JOTA's Historic Victory at Spa: Triumph and Tactics at the TotalEnergies 6 Hours

Hertz Team JOTA recently clinched its first ever victory at the prestigious TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, marking the third round of the FIA World Endurance Championship. This event drew an impressive attendance of 88,180 spectators and had to be restarted due to a prolonged red flag interruption.

The team, based in the UK, triumphed with the striking gold Porsche 963, piloted by British drivers Callum Illott and Will Stevens. Their strategic pit stop just before the red flag allowed them to gain an advantageous position over their competitors.

Illott and Stevens made history as the first pair to win a top-tier WEC race since 2014, and they are the first all-British duo to do so since 2017. Following this victory, the team soared to second place in the overall driver standings, trailing by 22 points behind the leader, Porsche Penske.

The second-place finishers were the No.6 Porsche Penske 963 Hypercar team, consisting of Kevin Estre, Andre Lotterer, and Laurens Vanthoor, who are currently leading the championship. They finished 12.363 seconds behind JOTA.

The third spot on the podium went to the No.50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P Hypercar, driven by Miguel Molina, Antonio Fuoco, and Nicklas Nielsen, who made a significant comeback after starting from the back due to a penalty. Their sister car, the No.51 Ferrari AF Corse, finished in fourth place.

The top five was rounded out by Proton Competition, with Julien Andlauer overtaking Toyota’s Kamui Kobayashi towards the end of the race. The No.7 Toyota Gazoo Racing team finished sixth but was later demoted to seventh due to a penalty, allowing their team car No.8 to take the sixth spot.

Positions eight through ten were claimed by the No.83 AF Corse Ferrari, the Alpine Endurance Team, and the No.93 Peugeot TotalEnergies Peugeot 9X8 respectively.

A notable incident occurred during the fifth hour when Cadillac Racing’s Earl Bamber collided on the Kemmel Straight with Neel Jani of Proton Competition. This crash led to the extended red flag period needed for extensive track repairs.

Racing resumed later in the evening and continued safely until the end. The next major event on the FIA WEC schedule is the 24 Hours of Le Mans, set to occur at the Circuit de la Sarthe from June 12-16.