The race week for the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa has officially begun with the traditional parade through the town center of Spa-Francorchamps. In addition to the vehicles from the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS and the Intercontinental GT Challenge, participants from the numerous support series also presented themselves to the fans. The teams had already completed their initial preparations for the endurance classic during test drives.
Starting field shrinks slightly
Shortly before the start of the race, the field was reduced to 69 vehicles. This was due to the withdrawal of the Era Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo. Several teams also used the final days to finalize their driver lineups. Among others, Razoon – more than racing confirmed their Pro-Am lineup, while Mühlner Motorsport signed the Australian Bayley Hall at short notice. For Hall, the journey became a logistical challenge: he headed to Belgium directly after a race in the Australian Super2 Series.
Andreas Latorre and Armand Fumal have also been confirmed at short notice for the Mühlner Porsche. The team will be competing in its 60th 24-hour race in Spa.
First best times in the test
In the official test drives, Tommaso Mosca in the AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo set the fastest lap. Following him were local hero Maxime Martin in the GetSpeed Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo and Dennis Marschall in the Kessel Racing Ferrari with nearly identical times. Charles Dawson in the Mercedes-AMG from 2 Seas Motorsport won the Bronze test session.
Scheduling conflict with IMSA continues to spark discussion
One dominating theme remains the first-time overlap of the 24 Hours of Spa with the IMSA series' Sahlen's Six Hours of The Glen in the USA. More than 30 drivers, as well as several teams and manufacturers, will have to split their time between the two events. Porsche and BMW are therefore partly relying on drivers outside of their works lineups.
SRO founder Stéphane Ratel nevertheless sees no reason to change the date of the Belgian classic. While the overlap is regrettable and has led to the loss of some starters, he believes the advantages of the race date at the end of June outweigh the disadvantages. Since the shift from the traditional July time slot, spectator numbers have increased significantly. As IMSA has already reconfirmed the date for Watkins Glen and Spa is also expected to remain on the last weekend of June, a date clash is likely again in 2027.
IGTC: Mercedes has an advantage heading into Spa
46 out of 69 vehicles are nominated for the Intercontinental GT Challenge manufacturers' championship – more than ever before. Porsche and Mercedes-AMG are providing the largest contingents, followed by BMW and Ferrari.
After successes in Bathurst and the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, Mercedes-AMG travels to Spa as the championship leader, nine points ahead of Porsche. Maxime Martin and Maro Engel are jointly leading the drivers' standings, but will compete in different cars in Belgium.
Mercedes-AMG will not decide on factory support for the remaining races of the season in Suzuka and Indianapolis until after the result from Spa. BMW has also not yet determined the extent to which its involvement will continue in the two final IGTC races.
Fewer Corvettes and prominent failures
Compared to last year, only two Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R are competing. The main reason is also the date overlap with the IMSA series, which means almost all factory drivers are committed elsewhere. Consequently, other planned programs could not be realized.
Several US teams and drivers are also missing this year. CrowdStrike founder George Kurtz, whose company is the event's title sponsor, is also starting in Watkins Glen and will miss the race in Spa for the first time since 2019.
Organizers respond to expected heat
Alongside the sporting events, the anticipated heatwave is causing concern for the organizers. Exceptionally high temperatures have been forecast for the race week, which is why additional protective measures for visitors have been decided upon.
Free drinking water stations will be set up throughout the grounds. In addition, additional covered areas will be created in the Les Combes and Double Gauche spectator sections. Organizers recommend that fans bring plenty of drinks, drink water regularly, and use sunscreen and headwear. Children and older visitors, in particular, should be kept in mind given the high temperatures.
The official practice sessions for the GT World Challenge Europe and the Intercontinental GT Challenge begin on Thursday. After qualifying and night practice, the Superpole will follow on Friday, before the start of the traditional 24-hour race on the weekend.