Two Ferrari F430 GTs yesterday concluded the 24 Hours of Spa, one of the oldest and most fascinating endurance races in the history of motorsport, being held this year for the 62nd time and valid for the fourth round of the FIA GT championship, impressively on the podium in first and third positions. Meanwhile on the other side of the Atlantic the similar car, but in the F430 Challenge version, went out on the track over the weekend in the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli North American racing series.

The prestigious race held at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium was won by the Italian AF Corse team, with Gianmaria Bruni, Toni Vilander, Jaime Melo and Luis Perez Companc doing the driving. The quartet of drivers concluded the race having covered 540 laps, which adds up to 3,782.16 kilometres, coming across the finish line ahead of the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR driven by Martin Ragginger, Luigi Lucchini, Marco Holzer and Bryce Miller. Andrew Kirkaldy, Rob Bell, Peter Kox and Antonio Garcia finished in third place to make it two Ferraris on the podium and to claim CRS Racing’s first ever 24-hour podium finish.

The GT2 class was a real race of attrition at Spa. The early class leader was the #70 IMSA Performance Matmut Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, but it dropped back after a long pit stop to repair damage after a spin and it finally retired from the race with a broken engine. The #51 AF Corse Ferrari then held the lead for many hours until gearbox problems forced it out. The #50 AF Corse Ferrari assumed the lead and always had the pace to take the win, and eventually the red F430 GT was the first to see the chequered flag. Behind them the #56 CRS Racing Ferrari F430 GT was competitive until starter motor problems led to lengthy pit-stops and a stop-go penalty, while the #59 Trackspeed Porsche 911 GT3 RSR was on course for a podium finish until the clutch failed with less than three hours of the race remaining. Of the thirteen starters in GT2 nine were eventually classified after a tough twenty four hours of racing. While the leading CRS F430 GT finished on the podium the sister car of Chris Niarchos, Tim Mullen, Phil Quaife and Chris Goodwin also finished well, in sixth place.

“That was a difficult race for us but we got there in the end,” said Andrew Kirkaldy. “We had a very strong driver line-up and we were quick throughout the race. We had our problems at the beginning but that’s the way it goes with 24-hour races. The podium is great and it’s good for our championship. I want to say a big thank you to the crew who turned the car around very fast for us every time we came into the pits.”

“Andrew said we had a few small problems but I would say they were bigger than that as I drove the last two hours of the race in fifth gear!” explained Peter Kox. “It was a great pleasure for me to drive the Ferrari 430. Antonio (Garcia) and I were here as the third and fourth drivers, with a goal to help the team score points. We achieved that so I am very happy.”

Speaking on behalf of the #55 crew, Chris Niarchos said: “We had a great run through the night and made back a lot of the places we lost when we changed our starter motor yesterday.  After a fraught start we had a smooth race that all four of us thoroughly enjoyed.  It’s fantastic that the other car got on the podium. Of course we would have loved to have join them up there but as a team effort it was a great day.”

Thanks to this result Ferrari extends its leadership in the FIA GT Championship's GT2 class at the expense of its main rival, Porsche. The Prancing Horse improves its advantage in the Constructors' standings and AF Corse has consolidated further its first position in the Teams' standings, while Bruni and Vilander have now moved into the lead in the Drivers’ standings. The next FIA GT will be held on 30 August at the Hungaroring, in Budapest.

Meanwhile at the Mont Tremblant circuit in Canada the F430 Challenge, starting in the North American Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli, and the historical jewels from the Shell Historic Challenge met for the fifth appointment of the Ferrari Racing Days. At the end the win went to Scott Tucker: in the first race the Boardwalk Ferrari driver was faster than Mark McKenzie (Ferrari of Houston) and Zak Brown (Ferrari of Silicon Valley), while he crossed the line ahead of the two Ferrari of Silicon Valley driver, Zak Brown and Henri Richard in the second race.

The first race in the Historic Challenge for cars with disk brakes was dominated by Lawrence Stroll with a 512 M Sunoco, and he easily kept Nick Longhi (512 BB/LM) and Stephen Dudley (308 GTB/M) under control, while Jim Fuchs, behind the wheel of a 512 BB/LM, ended the race Ahead Stephen Dudley (308 GTB/M) and Jon Shirley (250 GTO). Meanwhile both races for cars with drum brakes were won by Peter Giddings with Maserati 250 F, followed by Jon Shirley (Maserati 300S) and Greg Whitten (Alfa Tipo B). The American Ferrari Racing Days will get back on the track on 20 September at the New Jersey Motorsports Park.