Inside Team Saintéloc At The Spa 24: Part 1

What does it take to win the Spa 24 Hours, the crown jewel in the GT racing calendar? With 70 GT3 cars running to the same performance window and strict regulations on pit stops, stint times and track limits, it’s a contest that requires its competitors to wring every last drop of performance and ride their luck to be in with even a slim chance of glory.

But it is far more than just a 24-hour race. It is a multi-day event preceded by months of preparation. All the major GT teams want to win at Spa. The OEMs do too. It’s an event that showcases SRO’s global GT racing platform and the health of customer racing. Year after year, it becomes a more impressive and intense spectacle, despite being almost 100 years detached from the race’s first edition in 1924.

However, those who are not directly involved can’t get a true sense of the challenge this ‘blue riband’ event presents by watching on TV or from the stands. Because of this, you have to take it if and when you get handed a chance to get closer.

At this year’s event, I spent a week with longstanding, Spa 24-winning, French Audi customer Team Saintéloc with unfettered access to every meeting room, trailer, garage and lunch table.

Every question I asked was answered, and every conversation prioritised. I ate with the team, listened in on de-briefs, took a seat at the strategy table during the race and sat down at length with key personnel. I was there for every track session and watched on as the team battled around the clock to try and secure a result during the race.

As a member of the regular press pack, there’s always an open door to garages and teams during events, but this felt different. This was hours and hours of observing, listening and learning with one of Audi’s premier customers. It was a rare chance to feel part of something and learn first-hand just how taxing an endurance race is on everyone involved.

The Spa 24 Hours is a battle for survival, an emotional rollercoaster, all held in a high-pressure environment. I’ve been to countless 24-hour races around the world over the past decade, yet this proved to be a real eye-opener.

Now, with a chance to reflect and trawl through pages of notes and hours of tape, I’ve done my best to put it all into words so you, too, can get a sense of what it’s like to compete at the forefront of GT racing.

Here’s an account of how the week panned out. Here’s what it was like as a fly on the wall at Team Saintéloc.

*****

My first encounter with the team comes on Thursday morning. My entry point is a sit down with team director Frédéric Thalamy, whom I’m told played a key role in turning Saintéloc around a decade ago, transforming it from a plucky underdog to an outfit that has won some of the most important GT races, including this one.

It’s immediately clear that Thalamy is a real character, a highly-experienced, charismatic team boss who is intense but not at all intimidating. I’m initially surprised at how welcome he made me feel. “Being open is the best way to do this,” he says with a smile as we sit down with a coffee before Free Practice.

Nothing was off limits.

Our first conversation is fascinating, if a little prickly at times. I ask about the preparation before the event and the relationship Saintéloc has with Audi. Initially, he’s somewhat guarded when we talk about the finances required to put a team on the ground and some of the finer details of his relationship with Audi, but he quickly becomes comfortable when I stress that not everything we discuss will be published.

“Do you need to know all this!?” He says while I quiz him on the overall cost of his two-car effort. “No,” I reply, “I am just really curious!”

It is not a small figure…

The Spa 24 Hours, he says, is an event so important for Saintéloc that the planning for 2023 began straight after the 2022 edition. By September last year, it was already thinking about the finer details, even down to which pit boxes it would be using.

Ensuring you have the staff and money to undertake the task long in advance is vital, especially when you are a customer team that is in line for direct support from Audi at the race.

How do factory support deals come together, I ask? The answer is that it’s an ongoing conversation which takes place on and off during the year and culminates in a discussion when Audi Sport’s budget for the coming campaign is defined.

“In February, Audi tells us about its plan for Spa and what they can offer, like a car, drivers, and some technical support and then ask us to make a cost proposal based on what we are doing. This is business.

“As Saintéloc, ideally we want to put all our resources into Spa, but we have to plan for everything else too, you can’t cut the legs off our single-seater or rally programmes.”

Once the main deal is agreed, it’s all systems go and both sides remain in contact on a weekly basis.

“This is why I love to work with Audi. You get a firm ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for everything. No ‘ah, maybe this, maybe that.’ We can’t work like that, we don’t have time,” he says.

As a loyal customer team, the trust shown year after year by Audi means a great deal to Saintéloc’s management. Trust, I find out, plays a key role.

Which Audi wins doesn’t matter to me, as long as it’s an Audi

A conversation later in the day with Chris Reinke, the boss of Audi Sport Customer Racing, reveals just how hands-off Audi feels it needs to be on-event. The support it provides is set on a sliding scale, though Reinke tells me that Audi tries its best to treat everyone equally. “You can’t give one team an advantage, because it means you are disadvantaging someone else,” he explains. “Which Audi wins doesn’t matter to me, as long as it’s an Audi.”

Evidence of this comes straight away during Free Practice, where I get my first real glimpse of the Saintéloc garage in action. After brief introductions to the mechanics, drivers and engineers from Frédéric, I take a look around.

Where are all the Audi Sport staff? I wonder. This is a team running two cars, one of which is in the Pro class sporting a heritage livery, being steered by three factory drivers on loan.

Reinke explains later that this is because Saintéloc is highly trusted, “they run these cars every second weekend; they know what they are doing,” he tells me. “This is a long-term relationship and they’ve been around a long time.” You could be fooled into thinking that factory support from a volume manufacturer like Audi means an army of staff coming in and taking over the team for the big races. It’s not like that at all here…

Essentially, Saintéloc is left to its own devices and benefits from constant communication with Audi Mission Control upstairs in the pit lounges over the radio. The team can ask for assistance at any time, but as a whole, even though the #25 Pro class R8 chassis is owned and supplied by Audi, Saintéloc has the final say in how the car is set up and run. It doesn’t assist or share data with the other Audi-supported teams either; the focus is on its cars only. It is a customer, after all…

The conversation during my first lengthy sit down with Reinke extends beyond Audi’s presence at Spa. I ask him if he is worried about the current state of customer racing, customer support and the level of resources being thrown at races like this, as it’s become a real talking point in the paddock.

Is Audi’s customer sport structure, which is centred around selling as many cars as possible and supporting a large number of teams, compatible with the current GT3 landscape where the newest cars are being priced at the €700,000 plus mark?

“Now OEMs who have no interest in a business-case-driven volume market, to develop the platform further, are coming in with high-priced, low-volume cars that are hard to beat with regular customer racing products,” he replies.

“I feel that this is a bit of poison at the moment. If we can stabilise GT3 and we all have customer-orientated attitudes it will keep on scaling up. But if we continue to all go for the cherry and not the cake, the whole thing will collapse.”

*****

The atmosphere throughout practice and pre-qualifying is strangely calm. When looking back at my notebook, I come across a scribbled line which reads: ‘why does this feel peaceful?’ It’s a strange environment, considering you are feet away from a noisy live circuit.

I have concluded that this is in part because of the general atmosphere the Endurance pit lane at the circuit creates. It does feel like a different race meeting here in the lower paddock. The top-end, where the F1 garages and media centre are housed, is far more spacious and well-equipped.

Where Saintéloc is based is like a rabbit warren, a throwback to the Spa 24 Hours from the previous century. After the race, the teams down here even have to pack up and leave the premises earlier than those in the upper paddock.

As part of a string of garages featuring most of the Audi customer teams next to each other at the exit of La Source sits Saintéloc’s set-up, which is a glamour-free zone. It’s an open collection of four narrow garages, each on a different level.

Two of the platforms house its cars, with one in between lined with tools and fuel cans. At the bottom, there’s just about enough space for a long strategy desk, with a bank of 30 screens, a group of engineers and a row of fishing chairs for team members and guests watching on.

If you pop in and out quickly, you don’t really notice all this. It’s only when you spend hours in the garage that it feels like a real squeeze, especially when the mechanics are rushing around.

I ask Erwan Bastard (part of the team’s #26 Silver Cup line-up) whether or not it’s a disadvantage to be set up down here. “Not really,” he responds, “if you have to come into the pit box with a problem, it’s race over anyway.”

He has a point…

*****

The opening sessions of the week come and go, and red flags plus a bout of rain costs everyone track time.

Tyre management here is key and plays a big part in the constant stream of track limit violations that prove costly for just about every team during the race. Track limits are the topic du jour, but it always is at this event.

Erwan tells me many teams spend practice and qualifying intentionally trying to keep under the radar so that the marshals that enforce and report track limit violations don’t single them out in the race. This makes sense…

I discovered rapidly that employing this strategy is easier said than done, though, especially with tyres that drop off dramatically during every stint.

“We go flat through Eau Rouge-Raidillon every stint for multiple laps, then suddenly you realise you can’t, but it’s too late, and you end up with a track limits violation at the Raidillon runoff,” says Chris Mies, who is driving the #25 Pro car with Simon Gachet and Patrick Niederhauser, after a debrief.

“The big problem,” he continues, “is they think we do it on purpose.”

We discuss further how track limits are enforced, and I am surprised to find out that, on the whole, he is a supporter of the strict rules.

There is such a split opinion on this race’s sporting regulations and the way it’s governed. Mies put it simply: “It all makes for a more exciting race for the fans.”

After Free Practice, though, Frédéric walks over to me shaking his head, taking off his headset. “10 track limit violations already for the 26; it’s always the same here! It’s ********!”

I’m not sure Frédéric is finding it exciting…

*****

Qualifying itself on Thursday night doesn’t go to plan for the Saintéloc team, and for that matter, most of the Pro class. Rain in the first part of the four-part session to decide who makes the Super Pole shootout results in a jumbled grid.

With Pro cars not taking part until Q2, the track was so wet by the time they left pit lane that banker laps from the other cars in Q1 meant many in the Pro class were nowhere near the top 20 with their combined average times by the end.

A look of frustration is evident on everyone’s faces in the back of the pit garages. A Bronze Cup Porsche (above) ends up on pole, and both of Saintéloc’s Audis fail to make the cut.

Thalamy explains to me that it’s not too important, but it’s clear this is not ideal. No time was spent on Super Pole set up he reveals. Instead, I get the impression that he is more concerned about the low lap count the team has achieved across both cars ahead of the race.

Frédéric believes in creating a family environment where everyone is prepared for the work at hand long in advance and holds themselves accountable when things go wrong.

My concern is the effect that the cycle of incidents and heavy rain that saw night practice called off will have on the race. With a jumbled grid and many inexperienced drivers ill-prepared in the categories featuring amateur drivers, will this be a chaotic affair?

There is one advantage to all this, however, that Friday’s schedule is clearer than usual for the team and its band of mechanics, who already appear a little fatigued and are relieved they can take things slightly easier.

It also gives me a real window into the role of a team director. A shift in morale can be the difference between success and failure. Frédéric believes in creating a family environment where everyone is prepared for the work at hand long in advance and holds themselves accountable when things go wrong.

“We come in during the morning, have breakfast, laugh with each other, and then get to work. We have time now to prep these cars and I need to make sure nobody is upset we didn’t make Super Pole,” he says.

“These things don’t matter. It’s the same with the chassis we use. I get asked every time by drivers: “Is it new? Which chassis do we have?” And in the end, if you run the car well, it doesn’t matter. So I don’t tell anyone anymore.”

*****

Stood in the corner of Saintéloc’s garage, watching mechanics prep the #26, brought it home that this team does a lot with a little. The Saint-Etienne-based outfit sees value in its modest setup, which is nowhere near as flashy as the largest operation here. I’m impressed at this small yet efficient approach, which relies heavily on the skill and experience of its personnel to get the job done.

For instance, it’s not until the early hours of the race I find out that Jerome, the in-house tyre technician who sits in the corner and quietly records data and feeds it to Pirelli, used to play a key role in the tyre programme for Porsche in LMP1. These guys aren’t messing around.

“We could have had 60 members of staff here, but we bring 42. The human side is the most important thing. Everyone has a role, and they know what it takes,” Thalamy explains over Friday lunch.

“If there is even one guy complaining, thinking differently to everyone else, it’s much better to leave them at the hotel or home and manage it with the people who are bought in. You can’t have any black sheep. If you have the right people, it’s easy.

“You have to enjoy it; there is no point if you don’t; you have to fight and be positive. We don’t need lots of people to be successful. If everyone we have performs at 100 per cent, we will win this race.”

Of the 42 team members on-site, only half are full-time, the others are freelancers. There are not enough World Challenge races in Europe to justify a larger group, I’m told, even for a team that competes in multiple other disciplines alongside its GT programme like Saintéloc.

The team also doesn’t feel the need to keep purchasing new cars and switch brands. Running the R8 LMS GT3 Evo II, which is one of the cheapest options of the cars still in circulation, is not a disadvantage thanks to BoP and the team’s intricate knowledge of the car. So why change? This approach seems sensible.

Over a bowl of pasta, which goes down extremely well (the importance of good catering for a team is underrated, it really is), I get Thalamy’s thoughts on the direction that GT3 racing is headed, with programmes costing more than ever and the newest cars boasting various improvements to drivability and serviceability.

I have worked with many manufacturers, and the best exchanges I’ve had have all been with Audi Sport

“We stay with Audi because, with Audi, it’s just easy,” he says with a shrug in a conversation that starts with an anecdote about his days spent rallying and ends with a debate about the FIA WEC adopting GT3 cars in 2024. “I have worked with many manufacturers, and the best exchanges I’ve had have all been with Audi Sport.”

He’s becoming more comfortable with me shadowing this effort by the hour, I realise. I’m enjoying these back-and-forths, and I get the sense he is too.

In return for his trust, I assure him once again that some of the more extraordinary and sensitive topics that have come up will not make it into the feature. (Sorry, readers!)

*****

Raceday is up next, but there is plenty of work to be done before it all gets underway. Despite the reduction in track time, the car still needs heavy prep work. On the job list for the day, which is lengthy, Saintéloc’s mechanics have to change the gearbox, clutch and air filters as a minimum to ensure the car is as fresh as possible for the weekend.

In a quiet moment, Frédéric offers me a chance to see the cars up close. I’ve seen GT3 cars in the back of garages countless times, but I’ve never had my head in an engine bay before, nor had the pros and cons of just about every button, dial, cable and grill described to me.

He opens the bonnet, points out the minute details and shows me the attention to detail shown by his mechanics. For instance, to avoid drivers getting covered in dust and debris after an off, I’m shown a pair of women’s tights that are wrapped around the cooling ducts that lead to the cockpit. “It’s cheap, and it does the job,” he says with a smirk.

I am also introduced to the excess electronic cables that sit all over the passenger side of the car. The cabling, he explains, is spec, so in the Audi, there are metres of extra cables that need to be tied together, as they are made to fit the dimensions of every GT3 model. The R8 is clearly one of the more tightly packaged platforms, as there are strapped-up bunches of cables everywhere! No wonder things go wrong at pit stops; it wouldn’t take much to unplug or rip out one of these cables while hastily tending to a driver. He nods in agreement.

Out of the corner of my eye, I clock his body language as he talks me through it all. I’ve not asked for this lesson in GT3 car preparation; he’s just keen to show me. He really does love these cars, and I’m taken by how proud he is of the work his crew puts in.

My last stop for the day is Audi Mission Control upstairs, where I get a peek at the driver’s sleeping quarters, Audi staff mess hall, meeting room and strategy base. It’s a spacious, well-laid-out working environment.

Believe me when I say the scale of the customer support operation is surprising, and I didn’t expect it to be small…

Stay tuned for Part 2 on DSC tomorrow…

The post Inside Team Saintéloc At The Spa 24: Part 1 first appeared on dailysportscar.com.