The Belgian race will mark the competitive debut of the new breed of hybrid prototypes, with Audi racing the R18 e-tron quattro for the first time. However the much anticipated debut of the new Toyota TS030 has been delayed until the 24 Heures du Mans in June following a crash at Paul Ricard last week. The incident took place during a 30 hours endurance test and while driver Nicolas Lapierre was unhurt, the car was badly damaged.
“This is a fantastic grid for only the second race in the FIA World Endurance Championship,” said ACO President Jean-Claude Plassart. “With 27 LMP1 and LMP2 and 15 GT entries, the WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps promises to be a great race to watch and we are sure the event will be a good preview for the 24 Heures du Mans in June. We actually received more than 42 enquiries for Spa but the maximum of cars that can be accommodated for this race is determined by the pitlane capacity.
“While it is disappointing for everyone concerned, we fully support Toyota’s decision to withdraw their car for Spa following the unfortunate accident at Le Castellet last week in which the TS030 monocoque was damaged. We have to remember this is a brand new project and Toyota was originally not intending to be a full WEC entrant. The company have done a fantastic job to expand their plans and with six of the eight rounds counting for the World Championship, Toyota can still take the fight to Audi.”
Photo : FRANCORCHAMPS (PROVINCE OF LIEGE, BELGIUM), SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS CIRCUIT, 1000 KM OF SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, 7th MAY 2011, RACE. 42 competitors are expected for the 6 hours of Spa-Francorchamps, second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
