Aston Martin Racing, winner of the 1000 km of Catalunya with No. 007, led the LMP1 championship with 10 points, two more than the Pescarolo No. 16. In the LMP2 category, Racing Box's Lola No. 30 was in the lead ahead of Quifel ASM Team's Zytek. In GT1, IPB Spartak Racing (Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT) led the way ahead of Luc Alphand Adventures (Chevrolet Corvette C6.R). Finally, the GT2 category was led by Team Felbermayr Proton's Porsche 997 GT3 RSR No. 77, ahead of JMW Motorsport's Ferrari F430 GTC.[1]
Oreca 01 and Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT2's first race
On May 6, Oreca presented its new design, the 01. Similar to the previous year, the emblem is inspired by the works of the Dutch painter Piet Mondrian. The Oreca 01 would also have a new aerodynamic kit. For Hughes de Chaunac, the team manager, the Spa event was another opportunity to train before the 24 Hours of Le Mans: "Spa is a crucial step. It's a semi-final before Le Mans. This test will show us if we're well positioned before this year's race. We'll know where we are compared to the competition. We want to make a successful debut with the Oreca 01. We're going to set ourselves straight." French driver Nicolas Lapierre did not hide his ambitions: "A good result would give us a boost before the 24 Hours. It's important not to make mistakes and to have a perfect weekend. This new car has a bigger, more unmitigated performance potential and a wider turning range. We have taken a big step forward and have to prove it with an excellent performance. We want to be on the podium. With Oliver, we are committed to living down the disappointment in Barcelona. All the elements are there to shine!"[2]
The Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT2, developed and operated by Reiter Engineering, took part in its first race at the 1,000 km of Spa. At the end of March, the team tested the car at Salzburging, driven by Peter Kox and Roman Rusinov, both dealing with snowy weather. The German team then went to the Paul-Ricard Circuit as part of the FIA GT Championship Test Days. Christophe Bouchut and Albert von Thurn und Taxis drove the car this time. Hans Reiter, team manager, believed the vehicle should have been reliable enough for the Spa race: "It's not unrealistic to think that the car will last 1,000 kilometers in the race if we continue practicing. That's why we will step up the testing before starting the Gallardo in the 1,000 kilometers of Spa."[2]
Peugeot's limited entry in the Le Mans Series
At the beginning of February, Peugeot announced its sports program, which included, in addition to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, only the 1,000 kilometers of Spa and the 12 Hours of Sebring; however, without definitively closing the door to another entry into the Le Mans Series. The program's evolution would depend on the 24 Hours of Le Mans result.[3]
While three builds were to be entered in the Spa race, only two took part. According to Oliver Quesnel, the entry of a third car would require additional human effort, hampering their preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans: "It is not a question of a delay in the preparation of our work but of an adjustment in our organization. Our priority remains with Le Mans. I don't want the team to exhaust itself by preparing three cars for the Spa race, especially as our program's endurance simulation tests continue. Therefore, we chose six drivers, selected according to their respective mileage behind the wheel of the 908 HDi FAP."[3][4]
During a press conference, Peugeot Sport and Oliver Quesnel assured that they would be present at Portimão and hoped for a commitment to the Petit Le Mans at the end of the year: "We'll certainly be in Portimão with two cars, and we hope to be able to get into the Petit Le Mans as well." The French manufacturer's 2009 program was previously limited to just three rounds.[5][6]
Development of the cars
Peugeot Sport made no aerodynamic changes to its 908 HDi FAP. The two French prototypes drove in the same configuration as at the 12 Hours of Sebring, except for the addition of a thirty-kilogram ballast imposed by the new regulations.[7][8][9]
The Spyker Squadron team took advantage of the Spa race to change its C8 Laviolette GT2-R. A new spoiler and air box were added to improve the engine torque. Czech driver Jaroslav Janiš, absent from the 1,000 km of Catalunya, was also absent from the 1,000 km of Spa due to jaw inflammation. His doctors advised him not to participate in the race. Drivers Tom Coronel and Peter Dumbreck had to do without him while driving the Spyker.[7]
For Pescarolo Sport, car No. 16 had already received its new aerodynamic kit during the inaugural Catalan race. At Spa, the second car had also received one.[10] In the LMP2 category, OAK Racing, which entered two Pescarolo 01s, had also modified the aerodynamics of one of its cars (No. 35). Such a modification is estimated at approximately €200,000.[10][11] In addition to this development, Mazda North America oversaw the team from then on.[11]
As for the manufacturing company Michelin, they brought tires with a new type of rubber (slick and rain) for the entire LMP1 group. In LMP2, competitors were also entitled to new slick tires with medium compound.[12] For Matthieu Bonardel, competition manager at Michelin, the objective was to offer a tire that could heat up more quickly while having a longer service life than that of their 2008 model: "We didn't want to use harder rubber, yet we wanted to keep our 2008 performance level. So, we had to review the tire's structure in depth because keeping it at more than 100 °C any longer damages its structure. That's why we've reinforced the materials of which it's composed. Regarding regulations, the constraint of the aero load had not necessarily changed because the reduction in the size of the rear wing has been added to the additional ballast of 30 kg."
Teams and drivers involved, final preparations
Team Modena’s Ferrari F430 GTC had to be repaired at the Michelotto plant in Italy after a violent nighttime accident during a testing session on the Algarve Circuit. Despite riding off the track, driver Leo Mansell was unharmed. The team manager, Graham Schultz, spoke about the tests and the car, which had not yet been fully addressed. “Our tests with the Ferrari on Portugal’s new Algarve Circuit were very productive. We’re still in the learning stage with the Ferrari, and we’ve been able to make some improvements. We had the opportunity to test at night, but Leo went off the track in the dark, and the car was badly damaged at the rear.”[13] The car arrived at the circuit’s paddock on Thursday night, allowing free practice to begin on schedule. In the LMP2 category, Speedy Racing Team Sebah suffered a similar misfortune during pre-season testing at the Bugatti circuit at the end of April.[14][15] The Lola B08/80 No. 33 ran off the track at the entrance to the Dunlop Bridge. Although the monocoque was damaged, the team and Lola managed to get the car ready in time for the Spa round.[16]
Under cloudy skies, fifty-one cars had taken to the track. After a few minutes, a light rain had begun to fall over the circuit. As a result, many competitors set their fastest times early in the session. Among them was the #11 Oreca 01, driven by Nicholas Lapierre, which surprisingly had been matched down to the thousandth of a second on the following lap by the #9 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP, piloted by Marc Gené, with a time of 2:06.740. The second Oreca had secured third place, trailing by just 106 thousandths of a second. The #16 Pescarolo 01 also remained competitive, finishing within the exact second with a lap time of 2:06.930. In fourth place, the #7 Peugeot had managed a time of 2:07.658. Strakka Racing had placed sixth, while the leading Lola-Aston Martin B09/60, driven by Harold Primat, Miguel Ramos, and Darren Turner, had taken seventh position. Significant gaps had begun to emerge from eighth place onwards, with the #17 Pescarolo trailing by three seconds from the fastest time. The #13 Lola B08/60, the Courage-Oreca LC70E from Signature, and the #007 Lola-Aston Martin had all been relegated to nearly six seconds behind the leaders. The session had experienced its first red-flag delay when Darren Turner had lost a wheel during his lap.[24] The rain had gradually dissipated about fifteen minutes before the end of the time trial.[22][25]
In the LMP2 category, the session had been entirely dominated by the Lola B08/80 driven by Thomas Erdos and Mike Newton. The duo had also secured 25th place in the overall standings. Team Barazi-Epsilon’s Zytek 07S/2 finished second, more than 1.5 seconds behind. Quifel ASM Team’s Ginetta-Zytek and Racing Box’s first Lola (#30) had taken third and fourth places respectively (2:14.748). Team Essex’s Porsche RS Spyder Evo had been delayed by a collision with Jacques Nicolet’s Pescarolo, necessitating a front hood change. Consequently, it had only achieved the eighth-fastest time (2:20.180). Speedy Racing Team Sebah’s Lola had been hampered by a recalcitrant gearbox and had finished 15th with a time of 2:34, trailing the leader by 22 seconds. The session was also interrupted by a second red-flag delay when José Ibañez, driving the #28 Courage LC75, had gone off the track.[22][25][24]
In GT1, the Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT achieved the fastest time, outpacing the Chevrolet Corvette C6.R, which ended the session by being slowly towed back to the pits. The Aston Martin DBR9 had been relegated to fifteen seconds behind the Lamborghini. In GT2, the Ferrari F430 GTCs had dominated, occupying the top six standings. Farnbacher Racing had secured a one-two finish with cars #91 and #89. The defending champions, Gianmaria Bruni and Robert Bell, had taken third place (2:26.530). The Ferrari from Team Modena, which had crashed during private testing on the Algarve Circuit, had finished fourth (2:26.716). Ferrari #90 and #96 had placed fifth (2:27.080) and sixth (2:27.098) respectively. In seventh place, the Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2-R had outperformed the top Porsche (2:28.816). The Porsche (IMSA Performance) had finished eighth, in 2:29.132. Meanwhile, absent in Catalonia, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT2 had recorded the slowest time in the category, trailing by twenty seconds.[22][24][25]
Report
Qualifying
The qualifying sessions for both the GT and Prototype categories were marked by several red flag periods which halted the sessions. These were caused by several accidents and car failures on circuit, which left five cars unable to complete a flying lap time. Peugeot was able to lock out the first row by margin of over a second from the leading Aston Martin, while the returning Team Essex Porsche RS Spyder secured pole position in LMP2. Jetalliance Racing gave Aston Martin a pole in GT1 and championship leaders Team Felbermayr-Proton led GT2.
Qualifying result
Pole position winners in each class are marked in bold.[26]
