The CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa is the cornerstone of the GT World Challenge powered by AWS calendar. An ever-present since the series launched in 2011, it is the event around which everything else is built – and the one that everyone wants to win. Though it's more than a century old, we've looked back at the 15 editions staged since Spa became a GT3 race and picked the top five.
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5
2020 – Almost Perfect
The 2020 race was a thriller, and it would be much higher up this list but for one very important fact: due to Covid restrictions, there were no fans at the track. And what is Spa without the fans? A great race, yes, but no longer a great event.
Staged in late October, it came down to a battle between ROWE Racing's Porsche – they were taking a one-year break from BMW – and Attempto's Audi. It seemed fairly plain sailing until the Porsche began dropping oil and losing time, allowing the Audi to close up considerably.
Ironically, the oil actually prevented the chasing car from launching an attack and secured victory for ROWE. The German squad became the first (and is still the only) to win the race overall with more than one brand during the GT3 era.
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4
2016 – Local Boy Done Good
From his first year driving the BMW Z4 for Marc VDS in 2011 through to the car's final appearence in 2015, it seemed that Maxime Martin was permenantly a favourite to win his home race. But there was always something standing in his way: a fire extinguisher suddenly exploding in the cockpit; an engine failure while leading by a lap; even an unfortunate collision with a rabbit which damaged the car’s radiator beyond repair.
When the local hero arrived in 2016 – now driving the new M6 for ROWE Racing – he was no longer a favourite. It was felt that the car could not win on debut and, in any case, Maxime was seemingly cursed never to win his home event.
But that is the magic of the 24 Hours...
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3
2017 – Vorsprung durch Technik
Comeback stories are a huge part of 24-hour racing, and this one was particularly special. From a lap down, the #25 Saintéloc Audi climbed back up the order and eventually hit the front just at the right moment, evntually edging the M-Sport Bentley by just 12 seconds. It was a popular win for the French squad and its crew of Audi Sport stalwarts Markus Winkelhock and Christopher Haase, as well as a little-known 22-year-old named Jules Gounon.
This was the fourth win for Audi in seven years, establishing the Ingolstadt marque as the undisputed king of Spa's GT3 era. Little did we know at the time that it would be the last – for now, at least.
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2
2014 – Battle of the Heavyweights
By 2014 the GT3 era was truly underway and two of its heavyweight teams were battling for victory. The #1 Team WRT Audi fought the #77 Marc VDS BMW all night long, the two swapping the lead during pit stops.
An electrical problem for the BMW forced Marc VDS to gamble: they would not take fresh rubber at the final stop, giving them track position over the Audi. It was worth a shot, but the difference in tyre life proved pivotal. With a new set of Pirellis, Rene Rast hunted down Dirk Werner and made the winning pass with just 15 minutes to go.
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1
2021 – Pure Hollywood
Back in its traditional summer slot and with fans in the grandstand, the 2021 race produced perhaps the most memorable finish in the event's long history. A late switch to wets saw Team WRT vault to the lead with its Audi, and it looked as though the local squad had pulled off a masterstroke.
But that didn't account for Alessandro Pier Guidi. The Ferrari ace had more tread left on his Pirelli tyres, allowing him to hunt down and pass Dries Vanthoor during the closing minutes. It was pure Hollywood: Pier Guidi made the move on the outside of Blanchimont while the track was still drenched.
This put Ferrari back on the top step of the podium for the first time in 17 years and cemented Pier Guidi's status as a Maranello legend. If this year's race produces anything similar, we're in for a thriller.
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