© Marius Hecker / DPPI
Victorious at the wheel of the No. 80 Porsche of the Lionspeed GP team, Thomas Preining, Ricardo Feller and Bastian Buus could not believe their eyes, after starting from the pit lane.
While the No. 80 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) EVO was undeniably among the favorites for overall victory at the start of the week, the engine change that the Lionspeed GP team had to make on Thursday seriously complicated matters for the team based just a few kilometers from the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Starting from pit lane, the car driven by Thomas Preining, Ricardo Feller, and Bastian Buus ultimately crossed the finish line first, 24 hours later…
“I think it really takes a very special group of people to achieve this result. It’s not normal to think about winning a race like this starting from the pits, and given the start of the season, with several retirements, it would have been possible to have doubts.”Preining, who had the honor of crossing the finish line, explained. “The race wasn’t perfectly calm, but we always believed in it, we maintained our confidence in each person on the team, but above all, we maintained our confidence in our collective and team spirit.”
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For Ricardo Feller, who was already part of the team last year when they entered a car in the Bronze Cup category, achieving such a result just one year later represents an extremely significant accomplishment: “The most important thing is the people who constantly attack and make up a very good group. The goal last year, in the Bronze Cup, was to move up to Pro at some point, and to manage to win the overall title a year later is truly incredible.”
For Bastian Buus, the Spa 24 Hours could represent a step into a new dimension. The 23-year-old Dane (who becomes the youngest winner since Jules Gounon in 2017) didn’t expect to already add the Spa double-round-the-clock race to his list of achievements, but he’s still hungry for more success.
“This is one of the biggest events of the year, it’s something very important in my career. It’s my biggest victory with Porsche, clearly. It’s very emotional, it’s the kind of thing you dream of when you arrive here to start the week. To be able to stand on the top step of the podium in my third participation is great, but above all I hope it won’t be my last victory!”