The Swiss driver is excited ahead of the most important race of the year, the classic Spa-Francorchamps 24 Hours
Alex Fontana is already in Belgium where, within a few hours the engines will be turned on for the most enthralling and exciting race of the season: the Spa 24 Hours. The Belgian marathon, an indisputable point of reference for the motorsport world, an event of the calibre of the Monaco GP in Formula 1 and the Indianapolis 500, is part of the romantic trilogy of endurance races along with the Daytona and Le Mans 24 Hours. However, this is the only one devoted exclusively to GT3 cars. Along the 7,004 metres of the switchback Belgian track the no less than 65 cars entered will all have the same technical specifications, a factor that enhances both the racing and the spectacle. The crews will be divided into four classes, Pro, Pro-Am, Am and the newly instituted Silver Cup in which Fontana, together with Mikael Grenier and Adrian Zaugg will be fighting for the title. With 74.5 point, Alex and Mikael are lying in second place overall, thanks to the double podium finishes at Misano behind the Mercedes of Manchester-Bastian, a car participating in the full Blancpain GT series rather than just the Endurance Cup like Fontana and Grenier. Spa offers a rich schedule, with a parade planned for today, Wednesday 25 July, at night for the first time, a briefing for the drivers and an autograph signing session in the centre of Spa. Free practice and qualifying will instead be held from Thursday, with the race due to start on Saturday afternoon at 16:30.
Alex Fontana
“Spa is a challenge I look forward to with enthusiasm every year. I’ve travelled directly from China where I was racing with KIA in the CTCC over a very unusual weekend during which we had to abandon the race due to the arrival of a typhoon. We’ve got plenty of work to do in Belgium. Together with the Emil Frey Jaguar Racing technicians we’ll be analysing the data collected during testing last week and in practice we’ll be able to check our improvement and above all see where our adversaries are at. For the Silver Cup it will be important to be among the front runners at the 6th and 12th hours of the race when partial points are awarded, as well as of course at the chequered flag on Sunday afternoon. I’ve driven three different cars in recent years, McLaren, Mercedes and now Jaguar. I think this will provide some small advantage because at least we know how some of our rivals will handle. The race will involve no less than 13 different marques and will present an exciting challenge, not just for us in the cockpit but also for the customary huge crowd that will be watching the race at the track and from home.”