The longest and toughest race on the Blancpain Endurance Series schedule takes place at Spa-Francorchamps on July 25 and 26, and Nissan has entered a global cast of drivers from six different countries, including four winners of GT Academy. One of the best racing circuits in the world plays host to the best GT3 cars and drivers in the world for a 24-hour rollercoaster ride through the Ardennes forest in Belgium.
Last year’s Spa 24 Hours was marred by accidents occurring throughout the early stages, and it wasn’t until darkness fell that the race finally settled down. All of the Blancpain competitors will be hoping for a smoother start this year, in particular Alex Buncombe who had to take evasive action through Eau Rouge to avoid being wiped out.
Nissan has entered a Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 in the PRO class for the first time this year so current championship-leaders Alex Buncombe (GB), Katsumasa Chiyo (JAP) and local man and GT Academy winner Wolfgang Reip (BEL) will be battling hard for outright honors in the #23 Nissan.
In the #22 PRO-AM Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3, LM P1 racer Olivier Pla (FRA) will join three winners of GT Academy: Ricardo Sanchez (MEX), Gaetan Paletou (FRA) and Florian Strauss (GER), creating a truly international lineup for Nissan. Ricardo Sanchez won GT Academy International last year, and after a good performance in the 2015 Dubai 24 Hours he earned himself a place on the Blancpain Endurance Series squad. The Mexican racer is looking forward to whatever Spa throws at him. The #23 will race at Spa in its regular red, white and black livery, but the #22 Nissan – which has run in black since the start of the season – will look rather different at Spa.
The Spa 24 Hours gets underway on Saturday, July 25 at 16:30 hrs CET. The full race will be streamed LIVE on NISMO.TV, which will also feature onboard cameras and the return of Garage Cam.
