The sporting regulations of the Blancpain GT Series - and therefore the Total 24 Hours of Spa - were as usual altered slightly over the course of the past winter. Here is a recap of the most important changes to the rulebook of the highlight of the Blancpain GT Series and Intercontinental GT Challenge.
• The main classification is now the Overall result. This means the top three finishing cars will be on the main podium after the race, no matter which category they are competing in.
• Reintroduction of the National Class for non-GT3 cars, including cars from single make series. These cars will be distinguished by green Lumirank numbers.
• Pit stop time limits. All full pit stops including refuelling and changing of more than one tyre must be longer than a given time, which is based on the pit lane length as well as minimum refuelling and tyre change time. This is to prevent technological escalation in refuelling and tyre changing equipment. The times will be given on a Stewards Bulletin.
• Technical pit stop. For reasons of sporting equality, all cars must make one stop of a duration of 5 minutes or over during the first 22 hours of the race.
• Superpole changes. The cars will leave the pits every minute (instead of every 15 seconds).
• Safety Car. For 2016, the Total 24 Hours of Spa are reverting to the previous system of just one safety car. This means that the pit lane will remain open except when the train of cars is passing the exit. A full course yellow period may be called before the safety car comes on track, to slow down the cars immediately and allow the leader to be caught.
• Pro-Am changes. The line-up of Platinum-Gold-Silver-Bronze is no longer allowed. Each three-driver combination from the rest of the season is allowed to add a fourth driver, maximum Platinum. In line-ups with two Pro drivers (Platinum and Gold) and two Bronze drivers, the Bronze drivers must share a minimum of 8 hours behind the wheel. In line-ups with one Pro, this time is 6 hours minimum for the Bronze driver.
• The Total 24 Hours of Spa is the second round of the inaugural season of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, open to manufacturers competing in major endurance events around the world where GT3 is the main category. The first round was the Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour in February, and the first season will end with the Sepang 12 Hours in December. McLaren currently leads the points, followed by Bentley and Audi. 12 cars are entered in the Intercontinental GT Challenge at Spa.
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Useful information - Total 24 Hours of Spa
When: 26th – 31st July 2016
Tickets : from 15 €
General Entrance : 30 € (includes free entrance on Thursday and Friday)
General Entrance + paddock : 60 €
Children aged 12 or under, accompanied by an adult, enter for free
Sales on: www.24hoursofspa and www.ticketmaster.be
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Provisional Timetable
Tuesday July 26th
Bronze test 14:55 – 17:55
Wednesday July 27th
Parade Spa 16:00
Autograph session 17:00-18 :00
Thursday July 28th
Free Practice 13:20-14:50
Pre-Qualifying 17:45-18:45
Qualifying 20:00-21:15
Night Qualifying 21:45-23:45
Friday July 29th
Super Pole 18:00-18:30
Saturday July 30th
Warm Up 09:05-09:25
Starting procedure & Grid walk 15:40-16:30
Start of the Total 24 hours of Spa 16:30
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Information & reservation : www.24hoursofspa.com / www.blancpain-gt-series.com
Facebook : 24 hours of Spa & Blancpain GT Series
Twitter : @24hoursofspa #SPA24H / @blancpaingt #Blancpaingt
Instagram : Blancpaingtseries #blancpaingt
Blancpain GT Series APP available on App store & Google Play
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Blancpain - Innovation is our Tradition
Founded in 1735 by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, the watch brand bearing his name is the oldest in the world. Blancpain is currently engaged to the renewal of mechanical watchmaking and to passing on exceptional expertise from one generation to the next through constant investment in human resources, production facilities and research. This approach is its strength and the expression of our long-term vision, even though it goes against the tide of a certain tendency to seek immediate profit.
From the creation of components through to watch design, Blancpain is distinguished by its ability to develop exceptional movements. Over the past ten years, the Manufacture has indeed developed no less than 35 new calibres.
Through its various models, Blancpain preserves its heritage of precision and elegance, while also displaying an innovative and occasionally provocative spirit.
Its range encompasses the sportive L-evolution line, the legendary Fifty Fathoms diver’s watch, as well as the classic Villeret collection, the high complication from Le Brassus collection and the Women models.
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Pirelli – Official Tyre Supplier
Pirelli is a tyre manufacturer and world leader in the automotive industry. It has an exclusive relationship with over 50 racing series worldwide, including Formula One.
Pirelli has a long and illustrious history in endurance racing, and has also claimed a huge variety of class wins in GT racing all over the world. The design of the new Pirelli GT tyres meets the needs of GT racing while maintaining the performance characteristics that endurance drivers have appreciated in the past.The slick tyres used for GT racing are branded Zero: just like the slicks that have become a central feature of Formula One.
The name P Zero is used in the highest categories of motorsport such as GT racing.
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Total - Official Sponsor of the Total 24 Hours of Spa
Energy is vital to economic development and improved standards of living.
Wherever it is available, energy is helping to drive progress, but sustainability requires changes in the way that it is used and managed. This is the environment in which we conduct our business.
With operations in more than 130 countries, Total is a top-tier international oil company and a world-class natural gas operator, refiner, petrochemical producer, and fuel and lubricant retailer.
Our nearly 99,000 employees leverage their globally acknowledged expertise so that together they can discover, produce, refine and distribute oil and gas to provide products and services for customers worldwide.
We are also broadening our offering by developing energies that can partner oil and gas — today, solar energy and tomorrow, biomass.
As a responsible corporate citizen, we focus on ensuring that our operations consistently deliver
economic, social and environmental benefits.
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SRO Motorsports Group - The architect of modern GT Racing
SRO Motorsports Group was founded by Stephane Ratel and has specialised in the promotion, support and organisation of many national and international motorsport series since 1995.
In 2016, SRO Motorsports Group promotes several championships and series, such as the Blancpain
GT Series, including the iconic Total 24 hours of Spa, the British GT Championship, the Blancpain Sports Club with the Blancpain GT Sports Club and the Blancpain Ultracar Sports Club, the Competition 102 GT4 European Series and the Intercontinental GT Challenge.
SRO Motorsports Group runs also the SRO Race Centre by MMC - a high-level technical centre at the Paul Ricard Circuit in the south of France - and Curbstone, that provides ultimate track driving opportunities on world renowned race circuits in Western Europe for supercar owners, as well as test driving facilities for race car drivers.
SRO has offices in London, Paris and Liège.
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