• Perfect kick-off during the traditional parade into the centre of Spa
• Teams run through their programmes in first free practice without any issues
• First highlight by GetSpeed with second place in bronze test

The traditional parade into the city centre of Spa on Wednesday evening was a worthy start for the 75th running of the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa. During the welcome with a great atmosphere with over 200 cars, the record contingent of 15 Mercedes-AMG teams with 54 drivers from 20 countries presented themselves to the motorsport passionate fans. Meanwhile, action also has already started at the seven kilometres long Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps: with the bronze test on Tuesday and first free practice, the first sessions of the long-standing event in the Belgian Ardennes are already in the books. 

The Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing Teams used the 90-minute practice session to prepare intensely for the race twice around the clock. Despite brief interruptions with red flags, they were all able to run through their programmes without any issues. In first free practice, the focus wasn’t on fast lap times. The best-placed Mercedes-AMG GT3, the car with starting number 88 (Boguslavskiy/Gounon/Marciello) of the AKKODIS ASP Team ended up in eleventh place. Right behind it ware the #999 Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM (Engel/Grenier/Juncadella) and #75 SunEnergy1 Racing (Catsburg/Habul/Konrad/Mostert) cars. In the three-hour bronze test on Tuesday afternoon, the GetSpeed team shone in particular. The #3 car #3 (Assenheimer/Heyer/Peroni/Scholze) posted the second-fastest time while SunEnergy1 Racing ended up fifth.

The 24 Hours of Spa are regarded as the highlight on the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS schedule, but the endurance racing classic is also part of the Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli (IGTC) schedule. Prior to the race, Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing is leading the IGTC drivers’ and manufacturers’ standings as well as the Independent Cup. At Spa, points for the global GT3 race series are attributed to the ten best cars that were entered as eligible to score IGTC points. At Spa, five Mercedes-AMG GT3s are competing for victories and points for Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing: the #88, #777 and #999 cars in Pro Cup as well as the #57 and #75 cars. 

Special livery for the #87 Mercedes-AMG GT3
The fourth car in Pro Cup, the #87 Mercedes-AMG GT3 run by Mercedes-AMG Team AKKODIS ASP, is sporting a white-and-silver livery of Mercedes-AMG Official Partner MSI at Spa. The classic and elegant colour scheme reflects the long-term partnership between Mercedes-AMG and MSI that was agreed upon this year. At the virtual race track, the #87 Mercedes-AMG GT3 is racing in the classic and elegant MSI livery as well. Under the Mercedes-AMG Esports Team MSI banner, Thomas Drouet (FRA) will participate in the one-hour Fanatec Esports GT Pro Series race.

“I am very happy that we have completed free practice without any incidents. Like that, every team was able to gradually find its way and to run through the various test programmes for qualifying and, of course, for the race. Moreover, our drivers already had the chance to get used to the track conditions. We have seen a massive improvement oft he track here. Now, the final preparations start so that our teams can use the full potential of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in qualifying today.”
Stefan Wendl, head of Mercedes-AMG Customer Racing

“It is nice to be back here. For me, the 24-hour race at Spa is the highlight on our calendar. This year, there are many cars in the field. Our Mercedes-AMG GT3 ran well, but still, we know that it will be a huge challenge. We have to make sure that we get the maximum out of it. Now, first of all, the focus is on getting accommodated and finding the right set-up. Then we can try everything this evening to make it into the top 20 qualifying.”
Maro Engel, Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM #999

“So far, the track is still very dirty, so the grip level is rather low. However, all cars had their problems with that. Our team was able to use practice to set up the cars in an optimal way. Therefore, I am very confident for the upcoming sessions.”
Kenneth Heyer, GetSpeed #3

“The parade was fantastic. I hadn’t expected to see so many people out there. Giving them a brief show and presenting the impressive sound of the Mercedes-AMG GT3 was fun.”
Indy Dontje, Winward Racing #57

“Yesterday’s parade with this great atmosphere was a fantastic experience. Today, we have a really packed programme. Free practice is now in the books. We still have work to do, but we know what things we need to work on to make the car even faster. As a result, we should be well prepared for qualifying.“
Jordan Love, Haupt Racing Team #79

Following the GT3 highlight of the year on the live stream
For the world’s biggest GT3 race, organiser SRO offers a comprehensive live stream service on the internet. The full CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa as well as the Superpole session on Friday evening and the four-segment qualifying on Thursday evening will be broadcast by SRO on its official YouTube channel (@GTWorld). As a result, the sessions can be watched live on all Smart TVs, PCs, laptops and mobile devices. A live stream including live timing is also available on the official GT World Challenge Europe, Intercontinental GT Challenge and CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa websites.