Oliver Bryant and Phil Keen win the Spa Six Hours Endurance – Nico Verdonck and Andy Newall lose the seemingly assured victory in the final phase
Spa-Francorchamps was all about historic motorsport last weekend. From September 25th to 27th, the Spa Six Hours returning to its traditional three-day event format. At the legendary Ardennes coaster, historic race cars from several decades came together – from the pre-war vehicle to the well-known GT and touring cars of the 1960s and 1970s.
Once again, the focus was on Spa Six Hours Endurance, The race lasted for nearly six hours on Saturday. And as the name suggests, the race lived up to its promise: A thrilling battle for the overall victory developed right up to the final stages.
The GT40 determines the outcome
The dominance of the Ford GT40 was evident already in qualifying. The first eight positions of the starting grid were occupied by GT40 crews. They secured pole position. Oliver Bryant and Phil Keen in the Era Motorsport Ford GT40 with the starting number 18.
However, a close battle developed in the race. In addition to the numerous GT40s, the significantly lighter Ginetta G4R by Palle Birkelund Pedersen, Alexander Weiss and Nicolai Torsland Kjaergaard for a stir.
The Ginetta was able to compete for a long time with the much more powerful Ford, and at times even held a promising position. However, a problem with the transmission ended the hopes of a major coup.
Drama in the last quarter of an hour
For a long time, everything looked like a victory for Nico Verdonck and Andy Newall They had taken the lead with their Ford GT40 #52 and seemed on course for another triumph.
However, about 15 minutes before the end, the pace of the #52 began to noticeably slow down. Oliver Bryant and Phil Keen were able to continuously reduce the deficit. The drama reached its peak in the penultimate round: the GT40 of Verdonck and Newall remained out of action due to a technical problem. Fuel shortage stand on the roadside.
This paved the way for Bryant and Keen. The Brit Oliver Bryant thus celebrated his first victory already. second victory at the Spa Six Hours after 2021, while Phil Keen was able to add his name to the winning list of the traditional race for the first time.
Ginetta brings surprise
Behind the victorious GT40 was the Ginetta G4R with Palle Birkelund Pedersen, Alexander Weiss and Nicolai Torsland Kjaergaard second place overall. The trio brought the comparatively small 1.7-liter sports car to the finish line with just just under two minutes behind.
Third place went to the Ford GT40 #88 from Steve Osborne, Jörg Müller and Christopher Ward. With that, two GT40s were on the podium.
German and international names in the starting field
This year’s starting field also featured numerous familiar names. Among them was the former Formula 3000 European champion Jörg Müller into the steering wheel of the GT40 #88. Also Frank Stippler He was one of the prominent drivers and won the GTS12 class together with Alexander and Vincent Kolb in a Shelby Cobra 289.
In the GTS11 class, the victory went to Ruben Maes and Marc Goossens in the Porsche 911. The Belgian duo thus reached 27th place in the overall standings.
The result of the Spa Six Hours Endurance 2026
| Pos. | Vehicle | Driver |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Ford GT40 #18 | Oliver Bryant / Phil Keen |
| 2. | Ginetta G4R #2 | Palle Pedersen / Alexander Weiss / Nicolai Kjaergaard |
| 3. | Ford GT40 #88 | Steve Osborne / Jörg Müller / Christopher Ward |
| 4. | Lotus Elan 26R #40 | Pim Remijn / Rory Butcher / Ben Barker |
| 5. | Ford GT40 #52 | Andy Newall / Nico Verdonck |
| 6. | Ford GT40 #3 | Nikolaus Ditting / Sam Hancock |
| 7. | Lotus Elan #600 | John Tordoff / Simon Tordoff / Andrew Jordan |
| 8. | Ford GT40 #17 | Stephan Jöbstl / William Nuthall / Ben Mitchell |
| 9. | Shelby Cobra #65 | Alexander Kolb / Vincent Kolb / Frank Stippler |
| 10. | Lotus Elan 26R #173 | Colin Kay / David Mooney |
The official race classification shows 107 rounds For the two first-place finishers. Bryant/Keen needed 5:56:05.847 hours, while Pedersen/Weiss/Kjaergaard came in with a time of 1:58.526 minutes behind. The fastest lap was driven by Oliver Bryant 2:40.769 minutes at an average speed of 156.8 km/h.
Historical motorsport in all its diversity
In addition to the eponymous six-hour race, the weekend featured an extensive program of other historic racing series. Among others, the Belcar Historic Cup, Historic Formula Junior, Alfa Revival Cup, Historic Championship ’81 and ’65, and the Jenks Trophy With this, the Spa Six Hours remained far more than just a single endurance race in 2026: For three days, motorsport history came alive on the challenging course of Spa-Francorchamps.
However, this year’s highlight was clearly the Ford GT40 driven by Oliver Bryant and Phil Keen. What initially looked like another triumph for Verdonck and Newall, turned into a classic endurance drama in the final minutes – and secured a victory for the Spa Six Hours, which was only in contention until the very last kilometers.