Zoom Verstappen showing well in the Porsche

Without respite the Le Mans Series (LMS) continues for the successful Porsche customers teams.

After an acclaimed triple victory for the Porsche RS Spyder in the LMP2 class in Monza, the expectations for the third round are high – all the more so with an additional highlight: This weekend the LMS takes off on the historic circuit of Spa Francorchamps (Belgium), on which the inaugural 1,000 kilometre race took place in 1966.

“It will be extremely exciting for spectators,” says Hartmut Kristen, head of Porsche motorsport. “Spa is one of the most interesting circuits in the world. It places heavy demands on the vehicles and drivers. With such a large field and four different classes of race cars, this round will be a huge challenge. For the RS Spyder the track is new terrain.”

After winning the season-opener and claiming second in Monza, Jos Verstappen and Peter van Merksteijn travel to Spa leading the LMP2 drivers' classification with 18 points each. Hot on their heels are their colleagues John Nielsen and Casper Elgaard each with 16 points. The two Danes celebrated their first LMS win in Italy. With their podium result, Didier Theys, Fredy Lienhard and Jan Lammers head to Spa ranking fourth overall with nine points each.

The weather conditions sometimes cause a few surprises
For Van Merksteijn Motorsport, leaders of the LMP2 team classification, the Belgium round is practically a home race, with the team head-quarters located in the nearby Netherlands. The ex-Formula 1 driver and thoroughbred racer Jos Verstappen is 'madly keen' to race on the 7.004 kilometre circuit.

“Spa is a real drivers' track. I'm convinced that our car will perform well in the fast corners.” Team-owner Peter van Merksteijn, who has earned a great deal of respect with his performance at his first two sports car races, says: “After our successes we are optimistic we'll bring home a good result in Spa. Our car is awesome – and the set-up that Jos has found is too. We expect many fans from the Netherlands and are counting on their support.”

John Nielsen is also optimistic. After their Monza win, the Danish Essex team not only ranks second in the team classification, but also secured overall victory in Spa three years ago with an LMP1 vehicle. “Spa is Spa,” says the 52-year-old Dane. “There is not one driver who doesn't enjoy this circuit. Our goal is to earn more points so that we are at the top of the team championship at the end of the year. The weather conditions in the Ardennes are sometimes totally unpredictable and this can cause a few surprises.”

Lienhard: "The track is a real challenge"
For some members of the Swiss Horag Racing team, the Spa meeting is also a home race: Didier Theys is Belgian, Jan Lammers a Dutchman. “We'll have a lot of pressure on us there,” suspects the third driver in the team, Fredy Lienhard from Switzerland. The 60-year-old gentleman driver has competed in motorsport as a hobby for over four decades, but last year was his first time driving at Spa. “The track is a real challenge, it's demanding and technical. Drivers love it. At the beginning you need a lot of courage and not just in its infamous Eau Rouge corner! But thanks to the high downforce, you can make speed your ally in the RS Spyder. I expect our car to perform very well there – regardless of the weather.”

Lieb/Davison hope for a trouble-free race in Spa
In the near-standard GT2 class, the best Porsche drivers rank second, fourth and sixth – by a very close margin. With eleven points each, the Porsche works drivers Marc Lieb and Alex Davison are only two points shy of the first-placed Ferrari pilots Pierre Ehret/Pierre Kaffer. After the two suffered a setback with a technical defect due to a team error in Monza, Lieb/Davison hope for a trouble-free race in Spa, to fully exploit the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR and show their capabilities.

“We were really strong in Monza and could have won had it not been for the defect,” says Lieb. “That's all the more reason to look forward to the third round.” Holding ten points each, the GT2 winners at Monza, Porsche works driver Richard Westbrook (Great Britain), Allan Simonsen and Lars Erik Nielsen currently rank fourth in the drivers' classification. Richard Lietz and Raymond Narac follow in sixth with six points each.

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