25-07-2025
Spa sessions show Charlie has the Hart for racetrack
Rising Rivington motor racing star Charlie Hart continued to show his talent with his best showing of the 2025 GT4 European Series season so far, almost taking a stunning pole position but also scoring two fifth-place finishes at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa week.
The 16-year-old arrived in Belgium with his RAFA Racing by Race Lab team fresh off the back of a fighting display at Zandvoort, where he and co-driver Callum Davies both charged forward through the pack in their McLaren Artura GT4.
The third of the six GT4 European Series events was the biggest one yet for the teenager, as the series supported the infamous Spa 24 Hours race at the historic Formula One circuit located within the Ardennes.
Hart was among a massive field of cars competing for glory, held over two 60-minute races in front of massive crowds of 128,000 fans.
A highlight of the event was the highly-regarded 'Spa Parade' which saw almost 200 GT3 and GT4 cars descend on the local town in the build-up to the race weekend itself.
It was a hit with the fans, who gathered to take photos with the drivers and scoop up their very own limited edition signed posters of the pair.
The Lancashire rookie then instantly showed his speed throughout the week's action on track.
Hart went fastest of anyone during practice by a comfortable margin to lay his marker in the sand, backing it up with a close third in pre-qualifying.
Conditions turned for the worst in qualifying as the rain arrived for Hart's 20-minute session. He tamed the spray and treacherous weather in style however, finishing second and only narrowly 0.086secs away from his first pole position in the series. The car would also start third for race two.
Come the opening race of the week, Hart was given the task of starting the RAFA McLaren.
On the outside line, he was edged down to fourth but still right in the fight for the lead throughout his stint. Two safety-car periods were frustrating, however, for Hart, who wanted to get back to racing against his rivals ahead sooner rather than later. He handed over to Davies in fourth, whereafter the car came home for a season-best fifth-placed finish.
Hoping to better that again the following day, Hart was given the second stint on this occasion. They almost climbed up to P2 on the road after a strong start, but the race was soon neutralised after a heavy crash for several cars behind them in the pack.
The clean-up operation meant only 30 minutes of racing could be achieved to fit the schedule, Hart jumping in the car while the number 812 sat third.
He instantly went into battle with the BMW of Ricardo Van Der Ende, almost managing to pass the Dutchman around the outside at Les Combes, but being forced to take to the run-off area and slot in behind. He continued the chase all race, delayed in the battle as pit-stops cycled through.
Finishing narrowly behind the podium finishers, the Silver-rated driver came home a similarly impressive fifth to match the race one result, again adding crucial points to move the crew up to ninth in the competitive Silver class standings with three meetings to go.
Hart said: 'It was a really good weekend for us at Spa. We were definitely I'd say one of the quickest out there, and we were on it from the word go.
'I managed to top a session in practice, and then thought we had a good chance in qualifying, even in the conditions we had to deal with.
'I would have loved to have been on that pole position! But it was still a great result, and I'm sure that we'll have more chances to get that in the future.
'We were careful at the start as it's always going to be a bit messy with so many cars going into La Source and then Eau Rouge, but I would really have liked more green flag running in the car to try and make a difference in that first stint.
'We both did a solid job, and we can't complain too much with two good finishes. We're closing in on those podiums and wins now.'
