20 augustus 2008The 30th edition of the 24 Hours of Zolder, an exceptional anniversary edition
The 30th edition of the 24 Hours of Zolder is on the racing programme during the weekend of the 30th and 31st August. This twice ‘around the clock’ race is the fifth meeting of the Belgian GT Championship Mediagroep van Dyck and represents the highpoint of the national motorsport season. In just over two weeks we will know who the successors of Marc Goossens, Guillaume Dumarey, Maxime Soulet and Maxime Dumarey will be, but in the meanwhile we’re taking a look into the future of this gruelling race.
True to tradition this 30th edition of the 24 Hours of Zolder is being held at the end of August and once again this year promises to be a nail biting event. The Balance of Power of the GT3s guarantees a well balanced field, as proven by the race last year, where we had to wait until the last hour of the race to discover the outcome.
Quite a number of drivers have pencilled this thirtieth edition in red in their diaries. Following in the footsteps of Tom Kristensen and Eric van de Poele who respectively clinched their eighth and fifth victories in the 24 hours races of Le Mans and Spa, several of our competitors are also out to achieve records.
Anthony Kumpen, who will be sharing the Gravity International Mosler MT900 with Bert Longin and Vincent Radermecker, could with a fifth victory become the sole record holder of these 24 Hours of Zolder. In this case Bert Longin would boast four wins, just as many as Vincent Dupont and Marc Goossens. Amongst the present generation of drivers Maxime Soulet, Marc Duez, Tim Verbergt and Kurt Thiers each have two victories. Albert Vanierschot is one better, with three victories to his name in a well filled racing career, similar to the Dutchman Mike Hezemans, who precedes Patrick Huisman in the rankings of the foreign drivers. This year we have Pedro Lamy at the start, looking to add a second win at Zolder to his list of achievements.
There is more clarity amongst the manufacturers. To date Porsche has 10 victories to its name, having the first one back in 1989 and the most recent last year when the GPR team clinched a first overall victory in a 24 hours race with a Porsche 997 GT3. Viper has enjoyed four wins, with three consecutive victories between 2002 and 2004. Other makes placing their name on the roll call include Volvo, Renault, BMW, Chevrolet and Audi.
Most striking is the fact that amongst the teams there is a movement towards renewal. Out of previous winners it should be noted that two of the most recent successful teams, SRT and PK Carsport – as also ProSpeed Competition that has scored numerous top places – are today all active at an international level, which goes to prove the strength of the Belgian GT competition. Amongst the teams only GPR and naturally AD Sport boast previous victories.
