+ Six IGTC drivers’ championship contenders feature across 11 entries
Valentino Rossi and Kevin Magnussen are teaming up for this year's CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa as part of BMW's five-strong factory assault on the world's biggest GT3 race.
The event's most decorated manufacturer tops the Intercontinental GT Challenge manufacturers' and drivers' standings after finishing one-two at Bathurst. And while another twice-around-the-clock race - ADAC Ravenol 24h Nurburgring - awaits the globe-trotting GT3 series' contenders before Spa, BMW is already fully focused on securing a record-extending 26th overall victory one week later in the Ardennes where all six of its leading IGTC contenders will compete.
However, it's the partnership of former F1 racer turned BMW works driver Magnussen, multiple DTM champion and two-time Spa winner Rast plus MotoGP legend Rossi - who finished second at Mount Panorama - that will generate most headlines.
"I am very happy to be back at the 24 Hours of Spa," said Rossi. "It is a great race – very demanding and difficult – on a fantastic and challenging track. The level of competition between the best GT cars, teams and drivers in the world is extremely high. I can’t wait to race there together with my great team-mates Kevin Magnussen and René Rast."
Theirs is one of three Pro entries run by Team WRT, which won IGTC's season opener with Kelvin and Sheldon van der Linde and Augusto Farfus.
Sheldon shares the #31 M4 GT3 Evo with Dries Vanthoor and Marco Wittmann, who was a winner with BMW in 2023, while the older VDL brother has Ugo de Wilde and reigning Intercontinental champion Charles Weerts for company in #32. The same combination won GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS's season opener at Paul Ricard at the start of April.
ROWE Racing can also call on a full-season GT World Challenge trio in the shape of Farfus, Raffaele Marciello and Jesse Krohn. But the three-time Spa winners - two of which it achieved with BMW - have a second car and stacked driver combination up its sleeve: Dan Harper, Max Hesse and Philipp Eng.
The latter knows what it takes to taste victory in the Ardennes having done so three times aboard a BMW and twice with ROWE. A fourth would move him joint second on the all-time list behind only Eric van de Poele.
"I am very excited to compete once more at Spa-Francorchamps with ROWE Racing and hopefully achieve my fourth victory at the 24-hour race," he said. "For me, the Prologue will first be about getting used to the GT3 car again. But I don't expect any difficulties, as after so many years the feeling is ingrained. It's a great story that I'm sharing the car with Dan and Max. I've known them since hour zero, as I was one of the mentors of the BMW Junior Team back then. Seeing them now as established works drivers and witnessing how they deliver absolute top performances every race weekend is fantastic."
Only BMW's two highest finishing entries will score IGTC manufacturers' points. But if its Pro assault falters there's still another six class contenders waiting to fill the void. Only once before in the GT3 era has Bavaria fielded more cars at Spa.
AlManar Racing by Team WRT competes in the event's Gold Cup; Paradine Competition, Team WRT and Century Motorsport are gunning for Silver honours, and Bronze features Paradine Competition and BMW Italia Ceccato Racing.
The event's official Prologue takes place next Tuesday and Wednesday before attention turns to 24h Nurburgring on June 19-22. Spa then takes centre stage one week later.
