Spa-Francorchamps 24-hour race in 1981

Track layout 1981

The 33rd 24-hour race of Spa-Francorchamps , also 24 Heures de Francorchamps, Trophee Diners Club, Spa-Francorchamps , took place from July 26th to 27th 1981 on the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps and was the twelfth race of the Sports car world championship this year.

The race

In addition to the 6-hour race at Daytona , the 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps was also announced for touring cars, unlike all other races this year. As a rule, the racing classes of Group 5 and the IMSA classes GTO, GTU and GTP were driven.

Therefore, without exception, different teams competed in Spa than in the other sports car races of the season. However, two drivers were a big attraction. The Formula 1 world champion of the 1959 , 1960 and 1966 World Cup seasons , Jack Brabham , made a comeback for a small French team. The Australian finished the race in 21st place overall. The French actor Jean-Louis Trintignant , who competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans last year , finished seventh in the overall standings.

Tom Walkinshaw and Pierre Dieudonné also secured overall victory in a Mazda RX-7 after driving for 24 hours in the rain .

Results

Final ranking

Item	class	No.	team	driver	vehicle	Round
1	ser T 2.5	40	Mazda Motul TWR Team	Tom Walkinshaw Pierre Dieudonné	Mazda RX-7	456
2	ser T + 2.5	10	Bastos Joosen Racing	Dirk Vermeersch Jean-Claude Andruet Eddy Joosen	BMW 530i	454
3	ser T + 2.5	33	Vince Woodman	Vince Woodman Jonathan Buncombe Peter Clark	Ford Capri III 3.0S	453
4th	ser T + 2.5	11	Bastos Joosen Racing	Jean Xhenceval Daniël Herregod's Umberto Grano	BMW 530i	451
5	ser T 2.5	42	Mazda Motul TWR Team	Marc Duez Jeff Allam Chuck Nicholson Win Percy	Mazda RX-7	445
6th	ser T + 2.5	20th	Holman Blackburn	Les Blackburn Bob Akin John Morrison	Ford Capri III 3.0S	435
7th	ser T + 2.5	24	Gitanes WM Racing	Jean-Louis Trintignant Marianne Hoepfner Alain Cudini Derek Bell	BMW 530i	434
8th	ser T + 2.5	1	Belga Castrol team	Gordon Spice Thierry Tassin	Ford Capri III 3.0S	431
9	ser T + 2.5	2	Belga Castrol team	Alain Semoulin Dany Snobeck Freddy Semoulin	Ford Capri III 3.0S	429
10	ser T 2.5	56	Belgian Audi Club	Peter Seikel Hans-Joachim Nowak Fred Rostberg	Audi 4000	428
11	ser T + 2.5	29	Gérard Bleynie	Lucien Guitteny Gérard Bleynie Jacques Guérin	BMW 530i	426
12	ser T 2.5	51	Philippe van de Velde	Philippe van de Velde Robert Hanon	Ford Escort II RS2000	417
13	ser T + 2.5	3	Belga Castrol team	Jean-Michel Martin Philippe Martin	Ford Capri III 3.0S	416
14th	ser T + 2.5	25th	Gitanes WM Racing	Derek Bell Alain Peltier Hervé Regout	BMW 530i	416
15th	ser T 2.5	50	Format Kücher Haiger	Herbert Kummle Karl Mauer Axel Felder	Ford Escort II RS2000	412
16	ser T + 2.5	26th	Gitanes WM Racing	Michel Delcourt Dany Swyssen Jean-Marie Baert	BMW 530i	412
17th	ser T 1.6	62	IMC Toyota	Jacques Janssen Guy Katsers José Close	Toyota Corolla GT	410
18th	ser T + 2.5	22nd	Hans Maasland	Rein Frankenhout Hans Maasland Fred Frankenhout	BMW 530i	408
19th	ser T 1.6	66	BBL team	Valentin Simons Paul Simons Jean-Louis Hecq	VW Golf GTi	406
20th	ser T 2.5	55	Belgian Audi Club	Marc Pissens Freddy Kottulinsky Franz Dubois	Audi 4000	403
21st	ser T + 2.5	27	Eminence TR	Jack Brabham Günter Steckkönig Remy Marquet	Ford Capri III 3.0S	401
22nd	ser T + 2.5	12	Van Hove Mobil Smit Jet	Raijmond van Hove Georges Cremer Martino Finotto	Chevrolet Camaro Z28	393
23	ser T 2.5	44	IRS Euromotor	Retz Weirig Rolf Rosenkranz Pascal Witmeur	Ford Escort II RS2000	393
24	ser T 2.5	49	Marc Demol	Marc Demol Claus Schinkel Guy Trignaux	Ford Escort II RS2000	387
25th	ser T 1.6	60	IMC Toyota	Claude Holvoet Philippe de Leener Freddy Fruhauf	Toyota Corolla GT	352
26th	ser T 1.6	68	Belgian VW Club	Edgar Dören Anton Hüweller Oscar Kessler	Audi 80	341
Failed
27	ser T 1.6	70	Belgian VW Club	Philippe Ménage André Hardy Pierre de Thoisy	VW Golf Etilux	379
28	ser T + 2.5	4th	Belgia Castrol team	Philippe Alliot Pierre Destic Dany Snobeck	Ford Capri III 3.0S
29	ser T + 2.5	5	Roneo Alcatel S. Power	Andre Liemeux Andre Lacroix Alain Corbisier	Ford Capri III 3.0S
30th	ser T + 2.5	6th	Roneo Alcatel S. Power	Albert Vanierschot Guy Pirenne Alain Corbisier	Ford Capri III 3.0S
31	ser T + 2.5	7th	BBL team	Michel de Dyne Teddy Pilette Philippe Bervoets	Chevrolet Camaro Z28
32	ser T + 2.5	8th	BP Racing	Xavier Lapeyre Guy Chasseuil	Ford Capri III 3.0S
33	ser T + 2.5	9	Bastos S. Power Racing	Claude Bourgoignie Reine Wisell John Cooper	Chevrolet Camaro Z28
34	ser T + 2.5	15th	Team Nashua	Patrick Nève Roger Dorchy Guy Nève	Ford Capri III 3.0S
35	ser T + 2.5	16	Team Nashua	Jean-Marie Pirnay Jean-Pierre Gabreau Patrick Nève	Ford Capri III 3.0S
36	ser T + 2.5	17th	DNRT Racing for Wynn's	Henny Hemmes Loek Vermeulen	Chevrolet Camaro Z28
37	ser T + 2.5	18th	DNRT Racing for Wynn's	Huub Vermeulen Job van Oostrum Jim Vermeulen	Chevrolet Camaro Z28
38	ser T + 2.5	19th	DNRT Racing for Wynn's	Bert Moritz Franz Lubin Jim Vermeulen	Chevrolet Camaro Z28
39	ser T + 2.5	21st	Holman Blackburn	Adam MacMillen Tom Dodd-Noble Hermes Delbar	Ford Capri III 3.0S
40	ser T + 2.5	23	Jean-Claude Lompech	Jean-Claude Lompech Bernard Salam Thierry Perrier	Ford Capri III 3.0S
41	ser T + 2.5	28	Eminence RT	Romain Feitler Jean-Pierre Jaussaud	Ford Capri III 3.0S
42	ser T + 2.5	31	Gilden Kölsch Racing	Helmut Döring Mark Thatcher Dieter Gartmann	Ford Capri III 3.0S
43	ser T + 2.5	32	KWS Motorsport	Jean-Louis Schlesser Anne-Charlotte Verney Alain Ferté	Ford Capri III 3.0S
44	ser T + 2.5	34	JMSRT	Claude Ballot-Léna René Metge Jean-Marc Smadja	BMW 530i
45	ser T + 2.5	35	JMSRT	Michel Paulus Claude de Wael Jacques Berger	BMW 530i
46	ser T + 2.5	37	Quirin Bovy	Jean-Claude Lagniez Quirin Bovy Kathy Rude	Chevrolet Camaro Z28
47	ser T 2.5	41	Mazda Motul TWR Team	Win Percy Peter Lovett	Mazda RX-7
48	ser T 2.5	45	IRS Euromotor	Rudolf Dötsch Romain Wolf Etienne Barras	Ford Escort II RS2000
49	ser T 2.5	46	IRS Euromotor	Jean-Jacques Feider Bruno Eggerickx Marcel Jominet	Ford Escort II RS2000
50	ser T 2.5	52	A. Kridel	Pierre Bos Michel Bienvualt Marc Carnavale	Ford Escort II RS2000
51	ser T 2.5	53	Ford Bergenkapm	Dieter Selzer Günther Braumüller Alain Beauchef	Ford Escort II RS2000
52	ser T 2.5	54	Helmut Eichberg	Hartmut Bauer Helmut Gall	Ford Escort II RS2000
53	ser T 1.6	63	BBL team	Michel Chapel Pierre Jamin Pierre Vaillant	VW Scirocco GTi
54	ser T 1.6	64	BBL team	Reynald Martin Gérard Cerruti Bernard Carlier	VW Scirocco GTi
55	ser T 1.6	65	BBL team	Francesco Cerulli-Irelli Michel Boujarde Michel Maillien	VW Scirocco GTi
Not qualified
56	ser T +2.5	14th	Team Grand Marnier	François-Xavier Boucher Philippe Hoebeke S. Nauges	BMW 530i	1
57	ser T +2.5	30th	Gilden Kölsch Racing	Herbert Herler Johann Weisheidinger Jean Wansart	Opel Monza 3.0E	2
58	ser T +2.5	36	G. Barba	Marcello Gallo Tony Palma Calvi	Opel Monza 3.0E	3
59	ser T 2.5	43	Mazda Car GB Ltd.	David Palmer Peter Argetsinger Jean-Paul Libert	Mazda RX-7	4th
60	ser T 2.5	47	Equipe Ducal Luxembourg	Nico Demuth Charles van Stalle Tom Dill Gerald Sanson	Ford Escort II RS2000	5
61	ser T 2.5	48	Equipe Ducal Luxembourg	John Lagodny Uwe Reich Gerald Sanson	Ford Escort II RS2000	6th
62	ser T 1.6	61	IMC Toyota	Dominique Holvoet R. D'Ursel W. de Braekeleer	Toyota Corolla GT	7th
63	ser T 1.6	67	Belgian VW Audi Club	Can Erez Eddie Huybrechts Francis Polak	Audi 80	8th
64	ser T 1.6	69	Belgian VW Club	Marc Baert Bernard Daems Marc Anthonis	VW Scirocco GTi	9
65	ser T 1.6	71	Jolly Club Milano	Amerigo Bigliazzi Cesarini Richard Mattozza	Alfa Romeo Alfasud Sprint	10

¹ not qualified ² not qualified ³ not qualified ⁴ not qualified ⁵ not qualified ⁶ not qualified ⁷ not qualified ⁸ not qualified ⁹ not qualified ¹⁰ not qualified

Only in the entry list

No further entries were made in this race.

Class winner

class	driver	driver	driver	vehicle	Placement in the overall ranking
Series touring car over 2.5 liters	Dirk Vermeersch	Jean-Claude Andruet	Eddy Joosen	BMW 530i	Rank 2
Series touring cars up to 2.5 liters	Tom Walkinshaw	Pierre Dieudonné		Mazda RX-7	Overall victory
Series touring cars up to 1.6 liters	Jacques Janssen	Guy Kasters	José Close	Toyota Corolla GT	Rank 17

Racing data

• Registered: 65
• Started: 55
• Rated: 20
• Race classes: 26
• Spectator: unknown
• Race day weather: dry
• Route length: 6.976 km
• Driving time of the winning team: 24: 00: 00,000 hours
• Total laps of the winning team: 456
• Total distance of the winning team: 3185.085 km
• Winner's average: 132.712 km / h
• Pole position: Claude Bourgoignie - Chevrolet Camaro Z28 (# 9) - 2.51.250 = 146.649 km / h
• Fastest race lap: Claude Bourgoignie - Chevrolet Camaro Z28 (# 9) = 1.54.400 - 144,000 km / h
• Racing series: Round 12 of the sports car world championship in 1981

literature

• Peter Higham: The Guinness Guide to International Motor Racing. A complete Reference from Formula 1 to Touring Car. Guinness Publishing Ltd., London 1995, ISBN 0-85112-642-1 .

Web links

• Race results at wspr

Previous race 6 Hours of Watkins Glen 1981

Sports car world championship

Successor to the 6-hour race of Mosport in 1981