Priaulx has a Spa day to remember
SEB PRIAULX did not take long to become a winner on the FIA World Endurance Championship stage.
In only the second event of his debut season, the 21-year-old helped Dempsey-Proton Racing win the LMGTE Am class at last weekend’s Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.
The rain-stricken race at Belgium’s F1 Grand Prix venue doubled as a dress rehearsal for the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans, which starts a month today.
Therefore this victory clearly meant a great deal to Priaulx, who shares the No. 77 Porsche 911 RSR with Christian Ried and Harry Tincknell.
‘It feels fantastic to win at Spa,’ he said after building on a fourth-place finish at Sebring.
‘I was blown away by the team this weekend as everyone did such an amazing job.
‘I had two very tough stints in very tricky conditions but they got me through it.
‘To win together at only our second race gives me high hopes for the rest of the season.
‘It also gives me a lot of confidence heading into Le Mans, so I’m very happy.’
Three red flags, plus multiple full-course yellows and safety-car periods characterised the race, but Dempsey-Proton came through the chaos to take the win.
Ried left the grid in sixth and drove solidly before handing over to Priaulx.
Priaulx had to go into immediate survival mode as this was his first run in the wet at Spa.
But the Guernseyman soon found his footing and made decisive passes, moving right into second and troubling the leader before he passed onto Tincknell with just over an hour’s racing left.
The rain had stopped and the team made a few gambles in the push for the chequered flag, including sending Tincknell out early on slick tyres and later staying out on track as the two leading Aston Martins pitted.
But ultimately it all paid off.
A late full-course yellow allowed Tincknell to switch from fuel-saving into a late attack, holding off Marco Sorensen’s pursuing Aston Martin Vantage to finish 1.6sec. clear.
