After the 24 Hours of Spa, Belgian teams WRT and Comtoyou Racing have voiced strong criticism of the Balance of Performance (BoP) and the technical running of the race weekend. Both racing teams see the car classification as a significant factor why they, in their own assessment, could not fight for victory.
WRT started with three BMW M4 GT3s, including two cars from the BMW works team in the Pro class. The best-placed car, driven by Valentino Rossi, Max Hesse, and Dan Harper, finished in sixth place. Team principal Vincent Vosse explained after the race that his team was not competitive at any point. He particularly criticized the short-term BOP adjustment after Superpole and questioned SRO's calculations. In his assessment, Ferrari and Porsche were particularly strong, while WRT only had a chance for top results if the competition made mistakes or experienced technical problems.
Vosse announced that WRT would summarize its criticism in an official statement. He also recalled that BMW and WRT had reportedly received an apology from SRO after last year's 24 Hours of Spa. Fundamentally, the Belgian is calling for a revision of the BoP process, which is also used in other GT series such as the DTM and ADAC GT Masters. At the same time, he emphasized that his criticism should not detract from the organization of the event or the performance of the winners.
Comtoyou Racing also expressed criticism after the race. The team entered four Aston Martin Vantage GT3s, none of which finished the race. While team boss Jean-Michel Baert praised the organization and the sporting conduct of the event, he criticized the technical implementation of the BoP as well as the communication between SRO, manufacturers, and teams.
According to Baert's account, the teams would have no direct influence on engine control or technical parameters, as these would be coordinated between the manufacturer and SRO. This would make the racing teams dependent on decisions over which they themselves have no control. He furthermore criticized that despite reported problems with top speed and questions regarding engine tuning, there had been insufficient communication with SRO.
Another point of criticism concerns the events surrounding Superpole. Both Comtoyou Racing and Walkenhorst Motorsport cars had their times removed due to an alleged overboost. However, according to Baert, Aston Martin confirmed to the team that no changes were made to the engine control unit between qualifying and Superpole. Therefore, he calls for a more thorough clarification of the events.
Furthermore, Baert pointed to the influence of the high temperatures during the race weekend. Although the Aston Martin suffered from the heat, it was aware of this behavior and, in his opinion, it should have been taken into account in the BoP calculation.
Both teams are explicitly directing their criticism at the BoP process and the SRO’s technical implementation. At the same time, both WRT and Comtoyou Racing emphasize that their statements should not be interpreted as criticism of the organization of the 24 Hours of Spa or of the performance of the winning teams.