Rounds four and five of the Sports Prototype Cup (SPC) took place on June 1st and 2nd at Spa-Francorchamps circuit, sharing a grid with the Supercar Challenge for a pair of one-hour races featuring a mandatory pitstop.
Flying in from the USA, Ron Fletcher rocketed to pole, switching from his USA championship Revolution 500SC to the higher-downforce Revolution 500 EVO. He was ahead of James Abbott and Nigel Redwood in a normally-aspirated Revolution 427. With the Praga R1 of Jack Fabby and Shane Kelly and a mix of Radicals among the mixed GT and prototype grid, the scene was set for a thrilling race one in damp conditions.
Despite the Ardennes weather being different from Fletcher's usual Californian sunshine, he powered into the lead at Eau Rouge on lap one, battling hard with a Supercar-leading BMW M6 GT3. Behind him, Redwood and Fabby had a great opening scrap, with Nagy Kabaz leading the Radical charge in sixth overall.
A battle on lap three dropped Fletcher behind Fabby, but he retained the SPC lead until a longer-than-planned pitstop dropped him to 10th place overall. Redwood handed over to Abbott with a late pitstop, and the Revolution 427 now led. Fletcher stormed back through the field, charging to third overall and then passing Abbott to win SPC honors.
Race Two also started in damp conditions and was dictated by tyre strategy. Redwood and Abbott took the SPC victory, but for much of the one-hour race, Fletcher looked likely to add to his Saturday win. He gambled by staying out on wets during a Virtual Safety Car (VSC) period, but a red flag negated his huge lead, leaving him on wets on a drying track.
Looking ahead to the second half of the year, Spa was a one-off format with a mixed grid of prototypes and GT cars, giving a varied 25-car grid. For our next rounds at Donington GP, we have two 30-minute prototype-only sprint races.
For our next non-UK race, we return to Zandvoort on September 13-15, repeating the popular three-race format from our opening rounds.
European Cup drivers are also invited to join the Watkins Glen joint Sports Prototype Cup/Revolution North America event, with attractive race hire packages available.
To enter for Donington or our rounds at Zandvoort, Watkins Glen, Assen, or Le Mans, click on the button below or call Nigel Redwood at +44 7818 047 866.
Comments