Speedlover grabs valuable points after 6 hours - Delahaye in the lead! The Dodge Viper Competition Coupé is not the best battle weapon for a gruelling endurance race such as the 24 Hours of Zolder. Back in 2007 AD Sport was able to bring a Viper to the podium, but last year an overheated rear drive was to be fatal for the team. KRK Racing, which this year is competing with the ex-AD-GT3-cars, hoped to be competing up front. Unfortunately the story of the Clouseau-duo, Raf Vanthoor and Jeffrey Van Hooydonk threatens to be less positive. With Koen Wauters at the wheel the Viper rushed into the pits with an electrical problem. The outcome was that the muscle car with number 4 lost some thirty laps on the leaders. An excellent deal for Jean-François Hemroulle and Tim Verbergt, who after six hours find themselves in seventh place overall, and second in the Belgian GT. Hemroulle and Verbergt score valuable points in the drivers championship and have made up a part of their arrears on the KRK-duo Van Hooydonk-Wauters.
 The race is presently being made by the two Porsche-teams and the Delahaye Racing Team. Up front First Motorsport and ProSpeed Competition are playing out their fuel consumption cards, but the Ferrari F430 GT3 and the Renault Mégane of Delahaye Racing Team have shown themselves strong as night fell. The experienced Mégane-quartet even managed to build up a minute lead over the ProSpeed Porsche. In third place the Ferrari of Bouvy-Coens-Kelders-Mollekens, and leaders in the Belgian GT. Lying in wait the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S of First Motorsport, manned by the Verbist-Longin-Maes-Haane quartet. The top-five is rounded off by the AD Sport Chrysler Viper GTS-R. This American nest of vipers spun twice in the Jacky Ickx-chicane, following which team boss Albert Vanierschot called the car for a thorough check-up. They are four laps down on the leading Mégane of Kumpen and cohorts.
Excellent sixth spot for the Mégane, driven by the guest drivers from The Netherlands. This car out of the Verschuur family stables is presently 7 laps down on the leaders. The previously mentioned Speedlover Porsche 997 GT3 Cup is in seventh place, ahead of the BMW M3 Silhouette #22 of KS Motorsport. The top-ten is completed by the Lamborghini Gallardo GT3, which in this edition of the 24 Hours of Zolder has presently been spared any mechanical problems, and the BMW M3 GTR of the British Moore International Racing team.
Top-ten overall:
1. #6 Delahaye Racing Team - Renault Mégane Trophy - 213 laps
2. #60 ProSpeed Competition - Porsche 996 GT3 RSR +58s
3. #3 Delahaye Francorchamps Motors Racing Team - Ferrari F430 GT3 +1 lap
4. #50 First Motorsport - Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S +1 lap
5. #14 AD Sport - Chrysler Viper GTS-R +4 laps
6. #11 Equipe Verschuur - Renault Mégane Trophy +7 laps
7. #20 Speedlover - Porsche 997 GT3 Cup +7 laps
8. #22 KS Motorsport - BMW M3 Silhouette +8 laps
9. #10 JD Competition by KS - Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 +11 laps
10. #7 Moore International Motorsport - BMW M3 GTR +13 laps
Pictures: Marnik Mouchaers
 VZW 24u.be - Gordon McKay on Sunday 23 August 2009 at 00:00. | 
