12H Spa Francorchamps 2024
The Hankook 12 Hours of Spa Francorchamps took place on the weekend of April 20th and 21st. And I was there to capture it on film.
April does what it wants; and especially in the Ardennes... After leaving on time to also record the Prototype Cup and Euroseries 3, the races in those classes were ultimately canceled. The cold and wet weather made it difficult for the cars to get their tires up to temperature, making it unsafe. So I sat with the rest of the press in the media center watching Formula 1 until we could go to the starting grid.
The GTs are heavier and therefore had fewer problems with tire temperature. The race was split into a Saturday and Sunday leg. The 12 Hours of Spa finally started on Saturday afternoon at the scheduled time. After racing for a while in the drizzle, the rain became even heavier and hail fell heavily.
Actually, where I was at Eau Rouge, it was just waiting for a crash. Several cars were already shooting straight ahead. A Porsche went sideways but kept it out of the way. But the Kessel Ferrari couldn't stop it and blew up hard, which was short(er)...
After the damage was cleared, they continued their work. The rain eased off somewhat, though several more thunderstorms and heavy showers were expected.
Long races like these also give me, as a photographer, the opportunity to experiment a bit more creatively, something I gratefully took advantage of.
On the Sunday before the start of the second half of the race, some wet snow fell. It was only about 2 degrees Celsius at the start of the day. This meant watching F1 in the media room instead of the Prototype Cup. But the second half of the main race also started on time at 10:50 AM. There were still seven hours to go. Several cars were already visible with tape covering them, including an old friend from Le Mans: Krohn Racing.
There was plenty of competition in the various classes. The weather remained quite changeable on Sunday, so the teams still had plenty to contend with. Plenty of time to switch back and forth between rain tires, or to work on the car.
Ultimately, it was the CP Racing #85 that left the Ardennes forests with the overall victory. It was a challenging weekend to capture, but you're rewarded with a selection of exceptional images. View the full album below. Interested in purchasing photos or prints, or hiring me as a photographer? Please contact me.
