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The peaceful Belgian town of Spa was rudely awakened on Wednesday by the roar of over 40 GT sports cars.

The famous Spa parade sees the FIA GT racing cars make the 5 mile trip from the Spa Francorchamps circuit to the picturesque town via the public roads which were aligned with fans along the route.

Thousands of people packed into the town to see the cars up close and meet the drivers who later posed for a mid season class photo on the steps of Spa Casino.

The Gigawave MotorSport drivers; Andy Thompson, Allan Simonsen, Darren Turner and Philipp Peter, proved a huge hit with the crowds, signing autographs and handing out Gigawave MotorSport goodies for over 3 hours.

The atmosphere was carnival like as the sun shone in the town square before the cars were driven up through the town, back to the circuit in preparation for this weekends Total Spa 24 Hour race.

Andy Thompson commented; “It was great fun! The numbers reflected the popularity of the FIA GT series and the cars competing in the championship. I was impressed with the turn out and enjoyed meeting so many enthusiastic fans.”

Gigawave MotorSport onboard footage of the Total Spa 24 Hours race can be viewed live at www.gt1live.tv.

The FIA GT Championship hits the midway point of the 2008 season at the all-important Total Spa 24 Hours race this weekend, 2nd to 3rd August.

Double points are up for grabs at this prestigious endurance race in the Ardennes region of Belgium, making this race the most important for Gigawave MotorSport in the team’s inaugural season.

The Gigawave MotorSport Aston Martin DBR9 will be in the skilled hands of Danish racer Allan Simonsen, Austrian Philipp Peter, and the British driver and Le Mans class winner Darren Turner. The official standby driver is Andy Thompson from Scotland. It’s a line-up that’s causing a great deal of excitement and anticipation in the paddock.

When racing for 24 hours, all three of the Gigawave MotorSport drivers agree that a different approach is needed, both in the preparation and in the actual racing:

Philipp Peter explains: “The drivers know that they will be driving roughly eight times each, which means preparation starts weeks before the event. I train harder and longer to prepare myself mentally and physically. I am very confident following a good test at Spa recently. The team really found a new level of motivation following the disappointment in Oschersleben [when a failed engine mount forced the team to withdraw].”

Allan Simonsen comments: “Having competed at Le Mans a couple of times, I know what I need to do – and I really can’t wait. To finish is so important in a race like this, so the racing must be approached slightly differently. It’s an endurance race, not a sprint, and so much of the success comes from teamwork and strategy.”

Brit Darren Turner has more time racing the DBR9 than any other driver, so he’s a perfect addition to the line-up: “It’s such a pleasure to drive the DBR9 around a circuit like Spa. The track has to be in most drivers’ top three favourites as it really is the ultimate drivers’ racetrack. The level of grip in the wet here is extraordinary, which is fortunate, as it can rain at any time with no warning. It really is an old-school circuit that separates the men from the boys.”

Meanwhile Andy Thompson, the team’s standby driver, is very much part of Gigawave MotorSport’s plans for the future. Says Thompson: “I’m looking forward to gaining experience by being with the team at Spa. I plan to learn as much as I can.”

Gigawave MotorSport onboard footage of the Total Spa 24 Hours race can be viewed live at www.gt1live.tv.

Darren Turner, winner of the GT1 class of the 24 Heures du Mans for the past two years, will join Gigawave MotorSport for the Total 24 Hours of Spa race.

The 34-year-old Brit will join regular drivers Philipp Peter and Allan Simonsen behind the wheel of the Aston Martin DBR9, as Gigawave MotorSport tackles its first 24-hour endurance race, around the legendary Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium, on 2nd and 3rd August 2008.

The UK-based team will be aiming to claw its way back into the FIA GT Championship title race following a disappointing withdrawal at the last round in Oschersleben, Germany, due to an engine mount problem.

The ever-popular ‘DT’ also drives for Aston Martin Racing and has spent more time and clocked more miles in a DBR9 than any other driver. The car has taken him to victory in the GT1 class of the Le Mans 24 Hours for the past two years, which should set him up perfectly for the challenge of Spa.

Andy Thompson, Gigawave MotorSport’s test driver, will also head to Spa as the team’s designated spare driver, following his podium finish in the GT3 race at Oschersleben in the Ascari KZ-1R of Team Berlanga.

Gigawave MotorSport is the only UK-based team in the premier GT1 class of the FIA GT Championship and has 15 points after four races.

Gigawave MotorSport were forced to pull out of Round 4 of the FIA GT Championship shortly before the race was due to begin because of an engine mount failure.

The problem occurred during morning warm up and a replacement part could not be found in time for the race.

This is the first time this season that Gigawave MotorSport has not picked up any championship points having finished twice on the podium sixth at the last race in Adria.

The team now head to the Spa 24 test in preparation for the Total Spa 24 on 2nd and 3rd August.

Gigawave MotorSport qualified in a ninth place for Round 4 of the FIA GT Championship at Oschersleben in Germany but will pull out all the stops for a good result on raceday.

Philipp Peter took on the qualifying duties and put in the ninth fastest lap with a time of 1.24.842 in a delayed session due to debris on the track from an earlier race.

The Jetalliance car of Karl Wendlinger took pole position with his team mate Alex Muller in second place and the SRT Corvette of Christophe Bouchut in third.

Gigawave MotorSport driver Allan Simonsen celebrated his birthday during the race weekend for Round 4 of the FIA GT Championship in Oschersleben.

SRO, the race organisers and Allan’s team-mate and fellow driver, Philipp Peter, presented the Danish driver with a birthday cake in the Gigawave MotorSport hospitality area with the whole team and invited guests on-hand to offer their congratulations.

Allan will be hoping for the best birthday present possible, a win on Sunday as Gigawave MotorSport look to continue their excellent early season form.

After a good finish in Adria with 40kg of success ballast, Gigawave MotorSport are back on level terms having shed the extra weight thanks to last months valiant sixth place.

Now just five points off the FIA GT Championship leaders, Gigawave MotorSport head to Oschersleben in Germany for Round 4, hoping to continue its excellent start to the season in picking up two podiums and a top-six finish.

The drivers know the importance of this race because the cars will not be handicapped for a high finish for the next round. Driver Allan Simonsen admits they must make this count. “This is the crucial race because the cars are not handicapped for the Spa 24 Hours, so a good result at Oschersleben will not count against us later on. Adria showed how the extra ballast can hold the car back so we need to capitalise on this.”

Car set-up is key and fellow driver Philipp Peter believes the team can take advantage of what was learned at the previous race. “Oshersleben is a small circuit, like Adria but it has one fast corner that will benefit us. We will take a lot from the previous round in terms of car set-up for a tight, twisty circuit and we have a good set up for the car which should maximise the DBR9’s performance.”