GT1 race cars gathered in the central Belgian city of Spa, with the entire town enveloped in a carnival atmosphere. Presentation of the participating cars was held in the centre of the city, drawing a large number of race fans.

Despite the fact that it took place on a weekday, the drivers' autograph session was also a huge success. This year's FIA GT1 World Championship features one-hour sprint races. This weekend's Championship Race took place just prior to the 24-hour event also taking place at the circuit.

The track at Spa, surrounded by forest, is known to drivers as a challenging one with its many up- and down-hill sections, and for its high-speed corners. Also, the unpredictable weather at the track is called 'Spa weather,' meaning drivers and teams need to always be prepared for sudden rain.

The British Sumo Power GT squad, who had a brilliant performance in the last race at Paul Ricard, collecting a healthy tally of points, was looking for a stable and strong finish here. The setup on the car was effectively reached at the pre-event test at Spa, and the cars were ready for the race.

The Swiss Racing Team also found a good setup at the pre-race test, which brought a positive atmosphere to the team. It may thus be time for them to advance in rank.

Friday's practice session, pre-qualifying and the knockout session were held on a wet track with occasional rain falling. However according to the weather forecast, it was expected to be dry for the weekend's races.

In the qualifying session held late on Friday afternoon, the #23 GT-R, which came second at the previous round at Paul Ricard, showed strength even with 50 kg of success ballast onboard and finished the session ninth, the highest among all the GT-Rs.

Meanwhile, the #22 GT-R from Sumo Power GT was rammed by a car following it at the start of the Qualifying Race, meaning it had to start the Championship Race from twentieth on the grid.

The championship race started after midday on Saturday, dry conditions making the race a good contest. Nissan's top performing GT-R, the #23 machine, was blocked and fell back right after the start - but then mounted its counterattack.

Krumm, from 14th position, passed the cars in front of him one by one. Just before his pit stop, he had gotten up to 7th place. This clearly illustrated the GT-R's strength. The TV commentator also praised Krumm's pace. 'He has been a high quality driver in Japan for a long time', he said in his introduction.

The remaining GT-R, the #4 car, notched up the laps rhythmically, but in the Championship Race's early stages, was hardly in touch due to an irregular pit stop. The time loss had an effect, and the car finished the race in 16th place. Their teammates in the #3 GT-R came 12th.

After handing over to Dumbreck, the #23 GT-R rejoined the race in 4th place. It then made it up to 3rd, and later rose to 2nd, looking certain of a podium finish. However, just two minutes from the end, engine trouble caused the car to drop out of the race.

Krumm said, - We didn't quite get our 3rd consecutive podium finish in this half of the season. We still have a chance in the last 5 races, so from now on we hope for your continued support.-

Driver Seiji Ara remained cheerful. - After this morning's warm up, we checked the set-up, and this time in the race things were much better, allowing us to drive more aggressively. Next time at the Nurburgring we hope we can make use of the good run we had here, and I think we will get the result we want.-

Although this time in Spa it missed out on a podium finish, the NISSAN GT-R's strong performance is a threat to the rival teams. After this, in Germany and Portugal, and the following European races, even greater efforts are hoped for.