A huge number of enthusiastic fans attended the traditional Total 24 Hours of Spa Parade, lining both the public roads that link the circuit and Spa and the town centre itself, earlier this afternoon. The drivers of the 65 cars participating in the highlight of the Blancpain GT Series and Intercontinental GT Challenge showed their gratitude by signing thousands of autographs in front of the Spa Casino.
The Total 24 Hours of Spa race week had its unofficial start with the traditional parade. All 65 cars entered in the endurance classic, together with some of those competing in its support races, took to the public roads en route to Spa, greeted by the cheers of the thousands of fans lining the roads.
Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Jaguar, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes, Nissan, Porsche – prestigious brands one and all – were represented in the parade. As the sun beat down on the many fans, they were able to get up close and personal with the GT3 cars and drivers they will support from the sidelines over the coming days.
The stage in the town centre was the centre of feverish excitement, offering drivers an opportunity to introduce themselves to the public before heading towards Casino Square and signing thousands of autographs. When the cars drove back from Spa to the paddock the roads were still lined by an incredible number of fans, all in awe of such wonderful machines.
Thursday sees plenty of track action, with the 90-minute Free Practice session starting at 13:20 before an hour-long Pre-Qualifying session begins at 17:45. The day ends with two qualifying sessions, a 75-minute one at 20:00 and a 120-minute one at 21:45. The fastest 20 cars after that session will go through to the Superpole on Friday evening.