– Tse staged comeback drive after early contact to take Pro-Am runner-up honours
– Contempo Concept sponsored #16 Uno Racing Team with Landgraf secured class pole at centenary edition of 24 Hours of Spa
Hong Kong drivers Jonathan Hui and Antares Au miss podium in Bronze class despite valiant efforts
Kevin Tse (HKG) secured a brilliant result at the 100th anniversary of the iconic 2024 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, taking a P2 finish in the Pro-Am class after an extremely challenging endurance classic. The team, consisting of David Pun (CHN), Rio Ma (HKG) and Indy Dontje (NED) in the #16 Uno Racing Team with Landgraf Mercedes-AMG GT3, showed excellent pace to take the class pole position around the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Tse was looking strong, having taken the overall win around the same Ardennes venue a weekend ago in the British GT Championship. The team started well and led the class for more than 3 hours before being caught up in an incident as the rain began to fall. However, the quartet managed to stage a stellar comeback drive and take the flag after 24 hours of racing in class P2.
One of the biggest races on the calendar drew more than 110,000 spectators to the circuit as 66 GT3 cars battled it out on track. Tse and his teammates put in a stunning qualifying performance to secure the top spot in Pro-Am for Mercedes-AMG. Despite the strong performance, the starting position had little effect on the outcome of a 24-hour endurance race. Dontje started well to avoid the early incidents and stamp his position as the class leader. Tse got into the car after the third hour as the race was neutralised under a Safety Car. As the Hong Kong driver got underway on the restart, he was unfortunately caught up in a multi-car incident which punctured the left front tyre and damaged the #16 Mercedes-AMG. Tse managed to limp back to the pitlane and the team got to immediate repairs, however, the lead was lost and it was a matter of slowly climbing back up to challenge the class lead.
A comeback effort was met with several hindrances along the way in the form of adverse weather conditions, unfavourable stoppages and managing lapped traffic. The drivers were forced to deal with the on-again-off-again rain while keeping the car facing in the right direction. Eventually, the team managed to claw its way back to podium-paying positions as a result of consistent lap times and well-timed pit stops. Furthermore, Tse celebrated his first podium at the historic Spa 24 Hours as the team finally moved up into the runner-up spot with 3 hours to go and managed to hold the position till the checkered. It was an incredible achievement to bring the car home after the early setbacks.
Elsewhere, Tse’s fellow Hong Kong drivers also faced their fair share of challenges at the 2024 24 Hours of Spa. Jonathan Hui (HKG), who is competing in the full season of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS, faced disappointment after having led the Bronze class in his #93 Sky Tempesta Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 for the majority of the early stages of the race, only to finish P4 in class and narrowly miss out on the podium. Hui and his teammates Chris Froggatt (GBR), Eddie Cheever III (ITA) and Lilou Wadoux (FRA) were extremely strong at the opening stages of the race, not only leading the Bronze class but also challenging for the overall top 10. Scoring solid points at the 6-hour mark in P1 and the 12-hour mark in P3 means Hui leads the overall Fanatec GT Europe Bronze Drivers’ standings and is in P2 in the Endurance Cup.
Antares Au (HKG) was also competing in the Bronze class in the #80 Lionspeed x Herberth Porsche 911 GT3 R alongside teammates Alessio Picariello (BEL), Martin Rump (EST) and Alexander Fach (SUI). The team had an extremely difficult race, dealing with reliability issues and adverse weather, eventually coming home in class P7. Regardless, Au was the highest of the Intercontinental GT Challenge Independent Cup finishers, taking his second victory in as many rounds with Lionspeed x Herberth. With 25 points, he moved into the lead of the Independent Cup standings with one round to go.
