It took him 2:19.517 to complete a lap of the 7.004-kilometre track.
This sees Catsburg, Stef Dusseldorp (NL) and Dirk Werner (DE) start
the 68th edition of the 24-hour classic on the ‘Circuit de
Spa-Francorchamps’ from 15th on the grid. Clemens Schmid (AT,
Mercedes) clinched pole position.
After heavy rain showers in the afternoon, the sun appeared
between the clouds now and then during the Super Pole competition.
After two fast laps, the second BMW M6 GT3, ROWE Racing’s number 99,
secured the 19th starting place. Alexander Sims (GB) achieved a best
time of 2:19.865 minutes. Over the course of the race, Sims will share
the wheel of the BMW M6 GT3 with Maxime Martin (BE) and Philipp Eng (AT).
BMW Team Italia, headed by team principal Roberto Ravaglia (IT),
achieved 48 in qualifying. BMW works driver Martin Tomczyk (DE), who
is competing in the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps for the first time
in his long and successful career, will share the cockpit of the #15
BMW M6 GT3 with Stefano Colombo (IT), Giorgio Roda (IT) and Max
Koebolt (NL). BMW Team Italia is contesting the Pro-Am Cup. Boutsen
Ginion Racing is also competing in this class; the team will attack
the 24-hour race with the #12 BMW M6 GT3 and the drivers Karim Ojjeh
(SA), Julian Darras (FR), Olivier Grotz (LU) and Arno Santamato (FR)
from 52nd on the grid.
BMW starts the Ardennes marathon as reigning champion after the
BMW Z4 GT3 celebrated victory last season in its last major 24-hour
race. After the warm-up on Saturday morning, the race is scheduled to
start at 4:30 p.m. CEST. 24 hours later, one of the 65 participating
GT3 cars will be crowned the winner.
Quotes after qualifying and the Super Pole competition in
Spa-Francorchamps.
Nick Catsburg (#98 BMW M6 GT3, ROWE Racing):
“My first lap was good, but I wasn’t able to drive Eau
Rouge flat out because my tyres hadn’t warmed up properly by that
point. On the second lap, Eau Rouge was perfect, but the rest of the
lap wasn’t ideal, I could have got slightly more out of it. I’m sure
that we have a good set-up for the race. I have a lot of confidence in
my team and the other guys with whom I’m sharing the cockpit of the
BMW M6 GT3. I’m looking forward to it finally getting started.”
Alexander Sims (#99 BMW M6 GT3, ROWE
Racing):
“I came off the track twice on my fastest
lap. That’s disappointing, because I didn’t exploit the full potential
of the car. The race is a totally different story, but of course that
doesn’t make the 19th starting position any easier. We need to be
careful at the start in particular, but I think that we’re in a solid
position. Consistency will be the key to success in the race.”
Martin Tomczyk (#15 BMW M6 GT3, BMW Team
Italia):
“It was a difficult qualifying session.
The traffic in particular was a limiting factor. When 65 cars are on
the track, it will be difficult to get a free lap, even on a
relatively long track like Spa. We need to remain realistic for the
race. Our aim is to finish the race and show consistency, then we will
see where we end up on Sunday afternoon. The level is extremely high,
even in the Pro-Am class. It is a totally different race from the 24
Hours Nürburgring, which I contested in May. Here, the cars are only a
few seconds apart. On the Nordschleife we race alongside cars with
hundreds of horsepower less than us. Spa is a different challenge.”