FIA 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps 2024 – Jota takes victory in #12 Porsche 963
The FIA WEC TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps was host to a packed grid of the latest hypercars for 2024, alongside newcomers in the LMGT3 class
Following an action-packed second round at Imola, round three of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship took us to Spa-Francorchamps, where we were on the ground for the action (and there was plenty). A grid of 37 racers from the Hypercar and LMGT3 class all fought for victory ahead of the biggest endurance race on the calendar with Le Mans next month...
Despite excellent weather, the race saw its fair share of action, with the Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac V-Series.R involved in a serious race-halting incident with a BMW M4 GT3 on the Kemmel Straight with just under two hours to go. While both drivers walked away, barrier repair and track clean-up lasted for the entire race duration, but in a rare move, the race was then extended by the duration of the red flag to bring it to a conclusion.
While Ferrari were in first and second place overall before the red flag, the final result saw the #12 Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963 claim overall victory with British drivers Will Stevens and Callum Ilot at the wheel. The factory #6 Porsche 963 finished in second place, with the #50 Ferrari 499P hypercar in third. The Porsche dominance continued in the LMGT3 class with #91 and #92 911 GT3 Rs coming first and second in class.
Coming as the third round of eight in the 2024 WEC calendar, and the penultimate race before the 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours on June 15 - 16, the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps sets the stage for one of the most challenging races in motorsport.
A total of 19 cars from nine manufacturers filled the grid from the Hypercar class alone, with the LMGT3 class adding a further 18 cars, including newcomers such as the new Ford Mustang LMGT3. Alpine, Lamborghini, BMW M, Cadillac, Ferrari and more all took to the circuit to tackle all 20 turns of the iconic Belgian circuit in front of a packed crowd of 70,000 attendees.
In the Hypercar class, Peugeot's 9X8 racer made an appearance with its new winged design, with Lamborghini's new SC63, the wild Cadillac V-Series.R, Alpine's A424 and Porsche 963 all battling it out. Names such as Jenson Button, Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor, Nyck de Vries and Mick Schumacher are competing in this class for this season. The LMGT3 class is almost as diverse, with the new 5.4-litre V8 Ford Mustang LMGT3 competing against the likes of the Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R, Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 and Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 this year.
> The Alpine Alpenglow Hy4 is a hydrogen-powered racing prototype
