Fifth place for Project 1 in Belgium

A race at Spa-Francorchamps without any rain, unpredictable weather and chaos? The second round of the World Endurance Championship showed that this is not possible. Three interruptions and numerous cautions made the race a gruelling affair for all competitors. The Project 1 team tried to make the best of the situation and found themselves with a solid fifth place finish.

“What a crazy race,” said Axel Funke a few minutes after crossing the finish line. “So much happened today and it is difficult to analyse everything. The conditions changed within a short time, for example because of the many full course yellows. It was almost impossible to always make the right decision. We've been working hard on the mechanics and on the development of the drivers.”

Niki Leutwiler drove the #46 Porsche 911 RSR together with Matteo Cairoli and Mikkel O. Pedersen – and under the most difficult conditions. The fact that the trio also held the lead in the LMGTE Am class underlines the great potential. “It was dry at one point along the track, while it was pouring rain at another point. A short time later it was exactly the other way around – I’ve never experienced anything like that before,” the Swiss stalwart looked back.

Hans-Bernd Kamps continues to see great potential in the cooperation with Optimum Motorsport/Inception Racing. “We have seen in Spa that we’re on the right track and I’m looking forward to building on that in the next races!”, says the team’s founder. “The bad luck in the final part of the race was really bitter, we would have more than earned to reach the finish after such a tough race.”

The #56 Porsche 911 RSR, driven by Brendan Iribe, Ben Barnicoat and Ollie Millroy, was in a promising position throughout the race. However, a spin in the later stages and the resulting damage meant the end for the three drivers with just a few minutes until the end of the race.

What made the guest appearance in Belgium so important? Because the six-hour race at the roller coaster in the Ardennes is also the dress rehearsal for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The prestigious endurance race in France is on the programme from 11 to 12 June.