Ferraris ready for the challenge in the Ardennes

After Le Mans and the Nürburgring, it’s time for another endurance classic, the 24 Hours of Spa, scheduled to take place at the Ardennes circuit over the weekend of 26 to 29 June, marking the third round of the GT World Challenge Europe – Endurance Cup. Among the 75 crews taking on the challenge are nine Ferrari 296 GT3s: seven fielded for the full championship season, joined for the Belgian round by two additional cars from the Prancing Horse manufacturer. Among the protagonists of this historic endurance race – first held in 1924 – are six official Prancing Horse drivers: Arthur Leclerc, Antonio Fuoco, Alessio Rovera, Alessandro Pier Guidi, Miguel Molina and Davide Rigon. The 24 Hours of Spa will get underway at 4.30 p.m. on Saturday, 28 June (local time). 

Pro Class. Last year, Ferrari narrowly missed victory when Pier Guidi’s 296 GT3 – in a crew with Rovera and Rigon in 2024 – was halted less than an hour from the finish due to a stationary car in the pit lane. The time lost relegated the car from the Maranello-based brand to second place, which returns this year looking to once again be among the protagonists. At the wheel of the number 51 AF Corse – Francorchamps car, alongside official drivers Pier Guidi – fresh from third place overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans two weeks ago – and Alessio Rovera, runner-up in the LMGT3 class at the Circuit de la Sarthe, will be Vincent Abril. 

Also contesting the overall standings is the second crew entered by the same team, made up of Arthur Leclerc and Antonio Fuoco, along with Eliseo Donno, sharing the red-and-yellow liveried number 50 car. 

Pro Am. This class, reserved for professional and gentleman drivers, features two Ferrari 296 GT3s, both fielded by AF Corse: the number 70 car of Custodio Toledo, Matthew Bell, Blake McDonald and Riccardo Agostini, and the number 71 of Luis and Mathias Perez Companc, Stephan Lemeret, and Prancing Horse official driver Miguel Molina.

Bronze Cup. This class, which sees the highest number of entries from the Maranello-based manufacturer, also features crews made up of professional and gentleman drivers. Lining up are the leaders of the category standings, Dustin Blattner, Conrad Laursen and Dennis Marschall, who, on this occasion, will be joined by Zacharie Robichon in the number 74 Ferrari of Kessel Racing. The Swiss team also fields a second 296 GT3, the number 8, crewed by Nicolò Rosi, Niccolò Schirò and David Fumanelli, with Daniele Di Amato completing the line-up. 

In the number 52 296 GT3 of AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors, last year’s runner-up at the 24 Hours of Spa, we will no longer see official driver Andrea Bertolini – a frequent protagonist of this great classic – who retired from racing after the Endurance Cup’s Monza round. Alongside Jef and Louis Machiels will be Marcos Siebert and Tommaso Mosca. 

In the number 93 Ziggo Sport Tempesta entry, the confirmed trio of Chris Froggatt, Eddie Cheever III and Jonathan Hui will be joined by Lorenzo Patrese. Meanwhile, in the number 12 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari, regulars Christian Hook, David Perel and official Ferrari driver Davide Rigon – fresh from a third-place finish in GTD Pro at last weekend’s IMSA championship 6 Hours of The Glen – will be joined by Felipe Fernandez Laser, returning from the Nürburgring 24 Hours.

The history. Genuine pages of heroic sporting events have been written on the 7.004-kilometre Belgian circuit, particularly during its most famous race, the 24 Hours of Spa, first held in 1924. Over a century, Ferrari boasts four overall victories. The first came in 1949 with the 166 MM of Luigi Chinetti and Jean Lucas, followed in 1953 by the 375 MM driven by Giuseppe Farina and Mike Hawthorn. In 2004, the 550 GTS crewed by Cappellari-Gollin-Bryner-Calderari secured the third triumph, while the most recent win dates to 2021, with Pier Guidi and Nielsen alongside Côme Ledogar taking the top step of the podium in the 488 GT3 Evo 2020. The same car delivered further class successes in 2019, 2021 and 2022.

Championship. The GT World Challenge Europe – Endurance Cup arrives in Belgium after two rounds. The season began in France with the 6 Hours of Paul Ricard, where Kessel Racing’s number 74 took Bronze class victory. The second round was held in Italy with the 3 Hours of Monza.

Global endurance. In addition to being a long-standing fixture on the GT World Challenge Europe calendar, the 24 Hours of Spa also counts as the third round of the 2025 Intercontinental GT Challenge – which features some of the world's most prestigious GT3 endurance races on its calendar. 

Programme. As tradition dictates, the Spa week will begin with a parade in the Belgian city centre on Wednesday, 25 June from 6 p.m. Thursday features free practice from 11.20 a.m. to 12.50 p.m., followed by Pre-Qualifying from 5.40 to 6.40 p.m. Qualifying runs from 9.15 to 10.36 p.m., with another free practice session held overnight from 11.05 p.m. to 12.35 a.m. Friday’s Superpole, from 4.10 p.m. to 4.40 p.m., will set the grid for the race start at 4.30 p.m. on Saturday, 28 June. 

All times are local.