This year’s edition of  the 24 Hours of Spa (24 uur van Spa) had a massive turn-up. Over 50.000 visitors went to see the 66 cars race across the circuit during the weekend of July 30th. Quality tire manufacturer Michelin supplied the tires for all of the contestants, which means that for each type of car the right tire should be provided. With a dozen manufacturers participating in the contest (Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin, BMW, Audi, Lamborghini, Nissan, Jaguar, McLaren, Ford) this is quite a logistical feat.

In total, 27 trucks were available at Spa-Francorchamps to provide all teams of MICHELIN tires. By comparison, in Le Mans Michelin was present with 12 trucks. At the spot Michelin stocked about 10,000 tires to meet the needs of the teams. 6500 by weather tires (slicks) and 3,500 rain tires were transported from the Michelin headquarters in Clermont-Ferrand to the Belgian Ardennes.

The 24 hours of Spa was dominated by German manufacturers Audi and BMW. BMW led the first half of the race, while Audi took command during the night. Eventually the Audi R8 LMS Ultra Performance cars of Audi Sport Team Phoenix triumphed before the Belgian Audi Sport Team WRT. The third place went to the BMW Z4 of the German Vita4One. The leader in the intermediate of the championship, the Belgian Marc VDS Racing Team, was fourth and retains the lead in the ranking.

The race was characterised by several neutralisations of the safety car. The persistent rainfall it especially difficult for the participants. For Michelin, the victory in the 24 Hours of Spa was the third one in a long-distance race in 2012. Previously Audi had already won the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 24 Hours of Nurburgring with MICHELIN tires.

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