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A number of weeks in the past, Rolex invited me to attend the World Endurance Championships 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. This sequence, which additionally consists of the well-known 24 Hours of Le Mans, befell on Could tenth in Belgium. Hypercars and GT3 racing vehicles compete for six hours at this lovely monitor. This 12 months’s successful automotive was a Ferrari 499P pushed by Calado (UK), Giovinazzi (Italy), and Guidi (Italy).
Simply earlier than the beginning of the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps
Rolex and the World Endurance Championship
Rolex has been the accomplice of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) since 2016. It’s the official timepiece for the endurance races on this sequence, together with the 1,000 Miles of Sebring (United States), the 6 Hours of Portimão (Portugal), the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium), the 6 Hours of Monza (Italy), the 6 Hours of Fuji (Japan), and the 8 Hours of Bahrain (Kingdom of Bahrain).
Getting a photograph with Tom “Mr. Le Mans” Kristensen within the paddock
Trying ahead to a sizzling lap with Tom Kristensen
The invitation included doing a sizzling lap with nine-time Le Mans winner Tom “Mr. Le Mans” Kristensen — however extra about that later. First, I needed to full my little race of my very own. The well-known Spa-Francorchamps monitor is roughly a 3.5-hour drive from my residence, usually with numerous gradual site visitors. However since I used to be staying at my mom’s place within the jap a part of the Netherlands, I had already achieved some warm-up driving via Germany to Belgium. After a 2.5-hour drive, I arrived at a really crowded monitor! I didn’t count on to see practically F1-like site visitors!
The obligatory wrist shot
Braking laborious
After a fast refreshment within the paddock, Rolex invited its visitors to the monitor for a sizzling lap in a Porsche 911 GT3 RS. I used to be extremely excited for this, particularly after I realized that the motive force can be Tom Kristensen. Now, not that I personal a Porsche, however the acceleration is one factor. The braking, although, is one thing solely totally different! When approaching a nook, the motive force brakes late (very late) and tremendous laborious. The braking was essentially the most shocking aspect on this sizzling lap, adopted by the pace via the lengthy corners.
The Porsche 911 GT3 RS for the new lap
I couldn’t cease smiling for about an hour after getting out of the automotive. What an expertise! Kristensen advised me that he was pushing the 911 GT3 RS to roughly 80% of its restrict for the reason that tires weren’t adequately warmed up but (there was just one sizzling lap with the automotive earlier than mine). Kristensen’s calmness within the automotive was additionally unimaginable as he defined what he was doing and gave stay commentary on his driving.
A grid stroll
A number of hours later, the TotalEnergies 6-Hours of Spa-Francorchamps would begin. Earlier than that, we had been in a position to take a grid stroll and take a look on the groups’ vehicles. Then, everybody needed to go away, and the groups ready for the beginning. We had been in a position to watch the beginning from the paddock, and inside, there have been large TV screens that allowed us to comply with the competitors intimately.
Earlier than the beginning, I talked with Tom Kristensen about his Le Mans races and, after all, his watch. As an official ambassador for Rolex since 2010 and a nine-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans races (six consecutive), he has a smooth spot for the Daytona chronograph. On his wrist was the Daytona Le Mans that Rolex launched for the a hundredth anniversary of the Le Mans race in 2023. His watch is a white gold model with a panda dial and a particular engraving on the clasp, as proven within the video under.
I hope you benefit from the video interview I did with Kristensen at Spa-Francorchamps. After we stopped recording, he stored speaking about watches! His ardour lies with racing, after all, however he definitely has a love for watches too.
