Although there was plenty of Italian flavour to that win – a Ferrari entered by Scuderia BMS Italia and driven by Italian drivers Luca Cappellari and Fabrizio Gollin together with Swiss-Italian duo Enzo Calderari and Lilian Bryner (the first woman driver ever to win the Spa 24 Hours) – the victorious 550 Maranello was developed and built by British team Prodrive.Ģ005 saw the start of a chapter dominated by the Maserati MC12.
The car that finished second to the Freisinger Porsche claimed the win a year later.
The car was entered in the less powerful N-GT category, but in typical Belgian circumstances – it rained for all but two hours – Stéphane Ortelli, Marc Lieb and Romain Dumas drove a perfect race. Lister and Ferrari were never far behind though, but in 2003 Swiss squad Freisinger Racing created a surprise by claiming victory with their Porsche 996 GT3-RS. The American machine, equipped with a huge V10 engine, was entered by first-class teams such as Larbre Compétition, Belmondo Racing and Carsport, and won the first two GT-editions of the Spa 24 Hours. The spectacular, aggressive and powerful cars immediately impressed the fans, especially the monstrous Chrysler Viper. No more touring cars, super touring cars or super production cars, it was time to give the GT machines of the FIA GT Championship their own 24-hour race. In this three-part series, we take a closer look at the history of the event.Ģ001 saw the start of a new and exciting era for the Spa 24 Hours. Through the years, the endurance classic produced some of the highlights of international long-distance racing. In 2018 the Total 24 Hours of Spa celebrates its 70 th edition.