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Lucas Auer was fastest during the first practice session for the 100th running of the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa. (Fanatec GT photo)
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100th 24 Hours Of Spa On SPEED SPORT 1

June 27, 2024

SPA, Belgium — Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter led the first official practice session for the 100th running of the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa Thursday at the famed Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

Driver Lucas Auer turned a two-minute and 15.234-second lap to edge the Porsche wheeled by Laurin Heinrich for Schumacher CLRT Porsche.

Fifty-five of the 66 cars that practiced were faster than last year’s Superpole time.

Qualifying is scheduled for later in the day on Thursday.

The event will be televised live and free on SPEED SPORT 1 — the motorsports network — at 9:15 a.m. ET on Saturday (June 29) morning.  Click HERE for a complete list of SPEED SPORT 1 platforms and apps.  

A 67-car field is scheduled to tackle this landmark edition of the Belgian endurance classic, with victory set to be fiercely disputed in five highly competitive classes — Pro-Am Cup, Gold Cup, Silver Cup, Bronze Cup and the headlining 24-car Pro Cup field.

The race is part of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe series.

While any of this year’s 67 entrants could take the coveted overall victory, the winner will almost certainly come from the Pro field, as has been the case each year since GT3 became the principal category in 2011. The hopefuls consist of 19 full-season Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Endurance Cup crews, bolstered by five one-off entries.

The full-season entries are led by Schumacher CLRT (Güven/Heinrich/Boccolacci), whose team manager Côme Ledogar won the 24 Hours just three years ago with Ferrari. Rutronik Racing combines past podium finishers Patric Niederhauser and Sven Müller with versatile Porsche racer Julien Andlauer, while Pure Rxcing makes the step up from the Bronze Cup with its crew of Malykhin/Bachler/Sturm.

It may be difficult to win with a new car, but it’s not impossible. Comtoyou Racing and Walkenhorst Motorsport will hope to make an immediate impact with the Aston Martin Vantage, while Proton Competition will chase debut success with the new Ford Mustang. Among them, it’s impossible to ignore the Comtoyou Racing line-up of Thiim/Sørensen/Drudi, all past podium finishers at Spa.

The Walkenhorst Motorsport drivers are not quite as well known, though its trio of Gunn/Pittard/ Chaves are highly capable and have plenty of experience both at Spa and other twice-around-the clock races. As for Proton Competition and its Ford, a single-car effort presents an even greater challenge. As such, the speed and experience of Mies/Vervisch/Olsen will be vital. 

While both Aston Martin and Ford have launched new projects, the Audi R8 has been around in various forms for well over a decade. The current EVO II model will be run by two Pro teams. Tresor Attempto Racing has a past winner in Christopher Haase (2017) alongside the extremely fast Ricardo Feller and youngster Alex Aka. Hass RT is a one-off entrant and has assembled the highly experienced line-up of Lind/Gachet/Heylen. 

Ferrari is the only non-German brand to take overall victory during the GT3 era, doing so in a truly unforgettable finish to the 2021 race. In the second year for its 296 and with a pair of Pro cars from AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors, it’s among the favourites for the centenary. The No. 51 of Pier Guidi/Rigon/Rovera is mighty strong, with Pier Guidi in particular among the finest endurance racers of his generation. The sister No. 71 combines the experienced Vincent Abril with past Silver Cup winner Thomas Neubauer and sportscar rookie David Vidales.

Having earned multiple Fanatec GT Europe titles and a clutch of class wins in the Ardennes, Lamborghini has ambitions of securing its first overall triumph this year. Iron Lynx won with Ferrari in 2021 and its line-up of Bortolotti/Caldarelli/Cairoli is among the best on the grid. Grasser Racing earned Silver Cup honors last term and has its own all-factory crew of Perera/Mapelli/Pepper. 

Finally, McLaren is represented by Garage 59 and its young trio of Goethe/Gamble/MacDonald. All three have taken class wins – Goethe in Silver (2022) and both Gamble and MacDonald in Gold (2023) – so they know what it takes to succeed at the event. This promising crew will hope to be among the contenders for victory come Sunday afternoon.

Following its recent launch on Amazon, SPEED SPORT 1 is now accessible in more than 175 million households and devices, serving as the exclusive North American broadcaster for this popular event. Expectations are high for a significant viewership.

To access SPEED SPORT 1 on Amazon Freevee, look for the Freevee app on your connected TV or navigate to free live programming via Amazon Prime. SPEED SPORT 1 content will also be available on-demand on Freevee and Amazon Prime. Select live content will be presented in the Live Guide on the platform as well.

For a complete list of platforms and apps, program listings and more, visit SPEEDSPORT1.com.