Spa 24 Hours 2026 Post-Race Notebook: Key Stories From the Endurance Classic
The Spa 24 Hours 2026 is over, and what a race it was. The 79th CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa delivered drama from start to finish. Sportscar365 has published its final post-race notebook rounding up the biggest talking points. Here are the key stories you need to know from one of the greatest GT endurance races in recent memory. You can also check out our earlier Spa 2026 race update for a detailed look at how the night unfolded.
Lionspeed Porsche Wins the Spa 24 Hours 2026 From Pit Lane
Lionspeed GP completed a remarkable recovery from the pit lane to win the 2026 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa. Ricardo Feller, Thomas Preining and Bastian Buus overcame an engine change that denied them their Superpole starting position and forced the Porsche to begin the race from the pit lane.
This trio achieved a record. For the first time ever, the winners took victory by starting from the pit lane. The mechanics had replaced the engine of the Porsche 911 GT3 R after qualifying.
From there, the team drove a patient, intelligent race, climbing steadily through the field and using overnight Full Course Yellow and Safety Car periods to gain track position.
The gap reached over 20 seconds at the beginning of the final hour, before Preining cruised home to an eventual 12.288-second margin of victory.
The result marks the first overall victory for the 992-generation Porsche 911 GT3 R at Spa, and the German manufacturer’s first win at the event since 2020. It is also a first 24 Hours of Spa victory for all three drivers, as well as for Lionspeed GP, which is in its first season of competing in the Pro class.
Ferrari’s Near-Miss and the Full Podium Picture
The battle for second place was fierce, featuring a thrilling three-way scrap between the #48 Winward Mercedes of Lucas Auer, Maro Engel and Luca Stolz, the #51 AF Corse Ferrari of Alessio Rovera, Tommaso Mosca and Nicklas Nielsen, and the #22 Schumacher CLRT Porsche of Ayhancan Guven, Matt Campbell and Frederic Makowiecki.
Ferrari suspects that the sudden tyre deflation that hit the Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo as Nicklas Nielsen exited the Bus Stop in hour five was caused by a valve failure. The Italian squad fought their way back into contention, with Rovera reclaiming the lead through an undercut in the 15th hour, only for another puncture to strike at the start of Hour 19.
Behind them, the #46 WRT BMW of Dan Harper, Max Hesse and Valentino Rossi crossed the line in sixth.
In the class battles, the #998 ROWE BMW of Ugo De Wilde, Tim Tramnitz and Jens Klingmann took Gold Cup victory, with a six-lap finishing margin ahead of the next Gold car. In Silver, it was the #45 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari who won after a late-race battle with the #30 WRT BMW. In Pro-Am, Johor Motorsports Racing JMR claimed Corvette’s first 24 Hours of Spa class victory since 2009. The #0 Z06 GT3.R lost ground with multiple penalties early on, but strong work overnight gave the car a one-lap advantage it never relinquished.
Records and Notable Numbers From the Spa 24 Hours 2026
The Spa 24 Hours 2026 also made history off the track. This year’s race attracted a record attendance of 132,000 people, compared to the 128,000 that was reported last year.
The winning Porsche completed 541 laps, which is the fourth-greatest total from the past ten editions. Eight cars finishing on the lead lap is a 24H Spa record. Remarkably, that is the number of entries that has completed the winning distance five times in the past seven years. Eight cars also finished on the lead lap in 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024 prior to this year.
Thomas Preining, Ricardo Feller and Bastian Buus’ success marked Porsche’s ninth win in the Belgian endurance classic, but it is still some way adrift of BMW’s record of 25 triumphs.
Porsche has now taken the lead in the IGTC manufacturers’ standings, having overturned a nine-point deficit to top the table by the same margin. Alongside the Lionspeed win, it also picked up points for finishing fourth with the Schumacher CLRT example.
As well as making conditions extremely tough for teams and drivers, the hot temperatures at Spa also meant the traditional Saturday night firework display was cancelled.
Looking Ahead: What Comes Next After Spa
With the Spa 24 Hours 2026 now in the history books, the GT World Challenge Europe season moves on. The 2026 GT World Challenge Europe season continues at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in Italy. Lionspeed will carry massive momentum into the remaining rounds after their stunning comeback win.
In the IGTC standings, the triumph elevated Buus to fourth in the IGTC table, 19 points behind Spa runner-up Maro Engel. However, the Mercedes-AMG driver is set to prioritise his DTM commitments over contesting the final two IGTC events at Suzuka and Indianapolis.
Endurance racing fans will not want to miss what comes next. If you love motorsport from other categories too, check out our coverage of the Cadillac two-driver lineup at Interlagos in the FIA WEC, or catch up on all the latest F1 news with our report on the Austrian GP 2026.
