After its win in the FIA WEC a few months ago, the 488 GTE’s rapport with the spectacular Spa track was confirmed in the European Le Mans Series. The Ferraris of Kessel Racing and Iron Lynx finished first and second in the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the penultimate event on the 2022 calendar.
Conrad Grunewald, Frederik Schandorff and Mikkel Jensen crossed the line eight seconds ahead of the all-female trio of Sarah Bovy, Doriane Pin and Michelle Gatting. The race saw the two Ferraris take turns in the lead. In the first hour, it was Grunewald. Then, Sarah Bovy dominated the second hour, coming within a few millimetres of hitting the American driver who had spun off at Eau Rouge. With fifty minutes of the last hour remaining, Jensen made the decisive overtaking move on Gatting, who had replaced a speedy Doriane Pin. The Dane handed Kessel Racing its first season win in a particularly successful weekend for CarGuy with the GT World Challenge Asia victory of Takeshi Kimura, a regular member of the ELMS team, alongside Kei Cozzolino.
“It was a difficult race. Conrad [Grunewald, ed.] made it even more exciting at Eau Rouge, but we are happy to have avoided contact with the Iron Lynx car”, commented Jensen at the end of the race. “After that point, we managed the pace, knowing that we were a good crew capable of heading into the final stretch in a position to challenge for victory. I am delighted with our first win in the ELMS and to have picked up twenty-five points. I want to thank Kimura and congratulate him on winning the title in Japan”.
The other Ferraris racing in Belgium finished outside the top five: JMW Motorsport were sixth with Petrobelli-Payne-Hudspeth, the second Iron Lynx crew, Schiavoni-Cressoni-Rigon, with their victory at Monza restored on the eve of the race, and Rinaldi Racing tenth with Ehret-Alessi-Varrone, penalised by a drive through and a spin.