12-05-2025
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
We just didn't have the pace to stay the course in Belgium, laments frustrated Charlie Eastwood
The No.81 Corvette Racing Z06 GT3.R the Belfast driver was sharing at the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps was clearly down on speed across the weekend, with this also the case for the sister car of Ben Keating, Jonny Edgar and Dani Juncadella.
Eastwood's team-mate Tom Van Rompuy qualified their TF Sport-run car 11th in the 18-car LMGT3 field following the initial 15-minute qualifying session with a 111.723mph lap.
That set the tone for race day, with neither Eastwood, Van Rompuy nor Rui Andrade able to break into the points-paying positions and eventually crossing the finish line in 14th.
'It wasn't the weekend any of us wanted,' said Eastwood, whose WEC appearance meant he had to skip the Fourth Round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Laguna Seca in the United States with DXDT Racing.
'The result at the end of race day was somewhat expected but maybe slightly worse than any of us had thought initially.
'The positives, if you look at any, is that the team once again executed a really good race. There was nothing wrong with any of the pit stops or the race strategy.
'It was clear to see that we just didn't have the ultimate pace with the car to go forward in the LMGT3 class.'
There was some cause for optimism, however, with Eastwood's car running third at the three-hour mark thanks to a proactive race strategy before the momentum shifted away.
That chink of light could help the pair of TF Sport-run cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France (June 11-15) – an around-the-clock event where Corvette has enjoyed a total of nine class victories so far.
'The next one is the Le Mans 24 Hours and it is the one where you have the most pit stops – something like 24 or 25 stops in a race,' said Eastwood, who in 2020 became the first driver from Northern Ireland to win there in a decade.
'For the team to go in with the pace that they are doing on the tyre changes and things, I know these guys can make the difference if we have the pace on track.
'I am looking forward to getting started at Le Mans in a month's time and I am just happy to get Spa behind us.'
Meanwhile, at Rally Hungary – Round Two of the FIA European Rally Championship – a double puncture on Saturday's antepenultimate stage thwarted Jon Armstrong's hopes of a top-three finish.
Prior to hitting trouble over a rough and rutted 'Hegyesd' test, the Ford Fiesta Rally2 driver was provisionally third with Shane Byrne, just 10.6 seconds off the summit.
