Porsche: Spa Win, Points Lead Doesn’t Change IGTC Approach

Photo: JEP/SRO

Porsche’s win in the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa and points lead in the Intercontinental GT Challenge doesn’t change its strategy for the final two rounds of the globe-trotting GT3 series according to Porsche Motorsport boss Thomas Laudenbach.

The German manufacturer scored its first triumph in the Belgian endurance classic since 2020, when Thomas Preining, Bastian Buus and Ricardo Feller — all three of its DTM drivers — teamed for victory in Lionspeed GP’s Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo.

It marked the ninth outright victory for Porsche in the 24 Hours of Spa, but more importantly vaulted the brand to the top of the IGTC manufacturers’ standings ahead of next month’s Suzuka 1000km.

Reflecting on its achievements in Spa, Laudenbach said they felt like there were a number of Porsche customer teams that were in contention, including the Schumacher CLRT and Boutsen VDS examples, which also finished in the top-ten.

“The nice thing in Spa is that I think we had three cars competitive,” he told Sportscar365. “In the end it was little things that brought Lionspeed the win.

“I’m not that much surprised that Lionspeed made it. It was our DTM lineup! The three sprint guys, although they all do endurance too.

“I think it’s a cool story that the three sprint guys did it. I was very pleased for Lionspeed. They did the perfect job. I think their execution was good and very clean preparation.

“They clearly deserved it.”

When asked if Porsche will place a larger emphasis on the final two IGTC rounds, amid BMW’s scaled back factory-supported effort, Laudenbach said they will continue to “follow our strategy.”

Porsche won the 2024 IGTC manufacturers’ crown by utilizing entirely local or regional-based teams that year, a testament to SRO Motorsports Group founder and CEO Stephane Ratel’s vision for the series.

The upcoming Suzuka 1000km round, however, will see ten Porches customer entries, but the vast majority coming from the region and in the Bronze Cup, as Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific places a large focus on the event.

It leads the manufacturer standings by eight points over Mercedes-AMG, which won the opening two rounds at the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour and Nürburgring 24.

“You know my philosophy,” said Laudenbach. “We have a complete different philosophy and we will stick to that philosophy.

“Of course we have this championship in mind and I hope in the end we can win it.

“We follow our strategy. It probably puts a little bit of additional pressure.

“That’s what I always say to Stephane Ratel. Especially from the manufacturer’s side, I think if you look at all the SRO championships, that’s the one to win from a manufacturer’s side.

“There’s still two races to go but I hope we can win that trophy because that means something to us.”

Source: Sports Car 365