Aston Martin takes multiple class wins in Spa24

SROSPA24

Jul 1

Aston Martin recorded three class podiums in the 77th running of the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa with victories in the Gold and Silver Cup classes and runner-up in the Pro-Am division which Ferrari takes Bronze Cup and Porsche Pro-Am

Aston Martin’s three class podiums

Verstappen Racing wins Gold Cup Class

Verstappen Racing, and its drivers Thierry Vermeulen, Harry King and Chris Lulham delivered a brilliant debut 24-hour race performance with their Aston Martin Vantage GT3 finishing ninth overall, ahead of several Pro Class contenders, and overcoming a fierce challenge from a rival McLaren in the second half of the race to win the Gold Cup Class. It marked the team’s first with Aston Martin in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup.

Verstappen.com Aston Martin #33 — 📷 © Luc Warnotte at CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Verstappen.com Racing Aston Martin #33

Having led comfortably through the first half of the race and climbed as high as second overall in the early hours of the morning, Verstappen.com Racing came under pressure from the McLaren after a Full Course Yellow at an inopportune moment compromised the team’s track position on Sunday morning. But Vermeulen and Lulham produced robust stints to keep the Vantage just ahead of the curve, while their teammate King unleashed one of the overtakes of the race to secure the class lead in the 22nd hour. The McLaren came back at them in the final pit stops however, regaining track position and so Vermeulen pressed hard, never more than two seconds away and was in the prime position to take advantage when his rival hit trouble in the final stages.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. #63 GRT Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2

“It’s an amazing feeling,” said Vermeulen, who took the lead of the class in the final 10 minutes as the McLaren he was racing suffered a puncture. “For sure a lot of preparation went into it, learning the car, and plenty of testing, and I think the car has been in a very good window, with good support from Aston Martin, so a very big thanks to them. Then of course my teammates, the team… it’s a long race and very demanding. I think we have learned so much and I hope we can come back next year, because with some fine-tuning on some minor things for sure we can do even better. We’re very proud of everyone and I’m super happy that I had the privilege to be here and to achieve this.” Source: Aston Martin

Walkenhorst Motorsport wins Silver Class

Walkenhorst Motorsport dominated the second half of the Silver Class, with its #35 Vantage GT3 finishing 14th overall. It was a just reward for the German team which had absorbed its fair share of adversity over the past week, with several accidents putting its engineers under pressure in the run-up to the event and the preceding ADAC Ravenol 24h Nürburgring. One of those accidents eliminated the #34 Pro Class car, driven by works drivers Henrique Chaves, David Pittard and Christian Krognes, after a crash in Super Pole on Friday.

For the victorious Silver Cup driver and former Aston Martin Racing Driver Academy graduate Romain Leroux, who shared the car with 2025 Academy candidates Oliver Söderström and Mateo Villagomez, the victory was even sweeter having been shunted into retirement from a podium position in last year’s race.

“I think it is the perfect gift back to the team, it’s definitely not been the easiest week,” said Leroux. “We had a lot of pace in the Pro car so to lose it even before the race began was very tough. The team bounced back very well, we didn’t lose focus, and we showed the pace the car had and us as drivers gave the team back the result they deserved.”

Beechdean Motorsport as Pro-Am runner up

The #100 Beechdean Motorsport car led the class comfortably for several periods of the race but lost track position into the morning, whereby its two works drivers aided by Howard and McIntosh staged a phenomenal charge, in searing heat, in the late stages to finish less than 25 seconds behind the winner.

Aston Martin #100 — 📷 © Luc Warnotte at CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. #100 Beechdean Motorsport #100 Aston Martin Vantage.

A Ferrari wins Bronze cup

In the Bronze Cup, the #74 Kessel Racing car with Dustin Blattner, Conrad Laursen, Dennis Marschall and Zacharie Robichon returned to victory after their success in the season-opener at Paul Ricard.

Thanks to their victory at the 24 Hours of Spa (and points earned at intermediate stages), the number 74 Kessel Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 consolidated its lead in the standings after a race spent battling at the front.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Kessel Racing, Ferrari #74

A Porsche takes Pro-Am

Porsche customer team AV Racing by Car Collection Motorsport celebrated victory in the Pro-Am class. The quartet of Noam Abramczyk, Bo Yuan, Mathieu Detry and Fabian Duffieux started from 61st on the grid and drove a steady, incident-free race to finish 31st overall.

Noam Abramczyk (Porsche 911 GT3 R #29): “Taking my first GT3 victory here at the Spa 24 Hours is something very special for me. It was a really tough race – we had some strategic challenges and also with track limits, but in the end, we won the Pro-Am class, and that’s all that matters to us.” Source: Porsche