24 Hours of Zolder: three in a row for Belgium Racing
The 37th edition of the 24 Hours of Zolder turned into a sporting and extra sporting success. No less than 25,000 spectators watched how the battle between the open Prototypes and the GT cars finally went to the advantage of the latter category. Marc Goossens, Dylan Derdaele, the Dutchman Peter Hoevenaers and the German Kenneth Heyer in a Porsche 991 Cup gave the Limburg based Belgium Racing team their third consecutive victory; for Marc Goossens his fifth win in this Zolder race. The Geel based driver is now one victory away from the record held by Anthony Kumpen, who dropped out of the race early on. Second place went to the favourites in the Wolf GB08 and Belgium Racing rounded off their success on home ground with a third place going to the team’s second Porsche 911.
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And then BMW…
Knap-Van Splunteren-Cools-Breukers finished fourth in a Wolf GB08 and what then followed is a true success story for the BMW M235i Racing Cup. For the first time this new competition they were at the start of the 24 Hours of Zolder and out of the 11 BMW M235i at the start … 11 finished in the top 17! Not a single one of the German saloon cars experienced any serious problems. Not only did Kox-Kox-Retera-Menten-Dreszer win their competition, but also finished 5th overall and first Touring car. In the Touring car Division the top 7 went to the BMW M235i and only the BMW 120d manned by De Vocht-Van Loo-Meulders-Piessens were able to finish between the eleven BMW M235i (nd winners T1). In the BMW M235i Racing Cup Fred Bouvy finished 6th and 11th overall.
Jos Menten: “What a car, so reliable and a pleasure to race. I’m delighted with his result and highly impressed with the car. I’m also very pleased to see that this race is being revived in our region!”
In the classes
Further in the various classes there were victories for Blue Berry Racing Team with Haub-Van Dongen-Snoeks-Van Dongen (Praga – P2), Thienpont-Sels-Van Gansen-De Clerq-Barten (Saker – GT3), Sluys-Colembie-Dupont-Heinz-Verhagen (BMW – S1), Kroll-Kroll-Eggimann-Kroll-Kupper (BMW - T2), Van Samang-Serck-Van Samang-Beckers (MINI – T3) and Van de Water-Van de Water-Beyers-Deckers (BMW – T5).
The unlucky ones
The most unlucky, apart from the car of the Kumpen brigade, were undoubtedly the Comparex Racing BMW of Steve Vanbellingen, who following a difficult race still managed a 22nd place, and the Verybold Porsche of among others Angelique Detavernier, 24th, after a top 5 had been on the books for quite a while.
Last but not least there was the thrilling battle in the BMW Clubsport Trophy, the most standard of all competing cars. Victory went to Eyckmans-Bonnet-Heroes-Heroes-Corten, where the young Limburger Gregory Eyckmans is the son of Tony Eyckmans, who for years has been the Head of Safety at Circuit Zolder. The BMW of Skylimit Yokohama Racing Team driven by Convents-Convents-Hermans-Raymakers finished second, the team’s Porsche 911 having retired early on.
“We have completed a great edition”, the General Manager of World on Wheels @ Circuit Zolder, Thierry Deflandre commented. “We had 61 cars at the start, 25,000 spectators and brilliant weather. That’s all we need to start focussing as from now on the 38th edition. On top of that anyone wishing to relive everything can do so shortly on 2BE in the Aftermovie 24 Hours of Zolder. ”
Circuit Zolder
