The number 99 Rowe Racing BMW M6 GT3 of Maxime Martin, Alexander Sims and Philipp Eng ensured BMW went back to back in Belgium by taking out the 2016 the Total 24 Hours of Spa in a race that saw no less than seven manufacturers lead over the treacherous journey.
A two-car crash on the Kemmel Straight brought out the first safety car intervention and with it a flurry of teams splitting strategies across their respective garages – resulting in a virtual timeshare scheme on the leader-board.
Despite a shower that threatened to shake up the top order (save for Bentley Team M-Sport’s number 8 Continental dropping to fourth), Rowe Racing was dominant throughout the event. An eleventh hr (figuratively-speaking) Full Course Yellow pit stop elevated the number 88 AMG-Team AKKA ASP Mercedes-AMG into 2nd place a mere five seconds ahead of the number 28 Audi Sport Team WRT R8 and with it an outright victory for Mercedes-AMG in the Intercontinental GT Challenge.
The number 76 IMSA Performance Porsche ran like the proverbial train to take the Pro-Am Cup class, while the number 888 Kessel Racing Ferrari faught off a strong Italian contingent to take honours in the Amateur Cup. The 911 RMS Porsche took National Group victory while Audi won the Coupe du Roi.
The number 7 Bentley Team M-Sport Continental GT3 eventually fell out of the fight for outright victory, having succumb to power steering issues, while the number 6 Audi Sport Team Phoenix R8 piloted by Christopher Mies suffered a rear puncture that eventually severed the R8’s oil lines and caught fire, Mies lucky to escape unscathed.
With H2o falling harder than a Bob Dylan track in the closing half hour, many found themselves skidding off at the bus stop chicane and all but briefly gave the number 86 AMG-Team HTP Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 a sniff of a podium berth. All that came to nought however when driver Maxi Götz was deemed to have been release from the pits in an Insafe manner and consequently relegated to fifth.
All eyes however were on Alexander Sims, Philipp Eng and Maxime Martin – who was finally able to emulate his (four times Spa-winning) father, Jean-Michel Martin.
Images: Total 24hrs Spa