​Fourth for Gunn at Spa

​The twice round the clock race, first held in 1924, was an epic with nearly 70 GT3 specification cars taking the start at 4.30pm on Saturday afternoon.

The famous Spa-Francorchamps circuit, nestled deep in the Belgian Ardennes region, famous for its varying weather patterns, threw everything at the competing crews throughout with torrential rain sweeping across the track as the raced progressed into the darkness.

Luckily the weather cleared as dawn broke, and racing was fast and furious as the clock ticked down towards the chequered flag on Sunday afternoon, and it was the Aston Martin Comtoyou Racing that swept across the line to win. The number 007 Aston Martin was driven by Nicki Thiim, Marco Sorensen and Mattia Drudi.

Vale-based Gunn said afterwards: "It was great for Aston Martin to win this race, although obviously we do wish the winning car had been ours.

"We put up a great fight this weekend in what were really tough conditions. The race started in the sun, and as darkness fell the rain arrived. A lengthy Safety Car period was difficult for everyone, but we were always in the fight for the win once daylight arrived."

Gunn's number 34 Aston Martin did take its turn in the lead of the race, and crossed the line at the finish clocking a total of 478 laps - the same number as the race winner. Indeed, a record-breaking nine cars finished the race on the lead lap demonstrating the depth and quality of the Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa entry.

Chaves said, "We had a great fight. Ross and David drove really well and we battled hard for the victory.

"Sadly we missed the podium by just one position, but a fourth place result is great and we are all very happy."

*There is little rest for the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe teams, as the 2024 season continues in Germany later this month with back-to-back Sprint and Endurance Cup races taking place at Hockenheim and the Nurburgring. Gunn will rejoin the Walkenhorst Motorsport squad for a 3-Hour race at the Nurburgring.

*North Buckinghamshire will echo to the sound of Formula 1 cars this week, as the British Grand Prix takes place at Silverstone. A near capacity crowd is set flood into the local track to witness what looks like being the most competitive round of the FIA F1 World Championship seen at the venue for many years.

Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion, leads the title race for the Red Bull team but following last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, eyes, and cheers of the partisan crowd, will be aimed towards George Russell who sensationally won his second Grand Prix and returned the Mercedes AMG Petronas team to the top step of the podium for the first time since Brazil Grand Prix in 2022.

Russell has endured a difficult 2024 season to-date at the wheel of an under-performing Mercedes, but he found himself in the right place at the right time on Sunday, when Verstappen and McLaren's Lando Norris, clashed near the end of the Austrian race. Norris retired as a result on the collision and Verstappen dropped to fifth, allowing Russell to sweep into the lead and score a well-timed victory - knowing full well that his next race would be a Grand Prix at the 'Home of British Motor Racing'.

Track action this weekend at Silverstone starts on Friday, with the Formula 1 Qatar Airways British Grand Prix taking place on Sunday afternoon. The 52-lap race around the 3.6-mile Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit is scheduled to start at 3pm.

Scuderia Ferrari brand ambassador, Marc Gene, a former Buckingham University student who raced in the British Grand Prix for both the Minardi and Williams teams, said this week, "Silverstone is one of the great F1 tracks and always provides superb entertainment."

Attending the race this weekend on behalf of Ferrari and to cover the action for Italian television, Gene adds, "The crowds at Silverstone are great, so many fans come to watch every year and the track is so fast and offers a real chance to see F1 cars at high-speed. I think this year we will all see a good race as there are many drivers who are in with a chance of victory on Sunday afternoon."