Leading Australian amateur driver Brad Schumacher is set to take on the world’s premier GT race, the Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa.
A recent race winner in Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS at The Bend, Schumacher will race for the first time overseas at the invitation of Audi squad Haas Racing Team.
Schumacher is the first driver to be announced as part of its line-up in what will be a Pro-Am attack on the legendary event.
It will be a special event as this year’s edition marks the centenary of the race as more than 70 entries are expected to start the race.
Schumacher has been a competitor in Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS since its inaugural season in 2021 where he secured the GT Trophy Class Championship in his maiden year, and is currently the reigning Am Class champion.
This year he has made a successful jump to the top Pro-Am Class alongside leading Repco Supercars Championship driver Will Brown and reigning title winning squad Melbourne Performance Centre.
Also carrying its support of Schumacher overseas will be FUCHS Lubricants and Kelso Electrical.
The centenary Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa will take place on June 26-30.
QUOTES
Brad Schumacher
Haas Racing Team, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II
“It’s a pinch yourself moment for me and it’s a childhood dream come true,” said Schumacher.
“I can remember sitting around as a kid playing Gran Turismo on the Playstation at the Spa circuit. It was a cool track, so it’s always been a favourite of mine.
“It has been a bucket list item to go there ever since. My wife and I travelled to Spa to watch Formula 1 a few years back where we watched from Eau Rouge. It left me in awe of that section of the circuit due to how fast the cars go through there.
“To be honest, I would have never thought back then I’d be racing at Spa myself!
“Off the back of a good result at The Bend and ultimately through the Audi family, the Belgian based Haas Racing Team required an additional Bronze-rated driver for its driver line-up. At the Prologue Test, the team was discussing the possibilities to fill this seat when a former Bathurst 12 Hour co-driver of mine, Frederic Vervisch, recommended me to the team.
“I’ve always had the ambition to do some overseas GT3 racing, but to have my first international drive in Europe at the biggest GT3 race in the world, I can’t believe my luck. My entire focus now is to do a good job for the team, so it can hopefully build on future opportunities.
“I’ve been doing quite a bit of work on the simulator since getting the call-up last week. Driving on the sim these days is so accurate to what the track is actually like and the team have helped in providing data from the Prologue Test. I’ve been able to go through quite a lot of that and get myself comfortable.
‘The beauty of GT3 racing is that no matter where you go to race worldwide, if you’re familiar with the manufacturer you’re driving - which is Audi for me - you are already comfortable with the car’s characteristics which makes it easier to get up to speed quickly at a new circuit.
“It’s unreal for FUCHS to evolve with me as our racing continues to expand in GT3, so I’m grateful for the continued support of my endeavours in the sport that I love.”