This year, Rinaldi Racing had a lot planned for the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.
In the Ardennes, the team from Mendig started with three Ferrari 488 GT3s in the highlight of the Blancpain GT Series.
At the start with start number 333 Rinat Salikhov, Denis Bulatov, David Perel and Indy Dontje in the Silver Class. The two sister cars started in the Am class. Christian Hook, Alexander Mattschull, Manuel Lauck and Hendrik Still shared the work behind the steering wheel on car number 33, while Pierre Ehret, Martin Berry, Jose Balbiani and Rory Penttinen took turns on car number 488.
The race was to be one of the most turbulent.
The race had to be started under the safety car due to heavy rain. After four laps the race was released and all three Rinaldi Racing Ferraris got off to a good start. Unfortunately, the race was repeatedly slowed down by yellow flags and longer safety car phases. But already during the first pit stops it was possible to change to slick tyres as the track became drier and drier.
Unfortunately, the number 333 Ferrari 488 GT3 had to retire from the race after eight and a half hours due to a technical problem.
Between the ninth and twelfth hour, several Full Course Yellows were called, all due to the increasing rain and a couple of cars sliding off the track.
The rain returned later in the evening and became heavier as the night progressed. By the early hours of the morning, the situation had worsened to the point where a red flag was required for safety reasons. This was first shown at 06.00, with the field following the safety car into the pits to wait for better conditions.
The rain eased as the morning progressed and the cars rolled out of the pit lane at 11.15 am. After running behind the safety car for two laps, they returned to the start. From that point on, there were only five and a half hours of racing left.
Until the end of the race, the lead in the Am class was strongly contested. It was not until the last hour that the winner was decided. The #488 finished the race in a good fifth place in the Am class.
The Rinaldi Racing Ferrari #33 scored the class win in the Am class and secured another class win for Rinaldi Racing at the 24 Hours of Spa. After triumphing in ProAm last year, Rinaldi was able to overcome a different challenge this year.