Marc Detering won the three-lap sprint at Spa-Francorchamps.
The Red Bull Team driver dictated the pace of the brief 20,844-metre encounter in GTR2, navigating his BMW M3 GTR through the Belgian Ardennes to register a total time of 7:15.828. Detering also claimed the fastest lap of the session with a 2:24.933, leaving Meijers Motorsport’s Frank Meijers to settle for second place, 6.779 seconds behind the leader.
Behind the leading pair of G2 and GT2 class BMWs, the G3 division unfolded in a manner that challenged the fundamental laws of arithmetic. Fernando Horta secured third place overall for Scuderia Shakaxd, piloting his BMW Z3 M (#01) to a final time of 7:49.398. Crucially, Horta’s personal best lap was a relatively leisurely 2:37.612. This mathematical anomaly became apparent when compared to fourth-placed Paul Daniels of James Watt Automotive. Daniels recorded a blistering best lap of 2:30.641—seven seconds quicker than Horta’s best effort—yet finished nearly seven seconds behind the Brazilian overall.
Paddock analysts attribute this disparity to a suspected incident on the opening lap, where Daniels likely lost time recovering from an off-track excursion, though some suspect a tactical totozinho may have been delivered in the bus stop chicane. Horta, employing a defensive strategy reminiscent of a driver navigating peak-hour Radial Leste traffic, held onto the podium spot despite his severe performance deficit.
Further down the order, Thomas Erdos brought his Gigawave Motorsport BMW Z3 M home in fifth place with a total time of 8:02.632, while Jerome Naveaux completed the six-car field in his JMT Racing entry, crossing the line in 8:13.172.
Scuderia Shakaxd’s newly appointed Chief Race Strategist expressed characteristic indifference to the podium finish.
Squidward Tentacles (Chief Race Strategist): "I played the clarinet on the pit wall for the entire second lap, yet somehow Fernando still stumbled into third place. It is a tragedy of the highest order."
Fernando Horta (Driver, #01): "The car had the aerodynamic properties of a wet brick, but after the recent zero-lap disasters here, actually seeing the chequered flag is a victory."
Ps. Jens, we found your spare bumper in the Eau Rouge tyre wall; please collect it before the local authorities issue a littering fine.
