Eleven Porsche tackle the world’s largest GT3 event in Spa – AutoMart Canada

Just six days after the Nürburgring 24 Hours and two weeks after the 24 Hours of Le Mans, yet another classic event is on the calendar. On 28-29 June, 75 GT3 cars from ten brands will line up at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps to tackle the race twice around the clock. Porsche customer teams have been preparing for the ultimate GT3 challenge through official tests at Spa, races in the GT World Challenge Europe, and earlier Intercontinental GT Challenge rounds in Bathurst (Australia) and at the Nürburgring.

“With eleven of our Porsche 911 GT3 R cars entered by highly professional teams with strong driver crews, Porsche and its partners are ideally positioned,” states Sebastian Golz, Project Manager Porsche 911 GT3 R, looking ahead. “We’re expecting a close, intense battle over the full 24 hours. In the Ardennes, teams and drivers must remain fully alert as rapidly changing weather conditions and frequent on-track incidents present both challenges and opportunities. I have no doubt that our meticulously prepared customer teams and expert 911 drivers will be strong contenders for overall victory.”

Four Porsche factory drivers and eight members of the extended Porsche Motorsport squad will compete at Spa in the top Pro class. At the wheel of Dinamic GT’s No. 18 Porsche 911 GT3 R, former Porsche Juniors and current factory drivers Matt Campbell (Australia) and Mathieu Jaminet (France) will share driving duties with Denmark’s Bastian Buus, who also came up through the Porsche Junior ranks. In the cockpit of Pure Racing’s No. 911 entry – an identical 911 GT3 R – Austrian works drivers Richard Lietz and Thomas Preining join forces with Alexander Malykhin, who races under a British licence.

The No. 96 Rutronik Racing car also features a strong lineup, with Sven Müller from Germany, Swiss driver Patric Niederhauser, and home favourite Alessio Picariello. The Porsche from Schumacher CLRT is among the favourites for overall victory, too: DTM winner Ayhancan Güven from Turkey will share the wheel with current IMSA GTD champion Laurin Heinrich from Germany and Klaus Bachler. The Austrian is the reigning title holder of the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGT3 drivers and – like his two teammates – has come through the Porsche Junior Programme.

Seven more 911 GT3 R are on the grid with good chances of class victories in the Pro-Am, Gold, Silver and Bronze sub-categories.

The race on the legendary “Ardennes rollercoaster”

The first 24-hour race in Spa-Francorchamps was contested in 1924 – making it just one year younger than the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. Until 1979, the original circuit measured around 15 kilometres, linking the towns of Francorchamps, Malmedy, and Stavelot. Since 2007, the event has taken place on a largely unchanged 7.004-kilometre layout.

Over the past three years, the historic Spa-Francorchamps circuit has undergone an extensive upgrade. As part of this modernisation, new gravel traps in the Eau Rouge/Raidillon section and grandstands were added. The basic layout, however, remained the same. Due to its location in the Ardennes, teams and drivers should expect unpredictable weather conditions at any time – much like at the Nürburgring in the nearby Eifel region.

Live race coverage on stream and app

The 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps is considered the biggest single GT3 event in the world. As in previous years, the endurance race is part of the Intercontinental GT Challenge and the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, and is the third round of both series this season.

Fans can follow the entire programme at Spa-Francorchamps via the official GT World Challenge app. It is available for Android and Apple devices in the respective app stores. This website offers live streaming and live timing.

Driver comments ahead of the race

Mathieu Jaminet (Porsche 911 GT3 R #18): “I’m competing in the 24 Hours of Spa alongside Bastian Buus and Matt Campbell – we definitely make a strong trio. I haven’t driven our GT3 race car much since last year’s event, so I’m really looking forward to it. It’s always a challenge to adapt to the 911 GT3 R again after so many outings in the Porsche 963, but I’ll make it work. Our goal, and indeed our ambition, must be to finish on the podium at the very least. We’ll give everything we have to be standing on the top step.”

Klaus Bachler (Porsche 911 GT3 R #22): “This June is just crazy! First the 24 Hours of Le Mans, then the six-hour race at Watkins Glen, and now we’re heading into the biggest GT3 endurance race at Spa – once again, twice around the clock. A 75-car grid ensures that the fight for overall victory will be intense. Our Schumacher CLRT team has an exceptionally strong package. I’m sharing the cockpit of our 911 GT3 R with Ayhancan Güven and Laurin Heinrich. The Spa-Francorchamps circuit is both spectacular and demanding. The 24-hour race here is undoubtedly one of the toughest in the world – for both man and machine.”

Sven Müller (Porsche 911 GT3 R #96): “The 24 Hours of Spa is one of the absolute highlights for us competing in the GT World Challenge Europe. We’ve had a strong start to the season and made great progress compared to last year. The official test went well, and the teamwork with my co-drivers is excellent – the overall package is spot on. Everyone on the team is highly motivated and the atmosphere is electric. Our goal is to be right up the front at Spa. Alongside a powerful Porsche 911 GT3 R, a great team and very fast drivers, we’ll also need that little bit of luck.”

Thomas Preining (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911): “The 24 Hours of Spa is one of the coolest races of the year. It’s also one of the most demanding, both physically and mentally. All the GT3 cars are closely matched in pace, which makes overtaking and lapping very challenging. With 75 cars on the grid, there’s no room for complacency. We’ve got a competitive Porsche and all the ingredients to deliver a top result. The grid is exceptionally strong, with many teams in contention for victory. Of course, the weather can also play a major role and change without warning. That said, I’m feeling confident!”

An overview of Porsche teams and drivers

Pro class:
Dinamic GT #18 – Bastian Buus (DNK), Matt Campbell (AUS), Mathieu Jaminet (FRA)
Schumacher CLRT #22 – Klaus Bachler (AUT), Ayhancan Güven (TUR), Laurin Heinrich (DEU)
Rutronik Racing #96 – Sven Müller (DEU), Patric Niederhauser (CHE), Alessio Picariello (BEL)
Pure Rxcing #911 – Richard Lietz (AUT), Alexander Malykhin (GBR), Thomas Preining (AUT)

Pro-Am class:
AV Racing by Car Collection Motorsport #29 – Noam Abramczyk (FRA), Mathieu Detry (BEL), Fabian Duffieux (BEL), Bo Yuan (CHN)

Gold class:
Herberth Motorsport #92 – Rolf Ineichen (CHE), Tim Heinemann (DEU), Joel Sturm (DEU)
Wright Motorsports #120 – Adam Adelson (USA), Elliott Skeer (USA), Tom Sargent (AUS)

Silver class:
Dinamic GT #54 – Jop Rappange (NLD), Federico Al Rifai (ARE), Eshan Pieris (LKA), Sébastien Baud (FRA)

Bronze class:
Lionspeed GP #80 – Gabriel Rindone (FRA), Patrick Kolb (DEU), Ricardo Feller (CHE), Riccardo Pera (ITA)
Herberth Motorsport #91 – Ralf Bohn (DEU), Alfred Renauer (DEU), Robert Renauer (DEU), Axcil Jefferies (ZWE)
Rutronik Racing #97 – Morris Schuring (NLD), Antares Au (HKG), Loek Hartog (NLD), Martin Rump (EST)

The schedule

Thursday, 26 June
11:20 – 12:50 hrs: Free practice
17:40 – 18:40 hrs: Pre-Qualifying
21:15 – 21:30 hrs: Qualifying 1
21:37 – 21:52 hrs: Qualifying 2
21:59 – 22:14 hrs: Qualifying 3
22:21 – 22:36 hrs: Qualifying 4
23:05 – 00:35 hrs: Night practice

Friday, 27 June
16:10 – 16:40 hrs: Superpole
20:05 – 20:35 hrs: Warmup

Saturday, 28 June
16:30 hrs: Start 24-hour race

Sunday, 29 June
16:30 hrs: Chequered flag 24-hour race

Previous Porsche victories at the 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps

1967 – Gaban / van Assche (Porsche 911)
1968 – Kelleners / Kauhsen / Kremer (Porsche 911)
1969 – Chasseuil / Ballot-Léna (Porsche 911)
1993 – Fittipaldi / Alzen / Jarier (Porsche 911 RSR)
2003 – Ortelli / Lieb / Dumas (Porsche 911 GT3 RSR)
2010 – Bergmeister / Henzler / Dumas / Ragginger (Porsche 911 GT3 RSR)
2019 – Estre / Lietz / Christensen (Porsche 911 GT3 R)
2020 – Vanthoor / Tandy / Bamber (Porsche 911 GT3 R)