24 HOURS OF SPA, P ZERO DHF SUPPORT AT THEIR BEST THE FIERCE COMPETITION OF AN ALWAYS OPEN RACE
Mourned within hours of the start by the tragic accident in the Formula regional support race that claimed the young life of driver Dilano Van'T Hoff, the Spa 24 Hours proved to be a spectacular and always uncertain race in the 2023 edition. After 24 hours characterised by several periods of full course yellow, which kept the race always open, the BMW-Rowe team prevailed, followed by the Mercede Akkodis and the Audi- Scherer Sport.
Although qualifying was marked by rain, which resulted in an unprecedented Super Pole line-up, with cars from five different classes, speeds were again high from the days before the race. The best time in the run-up to the start of the race was set on a dry tarmac, by the Hubert Motorsport Porsche driven by Matteo Cairoli, who with 2.16.880 took Super Pole for the first time since 2013 for a car not belonging to the Pro class. The pace was also high during the race, with numerous cars lapping around 2.17 in many stints at different stages of the 24 Hour.
The challenges for the tyres, as well as for the cars, came as they did last year from the renewed - albeit partially revised - layout of the Spa track, with resurfaced asphalt and modified kerb and runway configuration. The numerous cuts, which cost the drivers many penalties, dirtied the track considerably, which was then cleared during the safety car periods only to fill up again with stones and debris. The rain, threatened by the weather forecast several times during the 24-hour race, did not appear, although the track was quite wet overnight. The conditions and the general characteristics of the race demanded the drivers' utmost attention in handling the cars and the P Zero DHF, the tyre developed for the latest generation of GT cars, which apart from a few cars at the start was practically the only one used in the race, given the constantly dry weather.
Matteo Braga, Circuit Activity Manager Pirelli:
"The P Zero DHFs ensured performance and reliability by supporting the competition in a race that was very close from start to finish, with a lot of great drivers and high-performance cars. For us, the element of greatest satisfaction is precisely this: to find the main characteristic of our DHF confirmed at the highest level, namely its versatility, which makes it suitable for different types and race conditions and cars from many different car manufacturers. We are also very satisfied with the collaboration with all the teams, together with whom race after race we search for the optimal parameters of use. In the end, as always at Spa, the winner was the one who managed all the potential at his disposal, including the tyres, in a race that in terms of pace and battles increasingly resembles a very long sprint”.
In addition to the 70 crews entered in the 24 Hours, which is valid for the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance and the Intercontinental GT Challenge, Pirelli also provided tyres and assistance to the 61 cars that raced in the GT4 European series, the 34 in the Formula Regional European Championship and the 15 in the McLaren Trophy.
