The third round of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship takes the series to Spa-Francorchamps. The Belgian Ardennes circuit is a favourite among fans and drivers alike. Goodyear Wingfoot Award winner from the previous round at Imola, TF Sport driver Sébastien Baud, helps preview the action this weekend.
Spa is a seven kilometre, 20-turn circuit with a history going back to 1925. Back then the track was over twice the length and wined its way through the nearby villages of Malmedy and Stavelot before returning to the more familiar section at Blanchimont which remains the last high-speed section on the circuit.
Goodyear will bring a single specification slick tire to Spa for the spectacular LMGT3 category, the same used in the opening two rounds at Qatar and Imola. Goodyear developed the tire to work across a wide range of circuits and temperatures, including the full range of temperatures that could greet the drivers, as is typical of Spa’s unpredictable climate.
Speaking to Goodyear ahead of the racing action, Baud, winner of the 6 Hours of Imola Wingfoot Award, explains the challenges of Spa: « Spa is a technical track, which requires a lot of effort from the tires but we are well equipped with Goodyear, a tire that I really like and feel really good with. So at Spa I will keep the same approach (as previous races).
« I work well and communicate collaboratively with my Goodyear engineer during free practice to find my pace during the race and put together fast laps on a very technical track. Spa is always crazy with weather conditions so who knows which strategy will be best. »
Last time out: Wingfoot Award win for Baud and TF Sport
In just his second WEC race, Baud put in an impressive performance to post the quickest average stint, maximising the performance of his TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R. He left Imola with his first Goodyear Wingfoot Award, one that he was particularly proud to receive:
« I am extremely happy to have won the Goodyear award for my second ever WEC race, » he enthused. « Receiving a personal award is always a huge satisfaction and it always rewards the team work. A driver is alone in the car but there is such a team effort behind it. I am even more satisfied because consistency on one stint is the point that I wanted to focus on at Imola. Seems that it worked! »
When asked about what made the difference at Imola, Baud said many factors ultimately came into play: « It’s important to feel good in the car, to have the trust of your team, your teammates and to know that you have the potential to succeed, » he explained. « It is essential at the top level to know how your tires work and even more the knowledge of how to manage them. Especially when you go for two consecutive stints on the same set. You need to have a good pace from the start but without overheating them too much. Otherwise you will suffer at the end of the stint with increased degradation.
« We talk (to our tire engineer) frequently between sessions and after each stint in the car to understand how the tire evolves with the track conditions. This relationship is really crucial to be in the good performance window. »
James Bailey,