Behind closed doors
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Two-day event signals latest step towards action beginning in the Ardennes
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Day and night running totalling 18 hours at iconic Belgian circuit
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Due to ongoing COVID-19 health regulations, the test will be staged behind closed doors.
Preparations for the 2020 Total 24 Hours of Spa will move into their final phase this week when 50 cars tackle two days of official testing at the Belgian venue (29-30 September).
Staged a little under four weeks ahead of this year's rescheduled autumn edition (22-25 October), the test will allow teams a welcome opportunity to refamiliarise themselves with the daunting Spa-Francorchamps layout, fine-tune their equipment, and in several cases get acquainted with new drivers. Many of the test day entrants will travel directly to Spa from the Netherlands, with Zandvoort having staged the fifth GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS event of the season last weekend (25-26 September).
The entry list for the twice-around-the-clock classic is traditionally revealed during the test. However, with the entry process for the 2020 race remaining open until Thursday 1 October the final line-up will be revealed closer to the main event. As ever Spa will feature the leading lights from GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS, as well as one-off competitors hoping to snatch victory at the marquee GT3 contest.
This year’s Total 24 Hours of Spa will also represent the third round of Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli following the upcoming Indianapolis 8 Hour (2-4 October). Competitors taking part in the American endurance contest will be excused from attending the test, with an additional session to be provided during race week at Spa-Francorchamps.
The official test days will feature 18 hours of running, beginning on Tuesday at 10:00 CET with a two-hour morning session. Track activity will resume at 13:00 and continue uninterrupted until 22:00, with the final four hours acting as a night session in preparation for added after-dark competition at this year's race. Wednesday's schedule runs from 10:00 until 12:00 and then from 13:00 through to the final chequered flag at 18:00. Due to ongoing COVID-19 health regulations, the test will be staged behind closed doors.
This year's Total 24 Hours of Spa will get underway at 15.30 on Saturday 24 October, having made a one-off move away from its traditional July date. The 2020 edition represents the 20th staged as a GT race, as well as the 10th since the highly successful GT3 rules platform was first introduced in 2011.
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