The CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa Prologue will move significantly closer to the race itself in 2027, with SRO Motorsports Group scheduling the two-day test for 15-16 June at Spa-Francorchamps.
The change places the Prologue just over a week before official running begins for the 79th edition of the Belgian endurance classic, with the wider event scheduled from 24-27 June and the 24-hour race running across 26-27 June. It represents a substantial departure from 2026, when teams completed the Prologue on 19-20 May, more than a month before the 78th CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.
Spa Prologue begins two-week build-up to 24-hour race
Rather than travelling to Spa for testing and then returning several weeks later, teams will remain much closer to the race-week period in 2027. The Prologue will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, 15-16 June, before Spa Speedweek follows from 18-20 June. The traditional parade into Spa city then begins the main event week before track action gets underway.
The revised schedule effectively creates a two-week period of GT racing activity at Spa-Francorchamps. For teams, the proximity of the test to the race should make the Prologue considerably more representative of the conditions they will encounter during the main event, while also reducing the time available to analyse data or make substantial changes before returning to competitive action.
In 2026, the two Prologue days took place on 19-20 May. Christopher Haase led the opening day for Eastalent Racing with a 2m16.535 in the #84 Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II, narrowly beating Alessio Picariello’s Boutsen VDS Porsche. Pit Debrief’s coverage of the opening 2026 Spa Prologue day showed how the test provided an early indication of the competitive order more than a month before the race itself.
2027 Spa event retains late-June slot
The main CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa weekend remains in its established late-June position as the centrepiece of the GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS Endurance Cup season.
The 79th edition will officially run from 24-27 June, with the race beginning on Saturday, 26 June and concluding the following day. That follows a successful 2026 edition in which 69 cars started and Lionspeed GP completed a remarkable recovery from the pit lane to outright victory with Ricardo Feller, Thomas Preining and Bastian Buus. Pit Debrief’s full 2026 Spa race summary detailed the Porsche crew’s recovery through a race that attracted a record 132,000 spectators.
Moving the Prologue closer to the race also creates a much more condensed preparation period. In 2026, teams had more than four weeks between the test and the first official sessions, whereas next year they will move almost directly from testing into the wider Spa build-up.
Paul Ricard Prologue expanded to two full days
SRO has also revised the championship’s pre-season testing programme at Circuit Paul Ricard.
The traditional GTWC Europe Prologue will take place on 13-14 April, immediately before the opening Endurance Cup round at the same venue from 16-18 April. While this keeps the general format introduced in recent seasons, the test will expand to two complete days of running rather than the one-and-a-half-day schedule previously used.
That gives teams additional preparation time before the six-hour season opener, while maintaining the logistical advantage of holding testing and the first championship round at the same circuit within a single week.
Paul Ricard will again begin the GTWC Europe campaign after retaining its place at the head of the 2027 calendar announced earlier this year. The French circuit will host the opening Endurance Cup race before Brands Hatch begins the Sprint Cup season two weeks later.
GT4 European Series gains dedicated Prologue
The GT4 European Series will also receive its own dedicated pre-season Prologue for the first time.
GT4 competitors will take to Paul Ricard on Thursday, 15 April, immediately after the two GTWC Europe test days and one day before official track action starts for the opening weekend. The new test gives GT4 teams a dedicated opportunity to prepare machinery and drivers before their six-round campaign begins.
The series will continue to form a regular part of the GT World support package in 2027, including an appearance during the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa weekend. Its addition to the Paul Ricard testing programme creates three consecutive days of pre-season running across SRO’s GT3 and GT4 categories before the competitive season begins.
No changes to previously announced 2027 GTWC Europe calendar
SRO has also confirmed that the 2027 GTWC Europe calendar remains unchanged from the version presented during the 2026 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.
The championship will again comprise 10 rounds split evenly between five Endurance Cup and five Sprint Cup events. Paul Ricard opens the season from 16-18 April before Brands Hatch hosts the first Sprint weekend on 1-2 May. Imola then returns to the championship from 21-23 May, taking over the Italian Endurance Cup date while Monza undergoes planned circuit work.
Spa follows in June before Misano and Magny-Cours host consecutive Sprint Cup rounds during July and early August. The Nürburgring stages the fourth Endurance event from 27-29 August, followed by Zandvoort in September and the returning Hungaroring from 1-3 October. Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya then closes the overall season with the Endurance Cup finale from 22-24 October.
As Pit Debrief reported when the 2027 GTWC Europe calendar was first revealed, Imola and the Hungaroring represent the two principal venue changes. Imola returns for the first time since 2022, while the Hungaroring rejoins the championship after its redevelopment and will host the Sprint Cup finale.
Confirmed 2027 GTWC Europe calendar
The season will begin and end with Endurance Cup events, while the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa retains its position as the championship’s blue-riband race.
- 16-18 April: Circuit Paul Ricard — Endurance Cup
- 1-2 May: Brands Hatch — Sprint Cup
- 21-23 May: Imola — Endurance Cup
- 24-27 June: CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa — Endurance Cup
- 16-18 July: Misano — Sprint Cup
- 30 July-1 August: Magny-Cours — Sprint Cup
- 27-29 August: Nürburgring — Endurance Cup
- 17-19 September: Zandvoort — Sprint Cup
- 1-3 October: Hungaroring — Sprint Cup
- 22-24 October: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya — Endurance Cup
The introduction of revised Prologue dates therefore represents the main organisational change since that calendar was announced. Teams now know not only where they will race in 2027, but also how their pre-season and Spa preparations will be structured.
For the Spa field in particular, the adjustment creates a much tighter schedule. Instead of completing the Prologue more than a month before the 24-hour race, teams will test on the same circuit only days before the main event begins, turning the second half of June into an extended build-up to GT racing’s biggest endurance contest.
