Spa 24 Hours 2026

The Mustang attacks Eau Rouge, overlooked by the new grandstand. All the magic of night racing.

On Saturday at 4:30 p.m., the 69 competitors were released for 24 hours into the sweltering heat of Spa.

At that moment, few would have bet on a victory 24 hours later for the #80 Porsche 911 GT3R. Indeed, the car was penalized with a pit lane start following an engine change before the race, as stipulated by the regulations. Here it is seen in 56th position (056 on the windshield) after one hour of racing.

A steady climb through the pack allowed its drivers, Thomas Preining, Ricardo Feller and Bastian Buus, to take the lead five hours from the finish and never relinquish it.

This is Porsche’s ninth victory at the 24 Hours of Spa, the last one dating back to 2020. This places the Stuttgart manufacturer second in the event’s history, with BMW dominating the standings with twenty-five victories. This is also the first major victory for the young German team Lionspeed, which is nevertheless based near the Francorchamps circuit.

Another Porsche well placed, the #22 of Güven/Campbell/Makowiecki, 4th at the finish, less than a second from the podium.

The #2 Porsche of the Boutsen VDS team leads the pack while the gauge reads 42 degrees! It will finish 8th in the overall standings.

Long in contention for the win, the Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 driven by Auer, Stolz and Engel was unable to match the #80 Porsche’s late surge. However, its second-place finish puts it firmly in contention for the championship.

Another Mercedes, the #3 entered by Verstappen Racing, the team dear to the Dutch world champion, was well-positioned for a long time. However, it had to retire after 18 hours of racing.

A disappointing performance also for the #17 Mercedes of local driver Maxime Martin, in his 20th participation. A puncture, a collision, and irreparable damage led to his retirement at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday evening.

The race seemed destined for the #51 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 driven by Nielsen, Mosca, and Rovera. Rovera had indeed secured pole position and dominated the early stages of the race. However, a puncture, contact, and penalties forced them to settle for third place, less than thirteen seconds behind the leader. There are certainly some regrets to be had in Maranello.

The second car of the AF Corse team entered in the Pro category for the female Lilou Wadoux, Arthur Leclerc, brother of Charles, Ferrari F1 driver and Sean Gelael, had a calmer race which led it to fifth place in the end.

AF Corse entered a third 296 GT3 in the Silver class, in which it finished on the 3rd step of the podium with among its drivers, the Belgians Machiels and Stadsbader.

Ferrari can console itself with two class victories, including one in the bronze class for the 296 GT3 entered by the Swiss team Kessel Racing, which also finished 10th in the overall standings.

Another class victory for Ferrari thanks to the #45 of the German team Rinaldi Racing, winner of the Silver class and 14th in the overall standings.

Among the other Ferraris entered, the #71 of the Danish team Selected Car Racing finished 4th in the Gold class.

The JMW Motorsport Ferrari #60, entered in the Bronze category, has to retire during the night, after 9 hours of racing.

Finally, the fourth 296 GT3 entered by AF Corse, in the Pro Am category, saw its race end after three short laps, involved in a collision on the 1st lap eliminating three other competitors.

McLaren had high hopes, as the #58 720S GT3, entered in the Gold class, started from the front row of the grid. However, it finished far behind, 28 laps down from the winners.

Another McLaren that could have achieved a good result, the #59 entered in Pro, saw its race stop after 6 hours and 20 minutes of racing.

The McLaren #4, entered by Optimum Motorsport in the Gold category, saves honor by finishing on the smallest step of the podium.

Mixed fortunes for the McLarens of the French team CSA Racing, the #111 finishing far back in 34th place and the #555 seen here retiring an hour from the finish but nevertheless classified 40th at 53 laps.

At BMW, complaints quickly arose that the Balance of Performance, intended to equalize the chances of each type of car, was clearly unfavorable to them. Under these conditions, former MotoGP star Valentino Rossi, partnered with Dan Harper and Max Hesse in the M4 #46 entered by Belgian Team WRT, could only manage a sixth-place finish.

No better on the side of BMW’s other top team, Rowe Racing, winner in 2023, with a ninth place for Farfus, Dennis and Marciello.

The Munich firm still obtained some satisfaction in the other categories thanks to the victory of the other M4 entered by Rowe Racing, the #998, winner in the Gold category thanks to De Wilde, Tramnitz and Klingmann.

Another excellent result with second place in the Bronze category for the M4 #991 of Paradine Competition, combined with a 13th place in the overall standings.

Another second place for a BMW, but in the Silver class, with the #30 entered by WRT, fifteenth overall.

Winners two years ago, the Belgian team Comtoyou Racing entered four Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVOs in four different categories. None finished the race, with three of them retiring after going off the track, including the #007 entered in the PRO class.

The Aston Martin #700, entered in the Pro-Am race, notably included Iron Dames’ driver and local favorite Sarah Bovy, a crowd favorite. Her race, however, ended with her car crashing into the barriers at over 200 km/h around 4:30 a.m. Sunday morning, fortunately without any injuries.

It was finally the German team Walkenhorst Motorsport, winner in 2018 with BMW, that provided the Gaydon manufacturer with the best result with 7th place overall for the #34 of Day, Krognes and Chaves.

The name Ecurie Ecosse persists to this day, this Aston Martin, seen here at Eau Rouge, finishing 31st overall and 6th in the Bronze class.

Although Audi is no longer officially involved in GT3, having focused all its resources on F1, six Audi R8 LMS cars were nevertheless on the starting grid, including the #84 entered in the PRO class with two former winners at the wheel, Winkelhock and Haase. However, it had to retire after completing 233 laps.

Among the favorites in the Silver class, the Audi #25 entered by the French team Saintéloc, overall winner in 2017, could do no better than ninth in its category.

Winner overall a year ago with a Huracan entered by Grasser Racing Team, Lamborghini introduced its successor in 2026, the Temerario. This year was dedicated to the development and reliability of the new car, and only two examples were present. The #63 Grasser RT had to retire after completing 144 laps.

Second last year with Porsche, the German team Rutronik switched to Lamborghini this year and could do no better than 19th overall, for its first Spa experience with the Temerario.

Only two Ford Mustangs were entered, both by the German team Haupt RT. The #64, entered in the PRO class, performed well, even taking the lead around midnight, but a transmission problem on Sunday morning brought the Pony Car’s adventure to an end.

As for the other Mustang, entered in the Silver class, it lost the lead in its category on Sunday morning following a collision that caused a puncture and relegated it to fifth place in its group, two laps behind the winning Ferrari.

Another American brand at the start, Chevrolet fielded two Corvette Z.06 GT3 Rs, including the #24 Steller Motorsport entry in the Gold class. It finished far down the standings, 55 laps behind the class winner.

Entered in Pro-Am, the other Corvette, bearing #0 and entered by Johor Motorsports Racing, won its category, while finishing 10 laps behind the overall winner.