Barrichello for Spa 24 Hours

SPA 24 HOURS

Rubens Barrichello is heading back to Europe for a second time in two years.

Little more than 12 months after making his Le Mans 24 Hours debut, the Brazilian V8 Stock Car Championship regular will make his maiden assault on the Spa enduro.

The 46-year-old Brazilian, who still holds the record for the highest number of grand prix starts, will race a factory-supported Mercedes-amg GT3 for the British Strakka squad in the Spa 24 Hours. He will team up with fellow V8 Stock Car driver Felipe Fraga and Mercedes DTM reserve Christian Vietoris in the blue-riband round of the Blancpain GT Series on July 28-29.

Barrichello never managed to win the Belgian Grand Prix, but Spa still holds happy memories for him. “It was where I got my first pole position in Formula 1 [with Jordan in 1994],” he said. “It will be great to race with my good friend Felipe and I am looking forward to sharing the car with Chris.”

Meanwhile, two-time Le Mans winner Timo Bernhard will make a return to the 24 Hours at Spa after an absence of five years.

Last year his Team 75 Bernhard operation took part in the race, but Bernhard opted not to drive. Now, with Porsche’s LMP1 programme in the World Endurance Championship over, Bernhard has decided that it’s time to try to complete his set of victories in the major 24-hour enduros around the world, having also won at the Nurburgring and Daytona.

Bernhard, who will share his Porsche 911 GT3-R with Laurens Vanthoor and Earl Bamber, said: “I want to have a good race this year and see what happens, but winning Spa is definitely a goal.”