The2009 1000 km of Spa was the second round of the2009 Le Mans Series season. It occurred at theCircuit de Spa-Francorchamps,Belgium, on May 10, 2009. Several teams tested at Spa before the24 Hours of Le Mans, including eventual winnersTeam Peugeot and Team EssexPorsche, as well as theJetalliance RacingAston Martin. This is the 28thEuropean Le Mans Series race since 2004.

ThePeugeot 908 HDi FAP No. 7, driven byNicolas Minassian,Simon Pagenaud, andChristian Klien, won the event less than thirty seconds ahead of their pursuer, thePescarolo 01 No. 16, driven byJean-Christophe Bouillon andChristophe Tinseau. In theLMP2 class,Xavier Pompidou in theSpeedy Racing Team Sebah'sLola B08/80 No. 33 did not manage to catch up to Team Essex'sPorsche RS Spyder Evo at the end of the race. The latter, driven byCasper Elgaard,Kristian Poulsen, andEmmanuel Collard, won by seven-tenths of a second.

In GT1, only three crews take the start. The French team Luc Alphand Adventures, the defending champion, prevailed again with itsChevrolet Corvette C6.R driven byLuc Alphand,Patrice Goueslard, andYann Clairay. Lastly, in GT2,Team Felbermayr Proton'sPorsche 911 GT3 RSR (997), driven byMarc Lieb,Richard Lietz, andHorst Felbermayr Sr. was initially disqualified then reclassified as the winner, ahead of Team Modena'sFerrari F430 GTC driven byAntonio García,Leo Mansell, andJaime Melo.

Aston Martin Racing, winner of the 1000 km of Catalunya with No. 007, led the LMP1 championship with 10 points, two more than the Pescarolo No. 16. In the LMP2 category, Racing Box'sLola No. 30 was in the lead ahead of Quifel ASM Team'sZytek. In GT1, IPB Spartak Racing (Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT) led the way ahead of Luc Alphand Adventures (Chevrolet Corvette C6.R). Finally, the GT2 category was led byTeam Felbermayr Proton'sPorsche 997 GT3 RSR No. 77, ahead of JMW Motorsport'sFerrari F430 GTC.^[1]

On May 6,Oreca presented its new design, the 01. Similar to the previous year, the emblem is inspired by the works of the Dutch painterPiet Mondrian. The Oreca 01 would also have a new aerodynamic kit. For Hughes de Chaunac, the team manager, the Spa event was another opportunity to train before the24 Hours of Le Mans: "Spa is a crucial step. It's a semi-final before Le Mans. This test will show us if we're well positioned before this year's race. We'll know where we are compared to the competition. We want to make a successful debut with the Oreca 01. We're going to set ourselves straight." French driverNicolas Lapierre did not hide his ambitions: "A good result would give us a boost before the 24 Hours. It's important not to make mistakes and to have a perfect weekend. This new car has a bigger, more unmitigated performance potential and a wider turning range. We have taken a big step forward and have to prove it with an excellent performance. We want to be on the podium. With Oliver, we are committed to living down the disappointment in Barcelona. All the elements are there to shine!"^[2]

The Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT2, developed and operated byReiter Engineering, took part in its first race at the 1,000 km of Spa. At the end of March, the team tested the car atSalzburging, driven byPeter Kox andRoman Rusinov, both dealing with snowy weather. The German team then went to thePaul-Ricard Circuit as part of theFIA GT Championship Test Days.Christophe Bouchut andAlbert von Thurn und Taxis drove the car this time. Hans Reiter, team manager, believed the vehicle should have been reliable enough for the Spa race: "It's not unrealistic to think that the car will last 1,000 kilometers in the race if we continue practicing. That's why we will step up the testing before starting the Gallardo in the 1,000 kilometers of Spa."^[2]

At the beginning of February, Peugeot announced its sports program, which included, in addition to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, only the 1,000 kilometers of Spa and the12 Hours of Sebring; however, without definitively closing the door to another entry into the Le Mans Series. The program's evolution would depend on the 24 Hours of Le Mans result.^[3]

While three builds were to be entered in the Spa race, only two took part. According to Oliver Quesnel, the entry of a third car would require additional human effort, hampering their preparation for the 24 Hours of Le Mans: "It is not a question of a delay in the preparation of our work but of an adjustment in our organization. Our priority remains with Le Mans. I don't want the team to exhaust itself by preparing three cars for the Spa race, especially as our program's endurance simulation tests continue. Therefore, we chose six drivers, selected according to their respective mileage behind the wheel of the 908 HDi FAP."^[3][4]

During a press conference,Peugeot Sport and Oliver Quesnel assured that they would be present atPortimão and hoped for a commitment to thePetit Le Mans at the end of the year: "We'll certainly be in Portimão with two cars, and we hope to be able to get into the Petit Le Mans as well." The French manufacturer's 2009 program was previously limited to just three rounds.^[5][6]

Peugeot Sport made no aerodynamic changes to its908 HDi FAP. The two French prototypes drove in the same configuration as at the12 Hours of Sebring, except for the addition of a thirty-kilogram ballast imposed by the new regulations.^[7][8][9]

TheSpyker Squadron team took advantage of the Spa race to change itsC8 Laviolette GT2-R. A newspoiler and air box were added to improve the engine torque. Czech driverJaroslav Janiš, absent from the 1,000 km of Catalunya, was also absent from the 1,000 km of Spa due to jaw inflammation. His doctors advised him not to participate in the race. DriversTom Coronel andPeter Dumbreck had to do without him while driving theSpyker.^[7]

ForPescarolo Sport, car No. 16 had already received its new aerodynamic kit during theinaugural Catalan race. At Spa, the second car had also received one.^[10] In theLMP2 category,OAK Racing, which entered twoPescarolo 01s, had also modified the aerodynamics of one of its cars (No. 35). Such a modification is estimated at €200,000.^[10][11] In addition to this development,Mazda North America oversaw the team from then on.^[11]

As for the manufacturing companyMichelin, they brought tires with a new type of rubber (slick and rain) for the entire LMP1 group. In LMP2, competitors were also entitled to new slick tires with medium compound.^[12] For Matthieu Bonardel, competition manager at Michelin, the objective was to offer a tire that could heat up more quickly while having a longer service life than that of their 2008 model: "We didn't want to use harder rubber, yet we wanted to keep our 2008 performance level. So, we had to review the tire's structure in depth because keeping it at more than 100 °C any longer damages its structure. That's why we've reinforced the materials of which it's composed. Regarding regulations, the constraint of the aero load had not necessarily changed because the reduction in the size of the rear wing has been added to the additional ballast of 30 kg."

Team Modena's Ferrari F430 GTC had to be repaired at the Michelotto plant inItaly after a violent nighttime accident during a testing session on theAlgarve Circuit. Despite riding off the track, driverLeo Mansell was unharmed. The team manager, Graham Schultz, spoke about the tests and the car, which had not yet been fully addressed. “Our tests with the Ferrari on Portugal’s new Algarve Circuit were very productive. We’re still in the learning stage with the Ferrari, and we’ve been able to make some improvements. We had the opportunity to test at night, but Leo went off the track in the dark, and the car was badly damaged at the rear.”^[13] The car arrived at the circuit's paddock on Thursday night, allowing free practice to begin on schedule. In theLMP2 category,Speedy Racing Team Sebah suffered a similar misfortune during pre-season testing at the Bugatti circuit at the end of April.^[14][15] TheLola B08/80 No. 33 ran off the track at the entrance to theDunlop Bridge. Although themonocoque was damaged, the team andLola managed to get the car ready in time for the Spa round.^[16]

A few days before the start of the event, the entry list showed several changes.Narain Karthikeyan was appointed to driveByKolles Racing’sAudi R10 TDI No. 14, which he had then just discovered. He was partnered withAndy Meyrick andCharles Zwolsman.Michael Krumm, who was initially entered, did not drive for the Austrian team. On board No. 14, the crew ofChristijan Albers andChristian Bakkerud was reinforced by the arrival ofGiorgio Mondini.Lucas di Grassi andNicolas Kiesa, who were present on the first entry list, were also omitted. In the LMP2 category,Máximo Cortés drove for the second time in a row with Pierre Combot for the Q8 Oils Hache Team.^[17] The British Team LNT, present atSilverstone in2008, returned for the Spa round.^[18]

Already low on entries after the first entry list was published, the GT1 category was affected by two withdrawals. Both Saleen S7-R fromLarbre Compétition andARC Bratislava withdrew. The latter was to be piloted by two Belgian drivers. The unregisteredJetalliance Racing was present at Spa with itsAston Martin DBR9 to train and prepare for the24 Hours of Le Mans.^[19][20] The GT1 category also saw IPB Spartak Racing lose its main partner. Russian driverRoman Rusinov was sidelined, replaced byFilip Salaquarda and Erik Janiš.^[14][15] On the other hand, the GT2 category saw the arrival of an additional competitor, theProspeed Competition’s Porsche 997 GT3 RSR, driven by Paul Daniels andMarkus Palttala. For Team Modena,Jaime Melo assistedAntonio García andLeo Mansell. At Hankook Team Farnacher,Pierre Kaffer andAllan Simonsen rode together.^[17] As forJMB Racing, Manuel Rodrigues and John Hartshorne were to drive the Ferrari together, but Bulgaria’sPlamen Kralev joined them.^[21]

Sources:^[22][23]

Under cloudy skies, fifty-one cars had taken to the track. After a few minutes, a light rain had begun to fall over the circuit. As a result, many competitors set their fastest times early in the session. Among them was the #11Oreca 01, driven byNicholas Lapierre, which surprisingly had been matched down to the thousandth of a second on the following lap by the #9Peugeot 908 HDi FAP, piloted byMarc Gené, with a time of 2:06.740. The secondOreca had secured third place, trailing by just 106 thousandths of a second. The #16Pescarolo 01 also remained competitive, finishing within the exact second with a lap time of 2:06.930. In fourth place, the #7 Peugeot had managed a time of 2:07.658.Strakka Racing had placed sixth, while the leadingLola-Aston Martin B09/60, driven byHarold Primat,Miguel Ramos, andDarren Turner, had taken seventh position. Significant gaps had begun to emerge from eighth place onwards, with the #17 Pescarolo trailing by three seconds from the fastest time. The #13Lola B08/60, theCourage-Oreca LC70E fromSignature, and the #007Lola-Aston Martin had all been relegated to nearly six seconds behind the leaders. The session had experienced its first red-flag delay when Darren Turner had lost a wheel during his lap.^[24] The rain had gradually dissipated about fifteen minutes before the end of the time trial.^[22][25]

In the LMP2 category, the session had been entirely dominated by theLola B08/80 driven byThomas Erdos andMike Newton. The duo had also secured 25th place in the overall standings.Team Barazi-Epsilon’sZytek 07S/2 finished second, more than 1.5 seconds behind. Quifel ASM Team's Ginetta-Zytek and Racing Box's first Lola (#30) had taken third and fourth places respectively (2:14.748). Team Essex'sPorsche RS Spyder Evo had been delayed by a collision withJacques Nicolet’sPescarolo, necessitating a front hood change. Consequently, it had only achieved the eighth-fastest time (2:20.180).Speedy Racing Team Sebah's Lola had been hampered by a recalcitrant gearbox and had finished 15th with a time of 2:34, trailing the leader by 22 seconds. The session was also interrupted by a second red-flag delay when José Ibañez, driving the #28Courage LC75, had gone off the track.^[22][25][24]

In GT1, theLamborghini Murciélago R-GT achieved the fastest time, outpacing theChevrolet Corvette C6.R, which ended the session by being slowly towed back to the pits. The Aston Martin DBR9 had been relegated to fifteen seconds behind the Lamborghini. In GT2, the Ferrari F430 GTCs had dominated, occupying the top six standings. Farnbacher Racing had secured a one-two finish with cars #91 and #89. The defending champions,Gianmaria Bruni andRobert Bell, had taken third place (2:26.530). The Ferrari from Team Modena, which had crashed during private testing on theAlgarve Circuit, had finished fourth (2:26.716). Ferrari #90 and #96 had placed fifth (2:27.080) and sixth (2:27.098) respectively. In seventh place, theSpyker C8 Laviolette GT2-R had outperformed the top Porsche (2:28.816). The Porsche (IMSA Performance) had finished eighth, in 2:29.132. Meanwhile, absent inCatalonia, theLamborghini Gallardo LP560 GT2 had recorded the slowest time in the category, trailing by twenty seconds.^[22][24][25]

The qualifying sessions for both the GT and Prototype categories were marked by several red flag periods which halted the sessions. These were caused by several accidents and car failures on circuit, which left five cars unable to complete a flying lap time.Peugeot was able to lock out the first row by margin of over a second from the leadingAston Martin, while the returning Team EssexPorsche RS Spyder securedpole position in LMP2.Jetalliance Racing gave Aston Martin a pole in GT1 and championship leadersTeam Felbermayr-Proton led GT2.

Pole position winners in each class are marked inbold.^[26]

Class winners inbold. Cars failing to complete 70% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC).^[27]

• Stéphane Engoulvent, "1000 Km de Spa : Peugeot assure et se rassure !",Le Mans Racing,^no. 6 (Special issue), June 2009,pg. 70–81
• Cécile Bonardel, Michael Cotton, Marc Laffeas, Olivier Loisy and Jean-Marc Teissedre (trans. David Waldron, Cécile Bonardel), Apollo, 2009, 261 p. (ISBN 9782952104449,read onlinearchive), “Spa-Francorchamps”, pg. 94–125
• Jean-Marc Teissedre and Stéphane Enout, “1000 Km de Spa : Peugeot fin prêt”,Auto Hebdo,^no. 1700, May 13, 2009, pg. 34–45

• Le Mans Series - 1000 km of Spa