Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe: Spa
Lamborghini Factory Driver, Scot Sandy Mitchell, heads to Spa 24-Hours targeting another top three finish with Black Bull and Barwell.
Sandy bids for more endurance success this weekend (June 29/30) when he tackles the latest round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe, the centenary running of the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa. The 24-year-old from Forfar has finished on the podium in various classes in four of the last six years — including class wins in 2019 and 2020 — and Mitchell returns to the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium fresh from an impressive performance in the two-hour British GT Championship round at the same track four days ago.
Former British champ Sandy, who currently leads the 2024 championship, will again be partnered by team-mates, American-based Englishman Till Bechtolsheimer and Frenchman Antoine Doquin in the No 78 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo 2 prepared by Barwell Motorsport. In addition, fellow Barwell racer Ricky Collard will complete the #78 car’s four-driver line-up. With 67 cars on the grid, it’s the biggest GT3 race in the world, and the Scot is relishing returning to action with Lamborghini and Barwell as they bid to win the ultra-competitive Bronze Cup class.
“This is, without question, the biggest race of the year for us,” Sandy, personally-backed by Huntly-based Black Bull Scotch Whisky and Tunnocks, stated. “Spa has been really good to me in my career. I love racing here and hopefully we can deliver another podium performance. It’s great to be back in the car with Till and Antoine after the opening round at Paul Ricard. And having Ricky join us in the #78 car will further strengthen the group. We’ve all taken part in the official Spa24H test and I was pleased with our combined pace and performance. Any 24-hour race is demanding, but on the Spa circuit with 67 cars all battling for space on track it’s super-demanding, and the start promises to be an impressive sight.”

“I especially enjoy the demands and disciplines of racing for 24 hours. I’ve been fortunate to win the Silver Cup and Pro-Am classes with Barwell, and on two other occasions finished on the podium. We know how fast the Lamborghini is round Spa, and we’ll be looking to build further on that this weekend. Allied to the strength and strategic agility of the Barwell crew, we have a very strong package which, if we manage to stay out of trouble, should see us fighting at the sharp end of the field. 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.”