Brendon Leitch will return to the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium this weekend (27-30 June 2024) for the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.
It’s the third time competing in the world’s biggest GT3 endurance race for the Southlander and his first time competing in a Porsche and with the Earl Bamber Motorsport (EBM) team.
Also in the four-driver lineup are fellow Kiwi and two-time Le Mans 24-Hour winner Earl Bamber, along with Adrian D’Silva and Kerong Li.
“I’m super excited to be competing this weekend back at Spa,” commented Leitch. “It’s an extremely tough race, so really looking forward to racing with Earl and being involved with the team. I’ve previously competed with both Adrian and Kerong, so it’s great to have them onboard.”
The EBM #61 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) will compete against five other cars in the Pro-Am category as well as an overall top placing in the 67-car field which sees nine manufacturers represented across five different classes.
“Spa is one of the best circuits in the world. It is super-fast, requires commitment, has lots of elevation, and if the car is in the zone, it is the best thing in the world.
“The famous Eau Rouge (corner) can be really scary and is a crazy experience. If you get it right and the car has the right fuel load (weight) and tyres and conditions are perfect, it is a fantastic corner. It’s a different story if the tyres are slightly worn and you’ve got a heavy fuel load.
“The most difficult part of the race is just finishing. There is constant traffic management, continual adapting to constantly changing conditions hour by hour, even lap by lap.
“It is important to minimize mistakes as much as possible. You cannot gain any lost time. While we may not be the fastest, we have to be smart and manage what we have. In saying this, we had a very good prologue a few weeks ago and we are confident of being quick.
“Our primary target is to have a strong result in the Pro-Am class. Anything more is a bonus.”
Thursday sees four sessions: Free Practice, Pre-Qualifying, four Qualifying sessions for each driver, and a final night practice. The superpole for the top 20 qualifiers takes place Friday afternoon, with the race getting underway at 4:30 pm local time on Saturday (2:30 am Sunday NZ time).
