Matteo Cairoli finished the 24 Hours of Spa with a tenth-place overall finish. The Italian driver, who boasts both an overall pole position and a class win in the famous GT endurance race in 2023, thus secured a top-10 finish. His car was also the highest-placed Mercedes at the end of the race, a fact that demonstrates both the quality of the Como-based driver’s performance and a Balance of Performance that does not favor the Stuttgart-based manufacturer.
At the 24 Hours of Spa, the third round of the GT World Challenge Europe – Endurance Cup, Matteo took to the track with Winward Racing. The winning crew from the second round at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza has thus been confirmed, with Cairoli alongside German Maro Engel and Austrian Lucas Auer, at the wheel of the #48 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO in the Pro Cup, the event’s premier class. After gaining familiarity with the historic Belgian track during free practice, the team participated in qualifying, earning a spot in superpole with the fifth fastest time overall. Auer took to the track for the decisive session, and after a top-notch session, the Austrian finished sixth, before being promoted to fifth on the grid.
On Saturday, Engel took the start of the race: the German did well to stay in the leading group, also avoiding a dangerous accident at the start of the second hour of the race. With the stewards forced to call a full-course yellow to remove the damaged cars, Engel returned to the pits, leaving Cairoli in control of the #48 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO for the first time. Once the race resumed, Matteo quickly established his pace, moving into third place at the end of the first four hours, before handing over to Auer. Once night fell, the Winward Racing crew maintained a high pace, despite the Stuttgart car struggling to keep pace with the likes of McLaren, Lamborghini, and Ferrari, dropping to sixth place overall after the first third of the race.
Thanks to the phenomenal work of the three drivers, the #48 Mercedes passed the night portion of the race without any particular problems, remaining consistently within the top 10 as dawn broke. Cairoli, Engel, and Auer continued to give their all and try to fend off their opponents’ attacks, thanks also to a different strategic approach than the leading group, which led the drivers to remain in the lead for three consecutive stints. Matteo then climbed into the cockpit of his Mercedes for the last time with about 90 minutes to go, exiting the pit lane in tenth place. The Como native then drove the car to the finish line, taking tenth place overall and eighth among the cars entered in the GT World Challenge Europe – Endurance Cup.
Thanks to both the final result and the points accumulated by the team in the special classifications obtained six and 12 hours into the race, respectively, the #48 Winward Racing crew confirmed their second place in the overall GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Series standings, just five points behind the championship lead. The next round of the series will see the teams and drivers head to Germany, with the 3 Hours of Nürburgring scheduled for August 31st.
Matteo Cairoli
“It was a truly grueling race, but being able to take part in a race of this caliber is always a great pleasure. I’m satisfied with the final result: unfortunately, the Balance of Performance didn’t particularly favor us this weekend, but we managed to grit our teeth and finish a smooth race without any major setbacks. I’d like to extend a special thank you to the entire team for their dedication throughout the weekend. This result allows us to remain in contention for the title, and we’ll try to return to the podium at the next round of the season at the Nürburgring.”
