CHARLIE Eastwood says extending TF Sport’s run of podium finishes at Spa-Francorchamps in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) tomorrow is providing added motivation for everyone.
The British squad agreed to join forces with American car manufacturer Corvette to remain in the competition, and take charge of the company’s WEC programme in the new LMGT3 class.
TF Sport has enjoyed six consecutive top-three results at the track, which runs through the heart of the Ardennes Forest and is famous for the often unpredictable nature of the weather.
Although a seventh visit to the podium won’t be easy, according to Belfast driver Eastwood due to the issues the Sussex team has experienced with the Z06 GT3.R, he still feels anything is possible.
The American car has shown flashes of its potential so far in 2024, particularly in qualifying trim at the season-opening Qatar 1812km, but come race day that speed has failed to net any silverware for either the number 81 example that Eastwood co-drives with Rui Andrade and Belgian Tom Van Rompuy, and the 82 machine shared by Daniel Juncadella, Sebastien Baud, and Hiroshi Koizumi.
“We have learnt a lot from the first two rounds,” said Eastwood, who was part of TF Sport’s March test at Spa-Francorchamps when their cars covered 1,670 miles around the 4.3-mile, 20 turn track.
“Both myself and the team have constantly been faced with new challenges with the car, so things haven’t gone our way so far – but the guys have been working hard behind the scenes to get those finer details right, to the point where they really need to be, as we look ahead to the next event.
“The track doesn’t play into our favour just as much with the two long straights, but we know the car to be strong, so we could be very competitive in the mid-sector, so let’s see how it plays out.
“I think that as we start to understand the car more and more, we can then look at those smaller details and as we do that, eventually they will end up giving us a couple of tenths here and a few tenths there, so it really could be the difference between us finishing up on the podium and not.”
Eastwood added: “Everyone has worked so hard since the last round at Imola. We are all busting for a result, and to know we can keep a podium statistic like that alive for TF Sport does not hurt.”
Round three of the 2024 FIA WEC will see 19 Hypercar and 18 LMGT3 entries from no fewer than 14 manufacturers take to the iconic Belgian circuit this weekend.
Following a 60-minute Free Practice Three session (10am-11am) tomorrow, qualifying and Hyperpole will take place from 1.45pm to 3.05pm to determine grid positions for the six-hour race (12pm-6pm) later that day.