Spa-Francorchamps 24-hours (round #7 FIA GT Championship)
BOUCHUT VIPER BEATS LISTER STORM, BUT WHAT A RACE OF THE FREISINGER PORSCHES 996GT3 (3rd & 5th) AND THE JMB FERRARI F360 MODENA (4th)

August 4 - After a fantastic race the Larbre Compétition Viper GTS-R, shared by Christophe Bouchut/Vincent Vosse/David Terrien and Dominique Bourdais won the 24-hour race of Francorchamps. Second place went to the surviving Lister Storm shared by David Sterckx/Bobby Verdon-Roe/de Castro and Law. But the biggest surprise came from the Fresinger Porsche 996 GT3-R, superbly driven by Stéphane Ortelli, Emmanuel Collard and Dumas, finishing 3rd overall, after having been even 2nd in the overall standings. The honour of Ferrari - terribly failing with its three Maranellos at the start - was saved by the JMB Competition Ferrari F360 Modena (Pescatori/Montermini/Garbagnati/Bertolini) finishing 4th overall and by a simple street car Modena brought home as 10th. Except for the 7th and 8th hour the winning Viper was found at the first place during the whole race. The Deletraz/Piccini Ferrari F550 Maranello was leading during the nearly complete first hour, but was retired 5 hours later with a broken engine. The Team Carsport Holland Viper GTS-R (Kumpen/Tassin/Hezemans) was the only other car having been out at the lead. The car burnt totally out after a crash at 0.50 a.m. Nobody was injured. 

The super pole went to the #23 Ferrari F550 Maranello. At the early stage of the race both Maranello Ferraris were setting the pace, ahead of the Vipers of Racing for Holland, the Lister Storms and the Viper driven by Christophe Bouchut. At the end of the first hour the Bouchut Viper took the lead by coming one lap later into the pits than both Maranello Ferraris. Both they had to retire before the end of the 4th hour. The #1 Viper of Bouchut & Co could hold the first place until 11 p.m. Then the car was passed by the #3 Viper of Racing for Holland. With Kumpen at the wheel the car was setting the pace during 3 hours. At 0.50 a.m. the Dutch Viper was hurt by the #58 Porsche 996 GT3-R. The rear of the car, being total loss, took fire and Kumpen could escape from the burning car by climbing out of a hole in the roof. After the race was to be neutralised during 3 hours in order to repair the track. Now we found two Vipers (Bouchut's #1 and the Belmondo Racing #12) and the #15 Lister Storm at the three first places, immediately followed by Ortelli's superb Freisinger Porsche 996 GT3-R, struggling with the #50 Ferrari Modena for the first place in the GT-N class. The Van Rossem Porsche was crashed at 8 a.m. by F. Tardivat at Blanchimont and retired from 31st position.

At 10 a.m. Babini goes off the road with the #12 Belmondo Viper. The car will stay more than one hour in the pits and drops from rank 2 to rank 11. Earlier, at 8 a.m. de Castro went off the road with the #15 Lister Storm, costing him his 2nd place at the surprising GT-N Porsche 996GT3-R, superbly driven by Oretelli, Collard and Dumas. The other Lister Storm, being 4th with 4 hours was disqualified for a non-authorised pit stop by Eric VandePoele, so that the JMB Competition Ferrari F360 Modena #50 moves to rank 4, 5 laps behind the GT3 Porsche leading the GT-N class. Of them 4 laps were lost during the early stages of the night by Bertolini. The second Freisinger #55 Porsche 996 GT3-R was now 5th, followed by the Belmondo Viper #11. During the last hours the two Belgian Vertigos were retired, one less than 15 minutes before the end. During the last hour the Belmondo Viper #11 lost its 6th place, due to a broken gearbox. The car could reach the finish, but only as 14th, preceeded by the astonishing BMW Z3. Postions changed a last time when the #15 Lister Storm could pass the class-winning #54 Freisinger Porsche 996 GT3-R by taking the second place behind the winning Viper GTS-R of Larbre Compétition. The JMB Ferrari F360 Modena finished 4th, ahead of the second #55 Freisinger Porsche 996GT3. The simple street car version of the Modena finished 10th, superbly driven by Alex Caffi & Co.

Racers team

 Car 1h 2h 3h 4h 5h 6h 7h 8h 9h 10h 11h 12h 18h 19h 20h 21h 22h 23h 24h
1. Bouchut/Terrien/Bourdais/Vosse 1 Chrysler Viper GTS-R 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 526 L
2. Sterckx/Verdon-Roe/ Law/de Castro 15 Lister Storm 4 3 7 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 2 521 L
3. Ortelli/Dumas/Collard 54 Porsche 996GT3-R 9 10 9 6 6 5 5 5 5 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 3 519 L
4. Pescatori/Montermini/Garbagnati 50 Ferrari F360 Modena 10 11 10 7 7 6 6 7 10 9 9 9 6 5 5 4 4 4 514 L
5. Longin/Lieb/Forgeois/Lotterer 55 Porsche 996GT3-R 15 15 13 10 8 8 8 9 8 7 7 7 7 6 6 5 6 5 508 L
6. Defourny/Rosenblad/Chéreau/Lagniez 2 Chrysler Viper GTS-R 6 6 4 4 4 13 13 12 12 10 10 10 9 9 8 7 7 6 497 L
7. Rice/Jurasz/Piguet/Daoudi 64 Porsche 996GT3-R 26 19 17 19 16 16 16 16 15 14 14 14 10 8 9 8 8 7 495 L
8. Duez/Babini/Derichebourg 12 Chrysler Viper GTS-R 14 8 5 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 10 11 10 9 9 494 L
9. Rosa/Drudi/Bagnall/Collin 78 Porsche 996GT3-R 17 16 19 16 15 15 14 15 19 17 17 17 11 11 10 9 10 10 493 L
10. Caffi/Chiesa/Moncini/Yah-Man 100 Ferrari F360 Modena 19 20 20 14 13 12 11 11 14 12 12 12 12 12 12 11 11 11 489 L
11. Vanierschoot/Schreurs/V.Delm/Wauters 116 Porsche 996SC 30 29 24 21 19 20 18 19 17 16 16 16 13 13 13 12 12 12 480 L
12. Leftort/Lambert/Premoli/DiCastro 93 Porsche 996GT3-R 40 38 32 29 24 22 22 24 21 20 20 20 15 14 14 13 13 13 478 L
13. Beliën/Kenis/Beckers 130 BMW Z3 38 36 30 28 26 23 23 20 22 21 21 21 16 15 15 14 14 14 478 L
14. Belmondo/Gosselin/Fukuda 11 Chrysler Viper GTS-R 14 8 5 9 11 9 9 8 7 6 6 6 8 7 7 6 5 8 476 L
15. Wauters/Lambrecht/Selleslagh 96 Porsche 996 GT3-R 20 22 23 20 25 21 20 21 29 26 26 26 20 19 18 16 16 15 476 L
16. Saviozzi/Bes/Delande E. & D. 66 Porsche 996GT3-R 35 34 31 34 34 29 28 29 27 24 24 24 19 18 19 17 15 16 474 L
17. Frei/Velay/Lorent/Witmeur 111 Lamborghini Diabolo 32 19 25 18 17 18 26 27 25 23 23 23 24 21 21 19 17 18 466 L
18. Heurckmans/Franchi/Delobe/Lemeret 95 Porsche 996GT3-SC 45 42 38 35 32 27 27 26 26 25 25 25 23 20 20 18 19 17 466 L
19. Ruffier J & JC/Hauchard F & R 119 Porsche 996GT3-SC 34 35 34 26 29 34 31 30 30 28 28 28 22 22 22 21 21 19 466 L
20. Gache/Garcia/Clement/Blanchemain 118 Porsche 996GT3 29 25 28 23 22 26 25 25 24 22 22 22 17 16 16 20 20 21 463 L
21. Tollenaire/Deman/Delcour 115 Porsche 996SC 47 40 37 31 27 25 24 23 23 19 19 19 27 23 23 22 22 20 463 L
22. Fomenko/Vasiliev/Garcia/Villarroel 77 Porsche 996GT3-R 50 48 44 42 37 33 32 34 34 32 32 32 28 27 24 23 24 23 417 L
23. Tillie/Ortion/Tremblay/Miquee 120 Porsche 996GT3-SC 46 45 46 44 42 37 35 33 33 30 30 30 29 29 29 24 23 24 409 L
24. Short/Pullan/Barff 122 TVR Cerbera 39 30 36 32 28 28 34 35 35 33 33 33 31 31 30 29 25 25 401 L
25. V. Bellingen/Corbisier/Pensis 81 Porsche 996GT3-R 44 39 35 27 23 24 21 22 20 18 18 18 18 17 17 15 18 22 (421 L)
26. Vandepoele/Campbell/Springer/Wallace 14 Lister Storm 2 18 12 11 10 7 7 6 6 5 5 5 5 3 4 R - - (404 L)
27. Hemroulle/Duchâteau/Van Hooydonk 92 Vertigo Streif 28 28 27 22 30 32 29 28 31 29 29 29 26 26 27 27 27 26 (377 L)
28. Quester/Wolff/Peter/Riccitelli 76 Porsche 996GT3-R 11 15 14 12 9 10 10 10 9 8 8 8 14 24 25 25 26 27 (351 L)
29. Saelens/V. Ickx/Kuppens 91 Vertigo Streif 37 41 43 38 36 35 30 31 28 27 27 27 25 25 26 26 R - (350 L)
30. V.Merkesteyn/Bastiaans/V.Campenhout 63 Porsche 996GT3-R 23 21 21 13 14 14 12 14 13 13 13 13 21 28 28 28 28 28 (338 L)
31. Mollekens/Paltalla/Geboers 25 Porsche 996 GT BiTurbo 16 13 15 15 12 11 15 13 11 11 11 11 30 30 31 30 29 29 (312 L)
32. Van Rossem/de Gastines/Meulders 98 Porsche 996GT3-SC 43 44 42 39 33 31 33 32 32 31 31 31 32 32 32 31 30 30 (271 L)
33. Alphand/Lavieille/Noel/Echallard 80 Porsche 996GT3-R 22 26 26 25 20 19 19 18 16 15 15 15 33 33 33 32 31 31 (269 L)
34. Tassin/Kumpen/Hezemans 3 Chrysler Viper GTS-R 12 7 2 2 2 2 1 1 3 R - - - - - - - - (204 L)
35. Sangiulo/Papini/V.Sande/Zurstrassen 62 Porsche 996GT3-R 33 32 33 43 41 38 37 36 36 34 34 34 34 34 34 33 32 32 (190 L)
36. Jentzch/Schumacher/Schneider/Zitewitz 58 Porsche 996GT3-R 25 24 16 24 21 17 17 17 18 R - - - - - - - - (189 L)
37. Lenders/Cappelari/Gollin 4 Chrysler Viper GTS-R 5 5 3 8 18 30 36 37 R - - - - - - - - - (115 L)
38. Kuteman/Earle/Alexander/Horion 51 Ferrari F360 Modena 31 27 22 17 31 36 38 38 37 R - - - - - - - - (100 L)
39. Deletraz/Piccini/Bryner/Zadra 23 Ferrari F550 Maranello 3 2 6 30 35 R - - - - - - - - - - - - (94 L)
40. J-M Martin/Bouvy/Kropp 97 Porsche 996GT3/SC 21 23 39 36 38 39 39 39 38 35 35 35 35 35 35 34 33 R (83 L)
41. Vanderzwaan A. & R./Goossens 90 Chrysler Viper GT2 13 9 8 33 39 R - - - - - - - - - - - - (80 L)
42. Menage/Duquesnoy/Geoffroy/Cornelis 94 Porsche 911 GT2 36 33 29 37 40 R - - - - - - - - - - - - (78L)
43. Caradec/Baron/Huet/Corbel 113 BMW Z3 42 43 40 41 43 R - - - - - - - - - - - - (75 L)
44. Weisenburger/de Dryver/Virtanen 99 Marcos LM600 18 14 18 40 44 40 40 40 39 R - - - - - - - - (74 L)
45. Scharmach/Haugg/Destrée/Jodexnis 117 Porsche 996GT3-SC 27 31 41 45 45 41 41 41 40 R - - - - - - - - (57 L)
46. Dor/Kox/Calderari 22 Ferrari F550 Maranello 8 37 45 46 46 42 42 42 41 R - - - - - - - - (41L)
47. D. Halliday/Alliot/Jakubowski/Zoboli 5 Ferrari F550 Maranello 24 46 47 47 R - - - - - - - - - - - - - (33 L)
48. Pregliadco/Manfredini 52 Ferrari F360 Modena 41 47 48 48 47 43 43 43 42 36 36 36 36 36 36 35 34 R (32 L)
49. Chaillet/Bruno/de Bonhome 125 Renault Spider 48 49 49 49 48 R - - - - - - - - - - - - (31 L)
50. Felbermayr sr & jr/Ried G./Ried C 16 Porsche 911 GT2 50 50 50 50 49 R - - - - - - - - - - - - (14 L)