Spa 24 Hours

24 Hours of Spa
GT World Challenge Endurance; Intercontinental GT Challenge
Venue	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Corporate sponsor	CrowdStrike
First race	1924
Duration	24 Hours
Most wins (driver)	Eric van de Poele (5)
Most wins (manufacturer)	BMW (25)

The 24 Hours of Spa is an endurance racing event for cars held annually since 1924 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot, Belgium. It is currently sponsored by CrowdStrike.

History

The Spa 24 Hours was conceived by Jules de Their and Henri Langlois Van Ophem just one year after the inaugural 24 Hours of Le Mans was run. It debuted in 1924 over a 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) circuit on public roads between the towns of Francorchamps, Malmedy and Stavelot, under the auspices of the Royal Automobile Club of Belgium (RACB). The present 7.004 kilometres (4.352 mi) circuit was inaugurated in 1979 with only slight variations since then.

The Spa 24 Hours was part of the European Touring Car Championship from 1966 to 1973, again in 1976 and from 1982 to 1988 (with the exception of 1987 when it was part of the inaugural World Touring Car Championship). The event also counted towards the World Sportscar Championship in 1953 and the World Endurance Championship in 1981. As on the Nürburgring, both a 24h and a 1000 km race is held at Spa, as the 1000 km Spa for sports car racing were introduced in 1966.

Cars entered have spanned from the Russian Moskvitch and models with sub-1 liter engines such as the NSU Prinz TT to the luxurious V8-powered Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3. Tuned by Mercedes-AMG, the 6834 cc and 420 hp (313 kW) so-called "Red pig" finished as high as second in 1971.

During the 1975 race, Dutch driver Wim Boshuis and a track marshal were killed in two separate incidents. Boshuis was killed when his vehicle collided with other cars on the track, while the track marshal was killed 30 minutes later when Belgian driver Alain Peltier collided with a railing.^[1]

With the participation of Swiss Lilian Bryner on the victorious Ferrari 550 of the BMS Scuderia Italia team, the 2004 race marked the first time in history that a female driver was part of the winning team of a 24-hour endurance race in a Gran Turismo with more than 500 hp (370 kW).

The current version of the Spa 24 Hours is an event under the GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS and Intercontinental GT Challenge calendar, although it was previously run as part of the FIA GT Championship featuring GT1 and GT2 machinery, and by various touring car series. Currently, the cars run fall under the FIA GT3 and GT3 Cup classifications. It has also been a round of the SRO Group's Intercontinental GT Challenge since its inaugural season in 2016.

2020 saw the race held behind closed doors for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In September 2022, the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix Formula One race was scheduled to be held on July 28–30, which clashed with the traditional date of the Spa 24 Hours, so the latter was forced to be rescheduled to early July.

Coupe du Roi

The best manufacturer wins the Coupe du Roi (King's Cup), which is not necessarily the race winners. The cup is won by the manufacturer with the most points, accrued by cars that are made by the same manufacturer.^[2] For example, Australian car manufacturer Holden won the Coupe du Roi in 1986 despite their cars finishing the race in 18th, 22nd and 23rd positions outright.^[3]

List of winners

Year	Drivers	Team	Car	Layout	Distance (km)	Average (km/h)	Series	Notes
1924	Henri Springuel Maurice Becquet		Bignan 2L	15 km
1925	André Lagache René Léonard		Chenard-Walcker
1926	André Boillot Louis Rigal		Peugeot 174 S
1927	Robert Sénéchal Nicolas Caerels		Excelsior
1928	Boris Ivanowski^{[NB 1]} Attilio Marinoni		Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 S
1929	Robert Benoist Attilio Marinoni		Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 SS
1930	Attilio Marinoni Pietro Ghersi		Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS
1931	Dimitri Jorjadze^{[NB 2]} Goffredo Zehender		Mercedes-Benz SSK
1932	Antonio Brivio Eugenio Siena		Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 LM
1933	Louis Chiron Luigi Chinetti		Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 LM
1934	Jean Desvignes Norbert Mahé		Bugatti Type 44					Reduced to 10 hours.^[4]
1935	Not held
1936	Francesco Severi Raymond Sommer		Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 A	15 km
1937	Not held
1938	Carlo Pintacuda Francesco Severi		Alfa Romeo 8C 2900 B	15 km
1939 – 1947	Not held
1948	St. John Horsfall Leslie Johnson		Aston Martin 2-Litre Sports	15 km
1949	Luigi Chinetti Jean Lucas		Ferrari 166 MM	15 km
1950 – 1952	Not held
1953	Giuseppe Farina Mike Hawthorn		Ferrari 375 MM Pinin Farina	14 km			World Sportscar Championship.	First use of 14 km layout.
1954 – 1963	Not held
1964	Robert Crevits Gustave Gosselin		Mercedes-Benz 300 SE	14 km	3962.100	164.825		Second win for Mercedes-Benz, won by the legendary 300 SE L “Red Pig”.
1965	Pascal Ickx Gérard Langlois van Ophem		BMW 1800 Ti/SA		3812.591	158.855
1966	Hubert Hahne Jacky Ickx		BMW 2000 Ti		4048.368	168.681	European Touring Car Championship
1967	Jean-Pierre Gaban Noël Van Assche		Porsche 911		4052.883	168.867	European Touring Car Championship
1968	Erwin Kremer Willi Kauhsen Helmut Kelleners		Porsche 911		4004.827	166.867	European Touring Car Championship
1969	Guy Chasseuil Claude Ballot-Léna		Porsche 911		4272.231	187.006	European Touring Car Championship
1970	Günther Huber Helmut Kelleners		BMW 2800 CS		4252.407	177.183	European Touring Car Championship
1971	Dieter Glemser Alex Soler-Roig		Ford Capri RS		4385.100	182.690	European Touring Car Championship
1972	Jochen Mass Hans-Joachim Stuck		Ford Capri RS 2600		4498.436	187.431	European Touring Car Championship	All time distance record.
1973	Toine Hezemans Dieter Quester		BMW 3.0 CSL		4422.980	184.290	European Touring Car Championship
1974	Jean Xhenceval Alain Peltier		BMW 3.0 CSi		4147.289	172.804	Trophée de l'Avenir	Pierre Dieudonné was an entered driver but did not drive.^[5]
1975	Jean Xhenceval Hughes de Fierlandt		BMW 3.0 CSi		4249.270	177.053	Trophée de l'Avenir	Pierre Dieudonné was an entered driver but did not drive.^[5]
1976	Jean-Marie Detrin Nico Demuth Charles Van Stalle		BMW 3.0 CSL		4087.904	170.329	European Touring Car Championship
1977	Eddy Joosen Jean-Claude Andruet		BMW 530 i		4083.835	170.159	Trophée de l'Avenir
1978	Gordon Spice Teddy Pilette		Ford Capri III 3.0S		4315.594	179.816	Trophée de l'Avenir
1979	Jean-Michel Martin Philippe Martin		Ford Capri III 3.0S	7 km	3083.632	128.485	Trophée de l'Avenir	First use of 7 km layout.
1980	Jean-Michel Martin Philippe Martin		Ford Capri III 3.0 S		2952.318	123.013		First team to win back-to-back races. The Ford Capri took its 5th win and 3rd in a row.
1981	Pierre Dieudonné Tom Walkinshaw		Mazda RX-7		3183.952	132.737	World Endurance Championship Trophée de l'Avenir	First Japanese manufacturer to win.
1982	Hans Heyer Armin Hahne Eddy Joosen		BMW 528 i		3132.224	130.808	European Touring Car Championship
1983	Thierry Tassin Hans Heyer Armin Hahne		BMW 635 CSi		3333.726	130.808	European Touring Car Championship
1984	Hans Heyer Tom Walkinshaw Win Percy		Jaguar XJS		3055.485	131.091	European Touring Car Championship
1985	Roberto Ravaglia Marc Surer Gerhard Berger		BMW 635 CSi		3470.000	144.344	European Touring Car Championship
1986	Dieter Quester Altfrid Heger Thierry Tassin		BMW 635 CSi		3463.060	144.232	European Touring Car Championship
1987	Jean-Michel Martin Didier Theys Eric van de Poele		BMW M3		3338.140	139.908	World Touring Car Championship
1988	Altfrid Heger Dieter Quester Roberto Ravaglia		BMW M3		3532.460	146.929	European Touring Car Championship
1989	Gianfranco Brancatelli Win Percy Bernd Schneider		Ford Sierra RS500		3338.140	139.130		Sixth win for Ford, and the first since 1980 with the Capri.
1990	Markus Oestreich Fabien Giroix Johnny Cecotto		BMW M3 Evolution		3247.920	135.330
1991	Anders Olofsson David Brabham Naoki Hattori		Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R		3587.980	149.456
1992	Steve Soper Jean-Michel Martin Christian Danner		BMW M3 Evolution		3560.220	148.947
1993	Uwe Alzen Christian Fittipaldi Jean-Pierre Jarier		Porsche 911 RSR		2154.904	144.667		Race stopped after 15 hours due to the death of King Baudouin.^[6]
1994	Roberto Ravaglia Thierry Tassin Alexander Burgstaller		BMW 318 is		3625.960	151.047
1995	Joachim Winkelhock Steve Soper Peter Kox		BMW 320 i		3612.532	150.531
1996	Jörg Müller Alexander Burgstaller Thierry Tassin		BMW 320 i		3507.821	145.956
1997	Didier de Radiguès Marc Duez Éric Hélary		BMW 320 i		3372.680	140.252
1998	Alain Cudini Marc Duez Eric van de Poele		BMW 318 i		3344.807	139.344
1999	Frédéric Bouvy Emmanuel Collard Anthony Beltoise		Peugeot 306 GTI		3428.427	142.588
2000	Didier Defourny Frédéric Bouvy Kurt Mollekens		Peugeot 306 GTI		3330.870	138.686		Second team to win back-to-back races. Third win for Peugeot. Last race for touring cars.
2001	Marc Duez Christophe Bouchut Jean-Philippe Belloc	Larbre Compétition	Chrysler Viper GTS-R		3679.104	152.999	FIA GT Championship	First race for GT cars. First win for Daimler AG since 1964. (Chrysler was a Mercedes-Benz Group brand from 1999 to 2006.)
2002	Christophe Bouchut Sébastien Bourdais David Terrien Vincent Vosse	Larbre Compétition	Chrysler Viper GTS-R		3654.059	152.019	FIA GT Championship	Third team to win back-to-back races.
2003	Romain Dumas Stéphane Ortelli Marc Lieb	Freisinger Motorsport	Porsche 911 GT3-RS		3327.613	138.557	FIA GT Championship
2004	Luca Cappellari Fabrizio Gollin Lilian Bryner Enzo Calderari	BMS Scuderia Italia	Ferrari 550-GTS Maranello		3888.144	161.974	FIA GT Championship	Third win for Ferrari, and the first since 1958. First and only victory for a female driver.
2005	Michael Bartels Timo Scheider Eric van de Poele	Vitaphone Racing	Maserati MC12		4000.896	166.638	FIA GT Championship	First ever victory for Maserati.
2006	Eric van de Poele Michael Bartels Andrea Bertolini	Vitaphone Racing Team	Maserati MC12		4092.961	171.034	FIA GT Championship	Fourth team to win back-to-back races since Larbre Compétition in 2002.
2007	Fabrizio Gollin Mike Hezemans Jean-Denis Délétraz Marcel Fässler	Carsport Holland Phoenix Racing	Chevrolet Corvette C6.R		3726.660	155.241	FIA GT Championship
2008	Michael Bartels Andrea Bertolini Stéphane Sarrazin Eric van de Poele	Vitaphone Racing Team	Maserati MC12		4041.885	168.096	FIA GT Championship	Third win for the Maserati MC12.
2009	Anthony Kumpen Kurt Mollekens Mike Hezemans Jos Menten	PK Carsport	Chevrolet Corvette C6.R		3915.236	163.128	FIA GT Championship
2010	Romain Dumas Martin Ragginger Jörg Bergmeister Wolf Henzler	BMS Scuderia Italia	Porsche 997 GT3-RSR		3789.164	157.832		First team to win with two different manufacturers.
2011	Timo Scheider Greg Franchi Mattias Ekström	Audi Sport Team WRT	Audi R8 LMS		3817.180	158.898	Blancpain Endurance Series	First ever victory for Audi.
2012	Andrea Piccini René Rast Frank Stippler	Audi Sport Performance Team	Audi R8 LMS		3565.036	148.543	Blancpain Endurance Series
2013	Bernd Schneider Maximilian Götz Maximilian Buhk	HTP Motorsport	Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3		3950.256	164.594	Blancpain Endurance Series	Third win for Mercedes-Benz, and the first since 1964.
2014	René Rast Markus Winkelhock Laurens Vanthoor	Belgian Audi Club Team WRT	Audi R8 LMS ultra		3691.108	153.732	Blancpain Endurance Series	Red flag (1 hour).^[7]
2015	Nick Catsburg Lucas Luhr Markus Palttala	BMW Sports Trophy Team Marc VDS	BMW Z4 GT3		3754.144	156.423	Blancpain Endurance Series
2016	Philipp Eng Maxime Martin Alexander Sims	ROWE Racing	BMW M6 GT3		3719.403	154.975	Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Intercontinental GT Challenge
2017	Jules Gounon Christopher Haase Markus Winkelhock	Audi Sport Team Saintéloc	Audi R8 LMS		3824.184	159.341	Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Intercontinental GT Challenge
2018	Tom Blomqvist Philipp Eng Christian Krognes	Walkenhorst Motorsport	BMW M6 GT3		3579.044	149.127	Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Intercontinental GT Challenge
2019	Kévin Estre Richard Lietz Michael Christensen	GPX Racing	Porsche 911 GT3 R		2542.45	105.78	Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Intercontinental GT Challenge	First team from the Middle East to win. 18-hour race. Racing suspended from 4:00 AM to 11:30 AM (rain), initially by safety car, then red flag at 5:40 AM.
2020	Earl Bamber Nick Tandy Laurens Vanthoor	Rowe Racing	Porsche 911 GT3 R		3691.10	153.7	GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Intercontinental GT Challenge	Second team to win with two different manufacturers after BMS Scuderia Italia.
2021	Côme Ledogar Nicklas Nielsen Alessandro Pier Guidi	Iron Lynx	Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020		3894.22	162.0	GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Intercontinental GT Challenge	Fourth win for Ferrari, and the first since 2004.
2022	Jules Gounon Daniel Juncadella Raffaele Marciello	AMG Team AKKodis ASP	Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo		3754.14	156.2	GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Intercontinental GT Challenge	Fourth win for Mercedes-Benz
2023	Philipp Eng Marco Wittmann Nick Yelloly	ROWE Racing	BMW M4 GT3		3761.14	156.7	GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Intercontinental GT Challenge	A record-extending twenty-fifth win for BMW.
2024	Mattia Drudi Marco Sørensen Nicki Thiim	Comtoyou Racing	Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo		3347.91	139.2	GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Intercontinental GT Challenge	Centenary edition. First win for a Belgian team since 2015, and first win for Aston Martin since 1948.
2025	Mirko Bortolotti Luca Engstler Jordan Pepper	GRT - Grasser Racing Team	Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2		3845.196	160.2	GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Intercontinental GT Challenge	First ever victory for Lamborghini.

The original 15 km track layout (used from 1924 to 1949)

The quicker 14 km track layout (used from 1953 to 1978)

The slower 7km modern track (used from 1979 onwards)

Statistics

By driver

Multiple wins by driver
Wins	Driver	Years
5	Eric van de Poele	1987, 1998, 2005, 2006, 2008
4	Jean-Michel Martin	1979, 1980, 1987, 1992
4	Thierry Tassin	1983, 1986, 1994, 1996
3	Attilio Marinoni	1928, 1929, 1930
	Hans Heyer	1982, 1983, 1984
	Dieter Quester	1973, 1986, 1988
	Roberto Ravaglia	1985, 1988, 1994
	Marc Duez	1997, 1998, 2001
	Michael Bartels	2005, 2006, 2008
	Philipp Eng	2016, 2018, 2023
2	Francesco Severi	1936, 1938
	Luigi Chinetti	1933, 1949
	Helmut Kelleners	1968, 1970
	Jean Xhenceval	1974, 1975
	Philippe Martin	1979, 1980
	Eddy Joosen	1977, 1982
	Armin Hahne	1982, 1983
	Tom Walkinshaw	1981, 1984
	Altfrid Heger	1986, 1988
	Win Percy	1984, 1989
	Steve Soper	1992, 1995
	Alexander Burgstaller	1994, 1996
	Frédéric Bouvy	1999, 2000
	Christophe Bouchut	2001, 2002
	Fabrizio Gollin	2004, 2007
	Andrea Bertolini	2006, 2008
	Kurt Mollekens	2000, 2009
	Mike Hezemans	2007, 2009
	Romain Dumas	2003, 2010
	Timo Scheider	2005, 2011
	Bernd Schneider	1989, 2013
	René Rast	2012, 2014
	Markus Winkelhock	2014, 2017
	Laurens Vanthoor	2014, 2020
	Jules Gounon	2017, 2022

By manufacturer

Wins by manufacturer
Wins	Manufacturer	Years
25	BMW	1965, 1966, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2023
8	Porsche	1967, 1968, 1969, 1993, 2003, 2010, 2019, 2020
7	Alfa Romeo	1928, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1933, 1936, 1938
6	Ford	1971, 1972, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1989
4	Audi	2011, 2012, 2014, 2017
	Ferrari	1949, 1953, 2004, 2021
	Mercedes-Benz	1931, 1964, 2013, 2022
3	Peugeot	1926, 1999, 2000
3	Maserati	2005, 2006, 2008
2	Chrysler	2001, 2002
	Chevrolet	2007, 2009
	Aston Martin	1948, 2024
1	Lamborghini	2025
	Nissan	1991
	Jaguar	1984
	Mazda	1981
	Bugatti	1934
	Excelsior	1927
	Chenard-Walcker	1925
	Bignan	1924

Notes

^ Ivanowski was a Russian national, but in exile since the Russian Revolution
^ Jorjadze was a Russian national, but in exile since the Russian Revolution

References

^ UPI (28 July 1975), "2 Killed at Spa", The New York Times
^ Vincent Wouters (27 July 2015), Spa Post-Race Notebook, SportsCar360
^ Gricey's King's Cup Story (Spa 1986)
^ "SPORTS CAR RACING". kolumbus.fi. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
^ ^a ^b Greenhalgh, David (28 June 2024). "Breaking Down The History Of Belgium's Greatest Endurance Race". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
^ "1993 Spa 24 Hours". touringcarracing.net. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
^ "28 Jul 2014 – Belgian Audi Club Team WRT takes home win after nail-biting finish". total24hours.com. 28 July 2014. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.

External links

TotalEnergies Spa 24 Hours website: Available in English, French and Dutch
1971 results
1972 results
1981 results
FIA GT Website

[4] Ivanowski was a Russian national, but in exile since the Russian Revolution

[5] Jorjadze was a Russian national, but in exile since the Russian Revolution

[1] UPI (28 July 1975), "2 Killed at Spa", The New York Times

[2] Vincent Wouters (27 July 2015), Spa Post-Race Notebook, SportsCar360

[3] Gricey's King's Cup Story (Spa 1986)

[6] "SPORTS CAR RACING". kolumbus.fi. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2017.

[Dieudonné-7] Greenhalgh, David (28 June 2024). "Breaking Down The History Of Belgium's Greatest Endurance Race". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 8 July 2024.

[8] "1993 Spa 24 Hours". touringcarracing.net. Retrieved 31 July 2016.

[9] "28 Jul 2014 – Belgian Audi Club Team WRT takes home win after nail-biting finish". total24hours.com. 28 July 2014. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2014.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[NB 1]

[NB 2]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

Intercontinental GT Challenge races (2016–present)
Current (2025)	Bathurst 12 Hour Nürburgring 24 Hours Suzuka 1000 km Indianapolis 8 Hour
Former	California 8 Hours Gulf 12 Hours Kyalami 9 Hours Sepang 12 Hours

Automobile endurance races
24 hours	24 Hours of Le Mans 24 Hours of Daytona Nürburgring 24 Hours Dubai 24 Hour Fuji 24 Hours 24 Hours of Zolder 24 Hours of Barcelona 2CV 24 Hour Race 24H Silverstone Longest Day of Nelson 24 Hours of Chamonix Willhire 24 Hour Bathurst 24 Hour Tokachi 24 Hours 24 Hours of Portimão
12 hours	12 Hours of Mugello 12 Hours of Sebring 12 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps Bathurst 12 Hour Gulf 12 Hours Sepang 12 Hours 12 Hours of Kuwait 12 Hours of Hungary Coppa Florio 12 Hours of Sicily 12 Hours at the Point 12 Hours of Brno 12 Hours of Reims Rothmans 12 hours
10 hours	Petit Le Mans Qatar 1812 km 10 Hours of Messina
9 hours	Kyalami 9 Hours
8 hours	8 Hours of Bahrain Indianapolis 8 Hour California 8 Hours
6 hours	6 Hours of Abu Dhabi 6 Hours of Bogotá 6 Hours of Fuji 6 Hours of Imola 6 Hours of São Paulo 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps 6 Hours of Watkins Glen Bathurst 6 Hour 6 Hours of Austin 6 Hours of Indianapolis (IMSA) 6 Hours of Road America (IMSA) 6 Hours of Atlanta 6 Hours of Donington 6 Hours of Jeddah 6 Hours of Mexico 6 Hours of Monza 6 Hours of Nürburgring 6 Hours of Perth 6 Hours of Portimão 6 Hours of Rome 6 Hours of Zhuhai Mid-Ohio 6 Hours Monterey 6 Hours Mosport 6 Hours Riverside 6 Hours
4 Hours	4 Hours of Abu Dhabi 4 Hours of Barcelona 4 Hours of Castellet 4 Hours of Dubai 4 Hours of Imola 4 Hours of Portimão 4 Hours of Sepang 4 Hours of Silverstone 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps 4 Hours of Aragón 4 Hours of Buriram 4 Hours of Estoril 4 Hours of Fuji 4 Hours of Mugello 4 Hours of Red Bull Ring 4 Hours of Shanghai 4 Hours of Shanghai (AsLMS) 4 Hours of The Bend 4 Hours of Zhuhai
2 hours	TCR European Endurance
1000 miles	Mil Milhas Brasil 1000 Miles of Sebring Mille Miglia
1000 km	1006 km Palanga 1000 km Paul Ricard Bathurst 1000 Baja 1000 Sepang 1000 km Suzuka 1000 km 1000 km Brands Hatch 1000 km Buenos Aires 1000 km Istanbul 1000 km Jarama 1000 km Le Mans (Bugatti) 1000 km Mosport 1000 km Okayama 1000 km Paris Race of a Thousand Years
Other	25 Hours of Spa 25 Hours of Thunderhill Carrera Panamericana Charge of the Headlight Brigade Targa Florio TCR Spa 500 Laps or 23 Hours The 2904
Defunct races are indicated in italics