Vector Sport RLR LMP3 rookies continue education in erratic Spa Round

Vector Sport RLR’s LMP3 rookies Enea Frey and Geronimo Gomez Azza continued their education in the Michelin Le Mans Cup Spa Round (21-22 August), both demonstrating pace and a fighting spirit in what was an erratic race dominated by Safety Cars.

Frey turned his first laps in wet conditions during Qualifying for the fourth round of the 2026 Le Mans Cup at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, following the hottest and driest European summer on record.

Rain had featured in Friday’s forecast, but two free practice sessions were held on a bone-dry circuit. The stable conditions and a perfectly reliable Ligier JS P325 enabled both Frey and Gomez Azza to complete their run plans and get comfortable with the legendary Belgian racetrack, and the Vector Sport RLR pairing laid down a 2m14.825s to go eighth late in the red flag-affected FP1 session.

Saturday morning’s precipitation dissipated, but grip was still at a premium when cars took to a visibly wet circuit at the start of LMP3 Qualifying.

Frey gently eased himself into the session, but the track surface dried quickly, and there was a notable step in grip and performance, with the Swiss driver placing the #15 prototype ninth (2m28.373s) on his very last flying lap.

The Ardennes Forest’s famously capricious micro-climate delivered further rain showers, adding even more jeopardy to the 2026 Le Mans Cup Spa Round.

The two-hour race started with drizzle falling on the pit straight, but clearing skies meant nobody took on wet-weather Michelin tyres.

Frey, though, had plenty of grip; he was the biggest mover off the line, making immediate gains on the short sprint to La Source, where he avoided a locked-up opponent before cutting neatly underneath further cars for P5 at the exit.

Track position was given up to the #97 CLX Motorsport between Safety Cars, but Switzerland’s Frey valiantly attempted to recover lost ground at the second restart.

The 17-year-old LMP3 rookie slipstreamed up alongside the #97 machine on the long ascent to Les Combes, but he went deep, and contact caused his rival to run wide over the exit kerb and spin into another car.

The interventions kept on coming, and Vector Sport RLR went with the crowd by executing a Full Course Yellow (FCY) driver change on lap 14.

However, the British team was in pit lane for 50 seconds longer than rivals while replacing a broken rim, which meant Gomez Azza faced a very steep climb from the tail end of the field.

The young Colombian finished 16th in LMP3, his efforts to drag Vector Sport RLR back up into a competitive position severely frustrated by a shortage of uninterrupted green-flag laps and a stop-and-go penalty for his teammate’s collision with the #97 CLX entry.

Nevertheless, the Spa experience was valuable for both drivers, and Frey said: “Much like the ‘Road to Le Mans’, there are a lot of positives to take away from the Michelin Le Mans Cup Spa Round. In general, I now have far more knowledge of how to drive the Ligier JS P325 LMP3 in changeable and wet conditions, as I had to adapt my techniques as parts of Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps – I loved racing there – dried up more quickly than others.

“Starting the race was also a great experience, as it enabled me to see how other drivers behave. I’m very happy with my own performance off the line, having made up four positions. The contact that occurred later in the race resulted in a broken rim, which was unfortunate because we lost a lot of time in the pits. Overall, though, it was a very positive learning experience that will benefit me in the forthcoming races.”

Gomez Azza said: “I had a difficult weekend in the Michelin Le Mans Cup Spa Round. I found it hard to adapt to the track, but I still found some speed throughout free practice. I enjoyed the process quite a bit, and I loved Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, particularly sector one. We did a solid job building up to the race, but some mistakes prevented us from getting the result we wanted. Nevertheless, I believe we managed the situation as well as we could. We will keep working on the car and I will focus on my own personal development as a driver for Silverstone.”