It was a Porsche one-two in the LMGT3 class of the FIA World Endurance Championship 6 hours of Spa Francorchamps. The #91 Manthey EMA Porsche 911 driven by Yasser Shahin, Morris Schuring and Richard Lietz took a last lap victory ahead of the #92 Manthey Pure Rxcing Porsche of Aliaksandr Malykhin, Joel Sturm and Klaus Bachler. The result was all the more remarkable as the #92 car had been all but destroyed in a qualifying crash and was rebuilt overnight.

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Sarah Bovy continued to show the pace she had displayed in qualifying building a 5-second lead over the second-placed car of the #46 Team WRT BMW of Ahmad Al-Harthy. She was likely helped in this by James Cottingham in the #59 United Autosports McLaren who in third place was keeping Al-Harthy busy defending his place.

Cottingham eventually took the place with a switchback move at La Source, pushing Al-Harthy into a tight defensive line before going wide and diving underneath the BMW on the exit of the turn.

At the front of the field, Bovy continued to storm ahead, carving through the twists and turns of the track with unwavering determination. With each lap, the lead grew, stretching an impressive 41-second advantage over her rivals.

But in motorsport, fortunes can change in the blink of an eye. Just as the Iron Dames seemed poised for victory, the ruthless hand of fate intervened. A Safety Car deployment erased their hard-won lead, plunging them back into the fray of the fiercely contested race.

As the race resumed, the No. 59 United Autosports McLaren, driven by the skilled James Cottingham, seized the opportunity, surging forward to challenge the Iron Dames’ dominance. Behind them, the No. 46 WRT BMW of Ahmed Al Harthy fought valiantly until a devastating collision with the No. 38 Hertz Team JOTA Porsche brought his race to an abrupt end, shattering his hopes of glory.

Amidst the chaos, the No. 78 Akkodis ASP Lexus, piloted by the determined Arnold Robin, emerged as a formidable contender, battling fiercely for position in the hotly contested field.

But the drama was far from over. As the mid-part of the race unfolded, the battle in the LMGT3 class reached a fever pitch. Rahel Frey, behind the wheel of the Iron Dames Lamborghini, engaged in a thrilling duel with Nicolas Costa in the United Autosports McLaren, trading blows as they fought for supremacy.

In a heart-stopping moment, Frey executed a daring move around the outside into Les Combes, seizing the lead with breathtaking skill. Yet, their triumph was short-lived, as a pit stop saw them relinquish their hard-fought position, forcing them to embark on a relentless pursuit once more.

But it was the young Dutch talent Morris Schuring, piloting the Manthey EMA Porsche, who emerged as the new frontrunner, his precise maneuvers propelling him into the lead. Yet, as the hours ticked by, controversy loomed, with Schuring under investigation for a contentious overtaking maneuver, casting a shadow over his stellar performance.

Once the race was restarted after the lengthy red flag in hour 4, the Iron Dames team were looking in a strong position until the pit stop when a troublesome wheel nut lost them time and saw them drop from the lead. Running in P3 and looking to at least recover to second place, a late stop for fuel in the final 5 minutes saw them have to concede the podium.

A similar drama befell the leading car the #60 Iron Lynx Lamborghini who had fought their way to the front with Franck Perera behind the wheel. With a 15-second gap back to the chasing #92 Manthey Pure Rxcing Porsche, the Lamborghini had to stop for a 5-second splash of fuel on the final lap which gave the lead briefly to Klaus Bachler in the #92.

Unfortunately for Bachler, he too was low on fuel and couldn’t afford to fight the #91 Manthey EMA Porsche of Richard Lietz who took over the lead at Les Combes to take the victory.