Lionspeed GP won its first CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa after Thomas Preining, Ricardo Feller, and Bastian Buus drove the #80 Porsche to victory. The German team started the race from the pit lane because they changed the engine before the race. Even so, they fought back and won the race. Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG #48 finished second, while AF Corse Ferrari #51 finished third after recovering from losing more than one lap early in the race.

Start: Ferrari Leads, Safety Car on the First Lap

Nicklas Nielsen kept the lead for #51 AF Corse Ferrari after starting from pole position. After the start, a crash happened at Pif-Paf. The accident involved Ariel Levi (#66 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi), Jamie Day (#34 Walkenhorst Aston Martin), Maxime Robin (#35 Walkenhorst Aston Martin), and Christian Hahn (#992 Paradine Competition BMW). The #66 Audi, #35 Aston Martin, and #992 BMW were forced to retire

After the restart, Ferrari #51 stayed in the lead. During the first six hours, Markus Winkelhock put #84 Eastalent Racing Audi into first place with a good pit stop strategy. The race lead changed many times during the afternoon. Ferrari, Audi, Mercedes-AMG, BMW, Porsche, Lamborghini, and Aston Martin all fought for the top positions.

Before the halfway point, Tom Fleming put #58 Garage 59 McLaren into the lead. Rain started to fall at Spa-Francorchamps, and a Full Course Yellow was called after Sarah Bovy crashed at Blanchimont. Many teams used this time to complete their mandatory technical stop. Before night came, #48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG and #64 HRT Ford Mustang also took turns leading the race. Some cars had problems. #98 ROWE Racing BMW suffered a puncture, while #59 Garage 59 McLaren, #28 Haas RT Audi, #9 Pure Rxcing Porsche, and #93 Ziggo Sport Tempesta Porsche retired from the race.

Middle of the Race: Ferrari Fights Back

In the morning, Valentino Rossi took #46 Team WRT BMW to first place before handing the car to his teammate. At the same time, #51 AF Corse Ferrari, driven by Nicklas Nielsen, Alessio Rovera, and Tommaso Mosca, returned to the lead lap after losing one lap because of a puncture. Heavy rain was expected but did not last long. However, more Safety Car and Full Course Yellow periods still changed many teams’ strategies.

Entering the last six hours, Luca Stolz led the race in the #48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG. Four manufacturers remained in contention for the overall victory. The #48 Mercedes-AMG, #51 Ferrari, #80 Lionspeed GP Porsche, and #22 Schumacher CLRT Porsche all had a chance to win. Thomas Preining then moved the #80 Porsche into the lead with strong pace and good pit stop strategy.

With three hours left, Thomas Preining led the race by about 11 seconds over Maro Engel in #48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG. Ferrari #51 stayed in third place, while #46 Team WRT BMW dropped to fourth. The final pit stops and traffic management became very important until the finish.

Finish: Lionspeed GP Wins the Race

Thomas Preining, Ricardo Feller, and Bastian Buus won the race with the #80 Lionspeed GP Porsche after completing 24 hours. Luca Stolz, Lucas Auer, and Maro Engel finished second in the #48 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG.

Nicklas Nielsen, Alessio Rovera, and Tommaso Mosca finished third in the #51 AF Corse Ferrari. AF Corse Ferrari looked set to control the race before a puncture changed its fortunes. The team fought back and finished on the podium.

In the other classes, Jens Klingmann, Tim Tramnitz, and Ugo de Wilde won the Gold Cup with ROWE Racing. Alessandro Balzan, Rafael Durán, Dylan Medler, and David Perel won the Silver Cup with Rinaldi Racing. Dustin Blattner, Mathys Jaubert, Dennis Marschall, and Ben Tuck won the Bronze Cup with Kessel Racing. In the Pro-Am Cup, Prince Jefri Ibrahim, Jordan Love, Ben Green, and Abu Bakar Ibrahim took the class win for Johor Motorsports Racing.