Part 2: Atmosphere in the paddock, the parade and the 24-hour race itself.

A centenary deserves an extra celebration. SRO, the organiser of the ‘Crowdstrike Spa 24hours’, holds history in high esteem and a lot of efforts had been made to give the centenarian a good celebration.

PARADE

It all started on Wednesday with the traditional parade to nearby Spa. This tradition has now been established among the participants of the 24-hour race since 2002, and this year the ‘oldies’ from the Heritage Touring Cup and the Endurance Racing Legends were also allowed to join the outing.

For these series, it was not compulsory to take part in the parade but we still saw a lot of them passing by.

So ex-three-time winner Thierry Tassin drove past with a Schnitzer BMW 635 CSi on loan from BMW Classic. Tassin won in an identical model with the Belgian Juma Bastos team in 1983 and, with a similar version from the official BMW Schnitzer stable, he did it again in 1986.

At the very front of the parade was another BMW. This M4 GT3 from the the Rowe Team got that honour as outgoing winner.

He was briefly followed by the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 ‘007’, which could crown itself the new winner four days later. But nobody knew that at the time.

Former MotoGP superstar Valentino Rossi was also behind the wheel of his BMW with the magic number 46 himself.

At BMW, by the way, they had executed the combination old and new perfectly. Following in the wake of the M4 models were the 1995 Bigazzi 320i Super Tourers.

This Maserati MC12 was then another competitor from the FIA GT1 era. By the way, this was the first car on which a BOP ( Balance of Performance ) was applied. This MC 12 did not receive permission from Le Mans organiser ACO to participate in their 24 hours as a GT car. Stéphane Ratel of SRO then devised a system to limit the car to allow it in his FIA GT races. Thus, the gigantic original rear wing was greatly reduced and played with the ground clearance. Engine power could also be adjusted through constrictions. The MC 12 was allowed to start this way but it was still a very fast car even with these restrictions.

The American Le Mans series was represented by this 2004 Flying Lizard Porsche 996 GT3 RSR.

BMW Classic also participated with several cars. This 30 CSL model 1973 was all the way back compliant as that year’s winner. The large sticker with the number 10 on the rear mudguard was then used only for the 24-hour race. It is not the original car though. We saw this one a few years ago at Spa Classic. You can read its story here.

Then again, this 1800ti was a first-time contender in 1965. An identical car won the race in 1965.

The beautiful Holvoet Toyota also participated.

And more Belgian history with this 2010 Ford GT1 from the VDS team.

GALLERIE DU TEMPS

On the roof of the pit building was a large expo with cars, miniatures, helmets, books, magazines, stickers, programme booklets, tickets and other items all related to the 24 Hours of Francorchamps.

And we have to say it: there were beautiful cars on display. Just a bit of a shame that most of them were too close together and demarcated by thick ribbons.

Among these cars are also some original winners such as the BMW Z4 GT3 that in 2015 ensured BMW’s first win in the GT version of the 24 hours. This Z4 of the Belgian VDS team is still in its original version. This Z4 was not in BMW’s catalogue, though. It only existed at BMW Motorsport. There they placed the V8 engine of the M3 in this Z4. A real competition beast was born. The Z4 GT3 then also featured a masterful traction control system. In wet conditions, the competition could not make a fist. This option was banned after a few seasons, though.

The winner of the 2016 edition was also present with this BMW M6 GT3 of the Rowe Team. Notwithstanding the fact that it was his debut year, this M6 unexpectedly walked away with the win. The weather conditions, perfect strategy and yet some tampering by main competitor Bentley allowed our compatriot Maxime Martin, paired with Alexander Sims and Phillip Eng, to finally win his dream race. This M6 is still in the condition it was in when it finished the race.

The Bentley just cited was there too. This gigantic Continental GT was certainly an outlier in the GT3 championship back then with its size and base weight of the standard model. Yet Malcom Wilson’s M Sport team managed to get good results with it. Only the 24-hour race is missing from their record and in 2016 and 2017 they were very close.

Still British with this Bastos TWR Rover Vitesse. After his win with the Jaguar in 1984, Tom Walkinshaw switched to the Rover Vitesse. He tried to repeat his win with the Jag in 1985 and 1986 but in sheer endurance, the Rover had to give way to the BMW 635CSi.

More TWR with this replica of the Mazda RX7, winner of the 1981 edition. This Mazda made a deafening noise with its wankel engine back then. You can read the full story about this TWR Mazda here.

BMW Classic had also contributed with this 1965 2000ti version.

And this Belgian Peugeot 806 ‘bus’ took part in 1995. Obviously, this was a promo stunt. This 806 has already been featured with us. You can find its story here.

Also from Belgium: this 1989 Moneytron Ferrari Mondial. And whoever says Moneytron naturally ends up with Jean Pierre Van Rossem. The then ‘stock market guru’ had two units of this Ferrari prepared in the Dubois Racing workshops. A nice publicity stunt but that was all. However, Van Rossem had hired former Formula 1 world champion Keke Rosberg and his then Formula 1 Onyx driver Bertrand Gachot was also behind the wheel of this Ferrari.

This Ford Capri is the original winner of the 1971 edition. Dieter Glemser and Alex Soiler Roig ensured Ford and the Capri’s first ever victory. They won ahead of the AMG Mercedes 300 SE 6.3 of Hans Heyer and Clemens Schikentanz.

In the exhibition area, there were also a number of showcases with all kinds of material that had a connection to the 24-hour race. A nice collection of helmets certainly stood out in these.

But even the collection of miniatures was quite impressive.

PADDOCK

Not only beautiful material in this Gallerie du Temps but also the paddock itself was definitely worth a visit. Here, too, we found several beautiful cars, most of which were replicas though.

This Mercedes 300 SE 6.3 AMG Automatic, a replica as the original is without trace, finished a fine second place in 1971.

Not all the cars on display took part in the 24-hour race. This BMW 30 CSL Luigi in UFO trim was a participant in the 1977 European Championship but in that year the regulations, for the 24 hours, switched from Group 2 to Group 1. The Group 2 cars had then ( yet again ) become too fast for the old 14-kilometre Francorchamps circuit.

This newly restored Schnitzer BMW 635CSi participated in the 24-hour race several times. In other configurations, though.

During the past 100 years, things were not all rosy either. Heavy battles were fought in the region during World War II. This Shermann tank was displayed in the paddock as a memorial. A nice tribute.

BMW CLASSIC

The record holder in terms of wins, BMW Classic had brought some of their cars from its museum collection to Francorchamps. We already saw them passing by in the parade parade. During the weekend, they were lined up in the paddock and there was a lap of honour just before the start of the race.

An 1800ti ( 1965 ) drove a lap of the Francorchamps circuit along with the 30CSL ( 1973 ) and the 635CSi (1984 ). The Qvick team’s 320i Super Tourer also raced.

BMW is also the record holder of victories with 25 wins. This happened both in the touring car era with the 1800ti, 2000ti, 2800 CS, 30CSi ( 2 x ), 30 CSL ( 2 x ), 530i, 528i, 635CSi ( 3 x ), M3 ( 4 x ), 318is, 320i Super Tourer ( 3 x ) and the 320i.

In the GT period, they added four more with the Z4 GT3, M6GT3 and the M4 GT3 providing the 25th win.

And in the 2024 edition too, they competed for a 26th win. The Rowe BMW of Farfus/Harper and Hesse was in the running for the win until Sunday afternoon. However, a flat tyre threw a spanner in the works and the M4 was knocked back in the standings to sixth place.

The WRT colleagues from Belgium did even better, taking the third podium spot with Vanthoor/Van der Linde and Weerts. Both the team’s cars wore special liveries for this 100-year celebration.

Three iconic BMW models were woven into one version. The so-called X-Ray version of the Schnitzer BMW 635 CSi, the official BMW Motorsport version of the BMW M3 E30 and finally the Fina/Bastos combination of the 320i Supertourer.

And that was certainly successful.

Ford then took the opportunity to introduce their new Mustang GTD. An 800 HP monster derived directly from their GT3 race car. Only difference is that this one has 300 more HP due to an additional compressor. Any interested parties could apply for one of these limited Mustangs. This Mustang is, in the USA, licensed for public roads. Whether this will also be the case in Europe remains to be seen. The homologation application is still pending. And to be clear: the D here does not stand for Diesel! The car is named after the class in the US IMSA championship.

BELGA / BASTOS

The 24 Hours of Francorchamps has also long been the playground of Belgian companies or their importers acting as sponsors for various teams. Cigarette manufacturers such as Bastos and Belga even achieved 13 overall victories between 1978 and 2000.

The Belga Capri’s or Bastos BMWs evoke many memories and are certainly part of the history of this race.

CROWDSTRIKE SPA 24 HOURS

But the main event of the weekend was of course the party edition of the 24-hour race. With 67 cars on the entry list, we saw a nice and very diverse starting field.

BMW defended its title with its M4 GT3. These were fielded by the Rowe and WRT teams.

Mercedes brought the largest number of cars to Spa. Their AMG GT3 is therefore a perfect car for the average amateur pilot. But there were of course examples that included a full PRO crew.

Most impressive car is definitely the Lamborghini Uracan GT3. And with its V10 engine, it also provides the most beautiful sound of all in the pack.

We also find this V10 engine in the Audi R8 LMS GT3. This model has since gone out of production but some private teams still use it.

Another Italian beauty with this Ferrari 296 GT3. This spiritual successor to the Dino is a beautiful thing and certainly a candidate for the overall victory. The AF Corse Ferrari team was definitely among the favourites.

Porsche obviously is too but this year in Stuttgart they did not feel it necessary to send their top team of Manthey. They sent Hubauto and Herberth. Hubauto did get to have the top drivers who normally man the Manthey.

England was represented by Mclaren. Their 720S GT3 Evo is certainly fast but there is always something that comes to interfere a little with the smooth running.

The most style-packed car also comes from England with an Aston Martin from the studios of Prodrive. Their just-launched Evo version of their latest Vantage is perhaps the prettiest car in the entire field. However, things did not look good at the end of last year when the Aston teams switched to other equipment. Aston Martin Racing itself had to look for new partners.

They even found one in our own Belgium. The Comtoyou team, which was mainly active with Audi cars in the WTCR touring car championship, made the switch to the GT class. The German Walkenhorst BMW team also switched brands and so we saw six examples on the track after all.

After a long absence from the 24 hours, Ford was also present again with their new Mustang GT3. Only 1 Mustang was used and this actually more as a test programme. This American atmospheric V8 is certainly an added value. Just a pity about the sad decoration of the car. This could perhaps have been done a little better. But what a sound its atmospheric V8 engine produces ! The typical American V8 ‘thunder’ is wonderful to hear.

GIRL POWER

Before the race, unfortunately, there is already one forfeit: the Iron Dames’ “Ladies” Lamborghini Uracan has to throw in the towel. Pilot Sarah Bouvy had had a fairly serious accident on the Watkins Glen circuit near New York a few days before Spa. There was no immediate replacement and so the Lambo remained in the box.

Although the Iron Ladies were not there, Lilou Wadoux, whom we saw win the GT class in the WEC 6 Hours of Spa last year, had come over from Japan especially for these 24 hours. She is competing in the local GT championship this year with a Ferrari. She boarded the SKY team’s Ferrari. On Wednesday, we saw her taking the measure for the seat position.

Surely we see more and more ladies popping up in both historic and current motorsport. Canada’s Samantha Tan, for instance, drove along in the preliminary programme with a BMW M4 GT4. Two years ago, this Canadian competed in the 24-hour race.

And it doesn’t always have to be pilots. This miss ( with dirty hands ! ) was preparing a Lamborghini Huracan.

The participating cars in the Fanatec GT Championship are leveled by a BOP ( Balance of Performance ). For example, a Ford Mustang or BMW M4 can compete with supercars such as the Lamborghini Huracan or Ferrari 296. This makes for many door-to-door battles and exciting duels. Of course, individual adjustments to the cars are still possible and the drivers can also make a difference.

And the timing differences are small. The 20 fastest cars from qualifying will compete for the first starting spot in the ‘Superpole’ on Friday afternoon. Each competitor will then have two free laps at their disposal. The first 15 will finish in the same second. Frank Perrera’s Lamborgini is 36 hundredths faster than Maro Engel’s Mercedes. Third is Alessandro Pier Guidi with his Ferrari 296. Audi and Porsche also make it into the top ten.

It is also the Lambo that leads the pack after the start ahead of the Mercedes and the Ferrari. These three slowly take some lead over the rest of the field. But it is the Lambo and Mercedes that duel for first place. The start goes fairly smoothly with still 66 cars all having to go through the Raidillon.

The field is more like a long stretched train. On the straights behind each other and in the corners next to each other.

Door to door racing is the normal practice in the Fanatec GT Series. This between competing brands.

But brand affiliates are also doing their utmost.

After half an hour of racing, the Mercedes takes over the lead from the Lambo. This remains so until there is a first FCY which the teams take advantage of to make their first pit stops. A first collision between two cars is the cause of this FCY. The Lambo falls back to place five after the pit stops.

The leading Mercedes unexpectedly has to come in with a puncture and falls back to P 59. Rigon’s Ferrari takes over for the Lambo, which has meanwhile advanced back to P2. Nice performance from this GRT Lamborghini. But another round of pit stops causes them to fall back to P11 again. The Lambo is again idling more than 15 seconds longer than its opponents. Not really the right tactics. The No 51 Ferrari with meanwhile top driver Pier Guidi at the wheel leads the debates.

Meanwhile, the Aston Martin’s are also getting involved up front. The No 34 Walkenhorst is driving on P5 and Comptoyou’s top car No 007 just behind it on P6

This is followed by a Safety-car period as No 38 Audi collides with a concrete wall. There are also the first, albeit light, raindrops. This is followed by a green flag but the rain is now falling heavier and about five cars collide with each other. The Safety-car, which has just driven in, can immediately get back to work.

This incident also causes the first major problem for a top favourite. The No 98 Rowe BMW, which won the race last year, makes an evasive manoeuvre, ends up next to the track, and has to seek its box with a major water leak. Another attempt is made to recover but it will take too long and with this, the first top favourite is out of the race.

Teams are being notified by the organisers that there is heavy rain and heavy storm on the way to the circuit between 10pm and 3am. The favourites also struggle during the changing weather conditions. The top Porsche No 992 with Patrick Pilet at the wheel makes a big slide on the Raidillon. Fortunately, there is no contact and the pilot is able to continue on his way. Two other Porsche’s collide and another FCY follows.

After this, a BMW takes the lead for the first time. And this one with the magical No 46 of Valentino Rossi. The many Rossi fans in attendance straighten up but it is teammate Marciello behind the wheel. Meanwhile, the rain has stopped and the track is dry again.

Then Francorchamps is rocked for a fierce accident. Hook’s Rinaldi Ferrari comes to a standstill on the track after, admittedly slight contact. Several cars avoid the Ferrari but D’ Silva’s Porsche rams the Ferrari, which thus ends up in the concrete wall of the old pitlane. The impact is fierce and the Ferrari catches fire. The spectators hold their breath for a moment. Immediately, the full rescue team shoots into action. The fire can be quickly extinguished.

D’ Silva’s Porsche still continues its way but is stranded in the middle of the Raidillon.

The pilot of the Ferrari is removed from the Ferrari by a team of specially trained emergency workers and doctors. All three pilots are taken off to the circuit’s medical facility. After a check-up, all three are found to be ok.

Due to a different pit stop strategy, it is the No 188 Mclaren that leads the standings ahead of Rossi’s BMW which is now at the wheel itself. After the Mclaren’s pit stop, Rossi’s BMW regains the lead. His fans are now jumping even harder.

For this man is a real superstar because of his successful Moto GP campaign. His merchandising stand is the biggest of them all and his props go over the counter smoothly.

But a BMW M4 is no motorbike and in a duel with a top GT driver, Valentino does have to give way. After five hours of racing, an Aston Martin takes over the lead for the first time.

And soon after, the No 2 Mercedes also passes the Italian engine champion. Then just 100 laps have been driven and we still have 42 cars on the same lap as the leader. And Rossi then loses his way a bit as he pushes the top Ferrari No 51 off the track in the bus stop. A deserved penalty will follow later. Meanwhile, the rain has arrived in Francorchamps, as predicted.

The so far co-leading No 88 Audi is the first casualty. Moncini parks the R8 in a gravel pit. The conditions become too bad and the race organisers decide to run the Safety-car again. After six hours of racing, the rain stops and the green flag follows. It is already Belgian what beats the clock with two cars from Belgian teams at the front. The Aston 007 is still on P1 and the AMG Mercedes of Boutsen VDS No 9 follows on P2. But it starts raining heavily again so the fun is short-lived. Another FCY period follows which is then turned into a Safety-car. This stays on track for just under two hours.

Green flag again and in these conditions, the second Rowe BMW No 998 of Harper is in his best shape and takes the lead. However, the BMW receives a drive-through penalty for ignoring the red traffic light at the end of the pitlane.

Meanwhile, the clock has ticked away almost 12 hours and we are approaching mid-race. Tyre choice is currently the deciding factor and so the No 32 WRT BMW leads. Once again, the Safety-car drives out. Many teams take advantage of this by performing their mandatory 5-minute technical pit stop. This stop is mandatory to fully check the car once during the race. A little after 6am, it is green again. The track is still soaking wet and fog has also settled around Francorchamps. The predicted thunderstorm has passed just beside the track.

The No 32 BMW is still in the lead but receives a 30-second stop-and-go penalty for a mistake during an FCY phase. An old acquaintance with the No 163 Lambo, the race’s first leader, rejoins at P1. Rossi’s BMW is now third. It doesn’t last long for the Lambo. The no 911 Porsche takes over. The No 2 Getspeed Mercedes that was also running at the front for a long time has to come in for a long repair. Tyre choice still remains crucial with the choice of either slicks or rain tyres as no other compound is provided in the FANATEC Series. The No 998 BMW is on slicks and runs five seconds per lap faster than its rivals. The pole Lambo no 163 is experiencing problems and is in its box in the meantime.

Meanwhile, the No 51 Ferrari climbs back up the leaderboard. The Ferrari passes Rossi’s No 46 BMW and it is also passed shortly afterwards by the 007 Aston Martin. The P2-running No 911 Porsche makes a firm impact at the Blanchimont bend. After contact with the crash barrier, the 911 even goes over the top. Pilot Joel Sturm is fortunately unhurt. Once again we left for a long Safety-car period. Now it is no longer raining but the broken crash barrier needs to be repaired.

By noon on Sunday, it is clear that victory will either go to one of the three BMWs, the Ferrari 51 or the Aston Martin 007. Rossi’s BMW is on P1, Rowe’s same one on P2, the Ferrari on P3 and the Aston on P4. Time differences remain lol even after a hectic night. Rossi’s WRT BMW, however, falls back. Insufficient tyre pressure was, according to the team, the cause.

Back green and through the Safety-car period, the three leaders are now within five seconds! The BMW 998 in the lead, then the Aston 007 and then the Ferrari 51. But the BMW is still able to extend its lead to 15 seconds. Shortly after noon, the sun also reappears.

But another crash, from Hartshorne’s Ferrari, pretty soon causes the Lamborghini with the flashing lights to reappear on the track. After some clean-up work, it is green again. With just over four hours of racing, there is another start and the they are only at Combes or there is already another crash. Valentino Rossi taps a Ferrari, belonging to another Rossi note, which spins and is heavily hit by an Aston Martin of Walkenhorst. Both of the latter are left by the track and Rossi’s BMW is still able to drive to its box for repairs. The M4 will not continue to compete for the win. Another FCY and then another Safety-car period. Marc Duez, at the wheel, is clearly working a lot of overtime this weekend. The leading trio comes together again. The BMW in the lead with the Aston and Ferrari in its wake.

The Rowe BMW, due to a flat tyre, has to unexpectedly seek its box. A full pit stop is performed but given the slightly early stop, the mandatory stint time of 62 minutes was not met. The M4 drove into the pitlane after 61 minutes. As a result, the driver will have to drive through the pitlane once more as a penalty. In this way, BMW loses its chance of victory 26.

Meanwhile, the Ferrari has passed the Aston during the pit stops and seems to be on its way to victory. Fifty minutes before the end of the race, No 51 enters the pitlane for its final refuelling. There, at the entrance, is a blocked Lamborghini. This one had previously had a problem with its pit limiter ( a button that once pressed ensures the regulation speed in the pitlane ). Instead of switching to speed, the Lambo simply fell silent. Pierre Guidi’s Ferrari is thus blocked behind the fat Lambo.

Meanwhile, the Aston once again takes the lead and will not relinquish it. The Belgian Aston Martin ‘007’ of the Comtoyou team with Sorensen, Thimm and Drudi provides, after 76 years, Aston Martin’s second victory. And the new Vantage V8, in typical British Racing Green, is certainly a fine winner of this festive edition.

The unlucky No 51 Ferrari stranded in second place. They are actually the moral winners but a Lambo came to spoil the party. They crossed the finish line 33 seconds after the Aston. The drivers ( Pierguidi – Rigon – Rovera ) were deeply disappointed and, of course, so were their fans. This also caused Ferrari to miss a date with history. Only two weeks earlier, with their 499 Hypercar, it won the 24 hours of Le Mans. Normally, this could have been the double. But surely it was that ‘Murphy’ with his law that came to disturb?

Another Belgian team on the podium with the BMW WRT team even featuring two Belgian drivers. Vanthoor ( Dries ) and Weerts and South African Van der Linde ( Sheldon ) got to take a seat on P3. They were five seconds behind the Ferrari. So 38 seconds difference between the first three and this after 24 hours of racing.

Of course the many safety-cars were a major factor in this. Each time the Lamborghini ran out the field was rejoined.

At the front of the field, the cars in the PRO category compete for the win. These are cars with three professional drivers who are usually loaned by a constructor to one of their customer teams. But there are other series in the starting field. One is the PRO-AM category where there is a mix of professional and amateur drivers. Here, the win is for the Crowdstrike Mercedes AMG GT of Kurtz/James/Catsburg and Braun. They finish in 29th place.

There are also three further series named Gold, Silver and Bronze. SRO operates a system where all pilots are placed in a category. For PRO pilots, there is still the Platium series. Real amateur pilots thus get Bronze and very good pilots Gold. However, this does not mean that each car is manned by four pilots of the same status. For example, three Gold pilots and one Bronze pilot may share a car in the Gold category.

And again, after also winning in the PRO-AM, there is a Mercedes running with the victory and this even with a 7th place overall for Zubair/Baumann/Ellis and Grenier.

Also a win in the Silver series for the Mercedes of Mettler/Kell/Bartone and Walker. Where it failed in the PRO class this year for the Stuttgart-based marque, it is running like clockwork in the others. And this for a model that is at the end of its life cycle but as we pointed out: this AMG GT3 is an ideal car for the average amateur driver.

Only the BRONZE series they have to leave to the Audi of Mukovoz/Nesov/Pereira and Hofer which, with a still modest pilot crew, came out to 10th place overall. Nice performance.

This race also counted towards the Intercontinental GT Challenge. This is a top series organised by SRO that takes place in several continents. After Australia’s Bathurst and the Nordschleife at the Nurburgring, the third race was at Spa. Not all entered cars compete here. Winner was the BMW of Vanthoor/Weerts and Van der Linde who finished P3 overall. The winning Aston and the second-placed Ferrari did not compete in this Intercontinental GT Challenge.

The new Ford Mustang also crossed the finish line in place 19, with Mies/Olsen and our compatriot Vervisch finishing three laps behind the winning Aston. Not bad for a debut of this Ford. Also a big adjustment for the Proton team that has made the switch from Porsche to Ford after several decades.

And our top veteran Valentino Rossi, after all his antics, finishes in 24th place. Pity for Maxime Martin who saw his chance of a second victory fly away as a result.

And the spectators were satisfied, beautiful weather on Saturday with a very nice battle. A little less during the night with the heavy rain but on Sunday it was again a beautiful spectacle. And surely there were a lot of people there to see it all this year. The race and the parade to Spa brought 110,000 visitors to Spa and Francorchamps. One even came specially from Macau. After travelling by plane, then by train and finally by bus, this young man arrived in Spa on Wednesday. He had been watching the livestream on the SRO channel for 10 years and had decided to come over this year. For such a person we take our hat off !!!

This livestream was also perfectly captured by the SRO TV team. 65 cameras covered all the action from the track and the pits live for the entire race. The races in the preliminary programme, such as the Heritage Touring Cup and the Endurance Racing Legends, were also covered.

Everything went perfectly as far as organisation was concerned too. The centenarian may well thank SRO and get ready for the 25th edition of the GT series, which will take place again at the end of June next year. We can only recommend going to experience this party live.