Full Triple Eight crew for 24 Hours of Spa confirmed

The Banyo-based squad is fielding a Mercedes-AMG GT3 which will be driven by Alexander Sims and Martin Konrad, along with Jordan Love and Prince Jefri Ibrahim.

Love’s and Triple Eight’s participation at Spa and also the Indianapolis 8 Hour, both of which are part of the Intercontinental GT Challenge which began at Bathurst, was revealed in January.

Being undertaken in partnership with Johor Motorsports Racing, Ibrahim was also an obvious inclusion.

However, Broc Feeney, who had become a regular in Triple Eight’s GT3 programmes, opted to turn down the opportunity to compete in those races given they fall a week ahead of the NTI Townsville 500 and Bathurst 1000, respectively.

Coincidentally, Sims drove for the original Triple Eight Racing, from which the Australian operation was an offshoot, in GT World Challenge Europe last decade.

Konrad won the 2022 Bathurst 12 Hour with SunEnergy1 Racing, which was run in that event by Triple Eight.

Next month at Spa, Car #888 will be competing in a five-strong Pro-Am class as part of a broader field of 67, the entry list for which was revealed in time for the two-day Prologue which is now underway.

The Triple Eight entry ended up 23rd outright on the timesheet in the Day 1 Morning session and 22nd in the Afternoon.

The Phantom Global Racing Porsche in which Brad Jones Racing/SCT Supercars driver Jaxon Evans is part of the driving crew was classified 17th in the Morning and sixth in the Afternoon.

Evans jetted out to Belgium straight after the Bosch Power Tools Perth SuperSprint, and will return in time for the GT World Challenge Australia round at The Bend on May 31-June 2, where he will drive a Ferrari.

“I’m going to Europe tonight to go to Spa for the 24 Hour test, so my world doesn’t really stop for me and it’s pretty exciting,” said the New Zealander in Perth.

“I’ve got a two-day test at Spa before re-grouping with the Arise Racing GT crew for Fanatec GT Australia.

“It’ll be good to get to The Bend to re-join the team. Hopefully we can taste some success in the Ferrari again.

“It’s really good to have such a busy schedule and I feel it’s the best form of training. Not only in physical training, but being able to adapt and manage tyres, driving all these different cars means I experience the different characteristics. They’re a challenge in their own right, but I quite enjoy swapping in between.

“Any race miles are good miles. I’m just happy to keep myself busy.”

Matt Campbell, who won the Bathurst 12 Hour again this year, is in the Spa field in the SSR Herberth Porsche which took 16th in the Morning and 54th in the Afternoon.

Triple Eight’s three-round programme will allow Ibrahim to compete for the IGTC’s Independent Cup for Pro-Am class driving crews, and for which drivers may drop their worst round.

Nurburgring, which hosted Round 2 of four this season, has strict licencing requirements, with the round-drop provision meaning Ibrahim’s title hopes have not been irretrievably dented by his absence from that event.

The Prologue continues tonight (AEST) while the event itself starts with a Bronze Test on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 25 (local time), with the race itself starting on Saturday June 29.