two one-hour races instead of the classic 125-minutes format. Both races will get a 50% points allocation, and the grid of the race on Sunday will be determined by the Saturday race. Even though fuel stops are not allowed, both drivers will take the wheel of each car, to drive for a minimum of 25% of the total race time. This new format will be evaluated at the end of the season.

“ I don’t like this format,” indicates Anthony Kumpen. “One hour is too short to have a real endurance feeling. The minimum time of a stint is only 15 minutes, which is too short. I’m more into the normal Belcar format. I also think that this system won’t suit our Viper.

“We did not do any testing at all since the New Race Festival, as all our energy went into the Corvette. But we’re confident to have another podium finish and why not a surprise victory? We’ll do some Pirelli testing also; we’ll race a new compound that also might be used at the Spa 24 hours. In June we will probably do the Belcar Spa 6 hours with the Corvette, as we want to be 100% prepared for the FIA race at Spa.

“The race at Monza was a great experience even if the aftertaste is somewhat sour as we were so close to a first victory in our first outing. Such a shame…”

The entry-list is virtually the same as it was in Zolder. Both Stealths might be present, but Nigel Greensall only confirmed the presence of one. “Everything will depend on time. We will do everything possible to get both cars to Spa but nothing is sure yet,” said the busiest driver on the planet, last Sunday at Spa (for the BTCS race). PSI will be back with a 996 Biturbo for Palttala / Van Sande, as will be the EGR Marcos LM600. The only significant non-runner is the Vertigo after its accident in Zolder.

As it was in Zolder, the Corvette will be the car to beat but with the longer straights and the power curves, the PSI Porsche might also be at front. In GTB, the return of Palttala to GTA makes the division even more open.

We’ll endeavour to keep up with the Belcar dramas alongside a fascinating LMES event, and post ALMS material while at Spa – with the rest having to wait until Monday

© Joost Custers