You're used to a lot in the Ardennes, but the weather at the Spa Classic has rarely been as unspeakable as it was from May 17 to 19, 2024.
Temperatures below ten degrees and almost torrential rain made conditions difficult for spectators and drivers alike. However, the latter hardly let the nasty conditions spoil their enjoyment, while the number of visitors was probably somewhat lower than in previous years. Although it was a little fuller on Saturday, this probably did not compensate for the overall decline.
Largely well-filled starting fields
The individual grids were also well filled again in 2024, although the author may remember even larger starting fields.
Group C may serve as an example here. In previous years, these were full starting fields, but in 2024 it took a lot of effort to get enough cars to the start line for the race to be counted. It finally succeeded and a small but fine field with a wide variety of brands could be sent on its way.
As usual, the other fields were well filled and provided a real spectacle. As almost every year, the highlight of the races was the two-hour Sixties`Endurance race with around 60 racing cars at the start, which raced into the darkness.
The fact that, with seven Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupés, there were more of these cars at the start than had left the factory in the sixties made for good humor.
55 years of the Porsche 917
Another highlight was the vehicle exhibition "55 years of the Porsche 917".
The racing cars could not only be admired statically, but were also shown to the public several times on demo laps and also provided an impressive acoustic backdrop.
The racing cars were shown and driven by well-known racing drivers such as David Piper, Jürgen Barth, Gerard Larousse and the son of Jo Siffert, Phillippe Siffert.
The long-tail 917 in the style of the 917-041 caused some discussion among the spectators.
It was allowed to win
Matthew Holme/Andrew Jordan won the race for the 2.0-liter Porsche 911 Cup.
David and Oliver Hart won the Classic Endurance Racing 1 race in their Lola T70 Mk 3B, while Stéphane Nguyen won the Classic Endurance Racing 2 race in the 1981 Lola T298.
Max and Andrew Banks drove home the 60-minute race of the Classic Touring Challenge in their Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA,
Kriton Lendoudis won both Group C races in the 1990 Mercedes-Benz C11.
The two Heritage Touring Cup races were won by Yves Scemama in a Ford Capri RS 3100.
In the 120-minute Sixties' Endurance race, Jonathan Michell finished on top of the podium in the 1965 Jaguar E-Type 3.8, while the two Gentlemen Challenge races were decided twice by a Lister, but by two different vehicles. The winners were Luc-Pierre Verquin and Thomas Thorpe.
Varied and worth a visit
Despite the adverse conditions, the audience was offered a lot. The program was varied and great historic racing was on display. The operators of the sales stands were probably not entirely satisfied, as the visitors did not want to stand in front of them in the rain and quickly moved on to the next stand.
The extensive photo gallery provides an insight into the various races and starting fields.
