Phoenix Audi won the 24 Hours of Spa 2012 this weekend with an Audi R8 LMS Ultra. The winning drivers were Frank Stippler, Rene Rast and Andrea Piccini. It was an Audi one-two with the WRT Audi R8 LMS Ultra coming a very close second. It was the third major endurance victory for Audi in the 2012 season following success at the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Nurburgring 24 Hours.
Over 53,000 fans came to view the race. The race began and finished in sunshine but was marred by a number of extreme events. Several safety car periods characterised the race and a couple of torrential downpours slowed progress. The winning car ran 509 laps, logging more than 2,200 miles.
Despite a puncture on the final lap, the Vita4One BMW Z4 GT3 of Frank Kechele, Greg Franchi, Mathias Lauda came in third after completing 508 laps. We’re told that this was easily the fastest car on the track, however, an accident with a Ferrari and problems during the pit stops meant that the team had to settle for third. Roughly half of the 66 starting cars finished.
[Pictures via Blancpain]
