GT: Free entry to the International GT Open at Francorchamps this weekend (including TCR Europe, Clios and formula cars)

The magnificent GT field this weekend in Francorchamps, free for visitors

If you have no other plans this weekend, you can visit the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, where the International GT Open is invited for the second event of the season. Entrance is free, including the paddock and grandstands, only eight euros are requested for parking. But there is much more, because there is also the TCR Europe Series as well as the TCR World Tour (with Tom Coronel), the Italian Formula 4 (with Van Amersfoort Racing), the Euroformula Open and the Italian Clio Cup (with René, among among others.Steenmetz and Stephan Polderman in a field of about 60 cars!). The weather will also be good (yes, really!), so those are good reasons to come to the Ardennes on Saturday and/or Sunday!

Text: René de Boer (from Francorchamps, Twitter: @renedeboer)
Photo: GT Open, Rebocar/R. a farmer

There is no shortage of GTs this week at Spa-Francorchamps, where the so-called Prologue took place last Tuesday and Wednesday as official test days for the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa at the end of next month. A number of teams remain at Francorchamps to compete in both International GT Open races this weekend. Huber Motorsport, Kessel Racing, AF Corse, GetSpeed ​​​​​​​​​​and SPS Car Performance do double duty with the SRO and GT Open test days, while many other well-known teams are also present. On the field we find Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Mercedes-AMG, McLaren, Audi and Aston Martin and several famous names such as Christopher Haase, Matteo Cairoli, Richard Lietz. The Spa Race is a two hour and 20 minute race, which will take place on Sunday from 12.45 pm

Tom Coronel is the only Dutch representative in the TCR field

The business is the third meeting of the season for TCR Europe, after Portimão and Pau. As in Portugal, the field is strengthened by the participants of the TCR World Tour, but the riders from the European series will undoubtedly climb in their own classification, led by Tom Coronel, who started the weekend well with the second fastest time. free exercise. TCR cars each complete one race on Saturday (3.30pm) and Sunday (11.40am).

Van Amersfoort Racing cars (here in front of Ivan Domingues’ car) for the Italian Formula 4

The Euroformula Open field is pretty small at ten cars, but it’s nice to see real Dallara formula cars again, even if it’s a unit chassis. Interesting names are Juji Noda, daughter of former F1 driver Hideki, and Jakob Bergmeister, the third generation of a well-known motorsport family from Langenfeld, Germany. The most formula cars, 31 in number, can be found in Italian Formula 4, where the Van Amersfoort Championship is also represented by five cars. There are three races each in Spa for the two formula car classes, one on Saturday and two on Sunday.

René Steenmetz (l.) and Stephan Polderman hold the Dutch honor with the Clios

The Clio Cup completes the program, also with two races, which will undoubtedly provide a lot of spectacle with a field of around 60 cars at the Francorchamps circuit. René Steenmetz and Stephan Polderman hold Dutch honors among the Clios.