#80 Lionspeed GP wins the 2026 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa

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Lionspeed GP completed a remarkable recovery from the pit lane to win the 2026 CrowdStrike 24H of Spa with its #80 Porsche.

Ricardo Feller, Thomas Preining and Bastian Buus overcame an engine change that denied them their Superpole starting position and forced the Porsche to begin the 79th edition of the Belgian endurance classic from the pit lane. Twenty-four hours later, the trio stood on the top step after defeating Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER and AF Corse.

Lionspeed fights through the field

The #80 Porsche initially faced the considerable challenge of passing almost the entire 69-car field.

Feller, Buus and Preining steadily moved forward during the opening half of the race, avoiding the incidents and penalties that eliminated several early contenders. Their progress eventually brought Lionspeed into the overall victory battle alongside the #48 Mercedes-AMG and pole-starting #51 Ferrari.

Preining delivered one of the race’s decisive moves during Hour 16. After closing rapidly on Nicklas Nielsen, he used traffic at the Bus Stop to pass the Ferrari on track and take the lead.

A later neutralisation allowed Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER to regain the advantage, but Lionspeed remained within striking distance.

Undercut returns Porsche to the lead

The race changed again when Tommaso Mosca made contact with Luca Stolz while challenging the #48 Mercedes-AMG for first place. The collision damaged the #51 Ferrari and temporarily removed AF Corse from the immediate lead fight. Lionspeed then used an undercut to move the #80 Porsche ahead of both the Mercedes-AMG and the #22 Schumacher CLRT Porsche.

Preining returned to the cockpit and established a clear advantage. Although a late Safety Car compressed the field, he controlled the restart and quickly rebuilt his margin.

Once every contender completed its final stop, Lionspeed remained ahead and completed one of the most impressive recoveries in recent Spa history.

Mercedes-AMG and Ferrari complete the podium

The #48 Mercedes-AMG Team MANN-FILTER entry of Lucas Auer, Luca Stolz and Maro Engel completed a consistently competitive race to finish second. The team repeatedly challenged for the lead and remained Lionspeed’s closest rival during the closing stages.

AF Corse recovered from a puncture, multiple penalties and the later contact to place the #51 Ferrari of Alessio Rovera, Tommaso Mosca and Nicklas Nielsen third.

The pole-starting Ferrari had controlled the opening hours before suffering several setbacks, but its recovery ensured three manufacturers shared the overall podium.

ROWE Racing claims Gold Cup honours

The #998 ROWE Racing BMW secured the Gold Cup victory with Tim Tramnitz bringing the car home at the head of the class.

The #10 Boutsen VDS Porsche finished second, with Gilles Magnus representing the entry in the final classification.

Adam Smalley completed the Gold Cup podium aboard the #4 Optimum Motorsport McLaren.

Rinaldi Racing wins Silver Cup

Rinaldi Racing claimed the Silver Cup victory with the #45 Ferrari. Alessandro Balzan led the car to the class win after it remained among the strongest Silver entries throughout the race.

Amaury Cordeel finished second in the #30 Team WRT BMW, while Jeff Machiels completed the Silver Cup podium for AF Corse in the #52 Ferrari.

Kessel Racing takes Bronze Cup victory

The #74 Kessel Racing Ferrari won the Bronze Cup after maintaining a front-running position throughout much of the race. Mathys Jaubert brought the Ferrari home ahead of James Kellett’s #991 Paradine Competition BMW.

Alex Fontana completed the class podium in the #89 Lionspeed GP Porsche, adding further success to Lionspeed’s overall victory.

JMR Corvette triumphs in Pro-Am

Johor Motorsports Racing JMR secured Pro-Am honours with the #0 Corvette. Ben Green headed the category, while Anders Fjordbach finished second in the #86 High Class Racing Porsche.

Marvin Klein completed the Pro-Am podium aboard the #999 GetSpeed Team PCX Mercedes-AMG.

However, the greatest celebration belonged to Lionspeed. From a pit-lane start to overall victory, Feller, Preining and Buus delivered a near-perfect recovery to secure the team’s first CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa triumph.