Louis is ready for battle at the 24 Hours of Spa

Louis Delétraz will tackle the biggest GT3 race in the world this weekend when he lines up for the Porsche-backed GPX Racing squad at the 24 Hours of Spa.

The iconic Belgian event comes hot on the heels of Louis’ impressive 24-hour endurance racing debut at Le Mans last month where he finished P4 in a Rebellion Racing LMP1 car.

This weekend Louis will join team-mates Romain Dumas and Thomas Preining in GPX Racing’s #40 Porsche 911 GT3-R entry which will be run with factory backing from Porsche.

Having finished P9 on his competitive debut with the squad at Imola in July, multiple Formula 2 podium finisher Louis, is looking to build on that experience by securing another strong result at the home of the Belgian Grand Prix.

“It’s really cool that I can take part in the biggest GT race in the world with such a fantastic team and in such a strong car,” Louis said. “I’m really happy that Frédéric Fatien and Pierre-Brice Mena at GPX Racing and Porsche have put their trust in me again.

“It’s going to be a tough race. The weather is likely to be pretty unpredictable at this time of the year and you never know how the race will evolve with Balance of Performance (BOP) at play.

“But the thought of mixing it with a massive grid containing 55 other GT3 cars for 24 hours is really exciting. I hope we can deliver a good weekend.”

Louis’ hopes have been boosted by the fact that he will be representing the team that won last year’s 24 Hours of Spa – securing Porsche’s first victory at the race in nine years.

“The car is fast and has shown it’s already capable of winning across 24 hours of racing. That gives you a lot of confidence going into a race like this. The target is to make it through to the chequered flag without any problems. Then we see where that puts us.”

Louis, a long-time member of the GPX Academy programme, goes into this weekend’s race with two days of successful Spa testing – in mixed weather conditions – under his belt.

His competitive schedule for the weekend will get underway at 18.55 on Thursday night with shoot-out qualifying. There will then be a night practice session from 20.35 until 22.05.

A 30-minute Super Pole session will provide added excitement on Friday night, starting at 18.20, before the 24 Hours of Spa race itself gets underway at 15.30 on Saturday afternoon (all times are CET).