Spa 24: CRS Racing hour 12 notes

FIREWORKS, FOG & SAFETY CARS

It has been a good night at Spa. Both CRS Ferraris have made steady progress since yesterday and now lie in second and sixth positions. The No.56 car has had a fantastic run with Kirkaldy, Bell, Garcia and now Kox making steady but rapid progress through the ranks, all the way up to second place. The No.55 car is also on the rise after being delayed last night with a broken starter motor, but Niarchos, Mullen, Quaife and Goodwin are also in the fight for points at Spa.

Phil Quaife took to the track just as the traditional firework display lit up the sky at Spa at 11pm last night. The conditions were difficult during the night and the CRS GT3 driver did a good job in the No.55 Ferrari.

"I really enjoyed my stint," said Phil. "There was only a thin dry line and it is hard to pick it out in the dark. You have to slow down more on your approach to the corners to make sure you get the line absolutely right. I would rather do that though than take unnecessary risks in a race like this. The car is feeling strong so all we need to do is keep on going, for quite a few more hours yet."

When midnight came Andrew Kirkaldy had taken over the wheel of No.56 from Antonio Garcia and was running in fifth place. Tim Mullen was back in No.55 in eighth at this time, just as the conditions degenerated even more. Fog was starting to form, mainly at Blanchimont, but with it getting progressively thicker, the safety car was dispatched.

Shortly after this both cars came in for a driver change. Chris Niarchos in No.55 and Rob Bell in No.56. It was a long safety car session but there were no dramas for CRS at this time.

At the halfway mark Antonio was back in No.56 and had moved up to fourth place and Chris Goodwin was eighth in No.55.

It is now 7.30am and fully light at Spa and it looks like it's going to be a beautiful day. There is still a lot of hard work to do here with over eight hours of racing to go.

-credit: crs