CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa
Sandy bids for outrght Spa 24 Hours win in All-Pro GT3 with K-Pax Racing.
Lamborghini factory driver, Scot Sandy, bids to win the gruelling CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa outright for the first time when he heads to the iconic Belgian circuit this weekend (July 1/2) for the latest round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe.
The 23-year-old from Forfar has finished on the podium in various classes in four of the last five years — including class wins in 2019 and 2020 — but this will be his first assault in an all-Pro car.
Sandy heads to Spa-Francorchamps ready to partner fellow Lamborghini factory drivers, Italian Marco Mapelli and Frenchman Franck Perera in the No 6 Huracan GT3 Evo2 prepared by the California-based K-PAX Racing team. With 71 GT3 cars on the grid, it’s the biggest GT3 race in the world.
“This is, without question, the biggest race of the year for us,” Sandy, personally-backed by Huntly-based Black Bull Scotch Whisky, stated. “Spa has been really good to me in my career, but this will be the first time in an all-Pro car with a genuine chance of winning the race overall.”
Sandy, who heads to Belgium fresh from claiming his first victory of the season in the British GT Championship 10 days ago at Snetterton, has tasted success before in the Spa24H.
On his five previous appearances in the race on the famous 4.35-mile circuit — which also hosts the F1 Belgian Grand Prix — the 2020 British GT champion has finished on the podium twice in the Silver class, including a class win, plus twice in Pro-Am, again including a class win, all with Barwell Motorsport.
The only year he has missed out on the top three was last year when, despite starting from pole position in the Gold Cup class, he was forced to retire when his Lamborghini suffered a rare failure. “Last year we were set to be fighting for a podium at the end of the race, and possibly another class win,” he continued, “but unfortunately it wasn’t to be. “It’s fantastic to be back this year with the crew at K-Pax Racing for my first assault on the race in an all-Pro car. There’s a packed grid of 71 cars, so we know it’ll be pretty chaotic, especially at the start.”
“We’ve proved in the opening two races in the championship at Monza and Paul Ricard that we have a very fast car, but the Spa 24-hours throws up a completely different set of challenges. The team has raced here before and performed really well, plus we know the Lamborghini is well-suited to the circuit. It’s crucial we stay focused on staying out of trouble, maintain a consistent pace throughout the race, make sure we get through the night in contention, then hopefully push for the win in the morning. A 24-hour race is the ultimate challenge, and I can’t wait to get back.”