Optimum Motorsport ready tackle GT Open’s Endurance round in Spa

The third round of the International GT Open 2022 season, scheduled at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, will feature a different format to the championship’s other rounds. The usual two races will be replaced by one single race of double-length (2 hours 20 minutes + 1 lap), taking place this Sunday 19 June.

Nick Moss and Joe Osborne head into this weekend with a 16-point lead after claiming all 30 points in Round 2 after back-to-back wins in Paul Ricard and look for another strong showing this weekend.

Thus, a different format entails some different rules:

The round will have two qualifying sessions, as usual, with each of the two drivers contesting one session. The starting grid will be determined by the average lap time of every car that will result from the best lap time of each of its two drivers.

During the race, each driver will have to perform two stints, but no double stints will be allowed. Therefore, there will be three mandatory pit stops, with the relevant handicap to be served in the second stop.

This endurance race will award double points (overall and class) based on the final result.

Although a new format to a lot of the teams this year, this isn’t something that’s new for the series as a double race featured in the GT Open calendar for the closing round at Barcelona for the first two years of the championship in 2006 and 2007.