Are you a GT driver who has had enough of trying to stay out of the way of thundering prototypes? Well, fear not, as the GT3-only Spa 24 Hours contest might be the special event for you.
Taking place at one of the greatest and most iconic motorsport arenas in the world, Spa-Francorchamps, this round-the-clock classic will test even the most hardened GT pilots. The bumper 24-hour length means teams will have to work together to sustain a hot pace while keeping their car clean until the chequered flag.
Achieving this while pounding around the demanding Belgian circuit is a tough feat, with our boss, Coach Dave, knowing a thing or two about that, now having won the 2026 24 Hours of Spa for the third time with Rinaldi Racing!
This new video guide by Yuri will give you the best chance of knowing exactly what to expect when taking to the grid.
When is The Spa 24 Hours Held?
The iRacing Spa 24 Hours generally takes place a week before the SRO-sanctioned 24 Hours of Spa goes ahead in real life. This year, however, it takes place two weeks after scheduled for July 10th – 12th.
The race will be staged across four separate time slots over the weekend, with each being chosen so that sim racers from all over the globe have a chance to compete at a time that suits them. The start times are as follows:
- Friday: 10 PM GMT
- Saturday/Sunday: 8 AM GMT, 12 PM GMT, 4 PM GMT
How is The Spa 24 Hours Structured?
The four separate starting slots are scheduled to fit in with different time zones across the world:
- Friday is best for North and South Americans
- Saturday morning for the the Asian/Australasian regions
- Saturday midday is the ‘pro’ slot where all the top teams will be present
- Saturday evening is the best slot if racing Sunday hours is your thing.
The Spa 24 Hours is set up as a team event with a minimum driver number of two per squad, and a maximum of 16 runners per outfit.
- Sports, Formula & Oval iRacing Setups
- Race Telemetry - Brake, Throttle & Racing Lines
- Corner by Corner AI Coaching To Gain Seconds
- Challenge Racers on the Delta Leaderboards
What License Is Needed To Race?
To take part in the iRacing Spa 24 Hours, you only need to reach a D-level road racing license. Bear in mind though that you need a safety rating level of at least 4.0 if at D level, while the SR level of those ranked C or above is irrelevant.
The license you have doesn’t determine which split you are placed in, this will instead be sorted out by your total road racing iRating. This could mean that if three high-rated A-class racers team up with a lower-rated D-class pilot, the lower-rated pilot will likely have to take on the very best in the top split
- Speed has no bearing on how clean a driver races, so just because they possess a strong iRating, don’t assume they have a high level of racecraft
Due to the Spa 24 Hours being massively longer than the usual daily events, it provides an excellent chance for you to make massive iRating and safety rating gains. Keeping things clean when out on track is crucial to banking these gains, but they can be transformational to your ranking should you achieve this.
What is Spa-Francorchamps?
The Spa-Francorchamps venue is one of the most recognizable racing tracks on planet Earth, mainly due to its status as one of the longest-running circuits featuring on the Formula 1 calendar. Hosting its first grand prix in 1925, the facility has been a regular fixture in F1 ever since. It has only failed to feature on the schedule on two occasions since 1985, though F1 is far from the only series the track has hosted.
It’s difficult to find a championship that hasn’t visited Spa at some point. The World Endurance Championship, GT Challenge Europe, World Touring Car Championship, and even the World Rallycross Championship have featured rounds there in the past.
Spa is revered by drivers, teams, and fans alike due to its ultra-fast and flowing layout. The legendary Eau Rouge-Raidilion section is what most think of when Spa’s name is uttered though.
The uphill right-left complex has been witness to many breathtaking moments over the decades, the section providing the set-up to the one-kilometre Kemmel straight – which provides the ideal slipstream zone to make a move into the slow Les Combes chicane.
The Cars
The Spa 24 Hours, unlike most other iRacing special events, is structured as a single-class event that makes use of the GT3 class.
What is the GT3 class?
GT3 is the premier category of GT racing vehicles worldwide, with a total of ten machines ready to be called up for battle.
The ten combatants are all built by different manufacturers, and all current active GT3 vehicles are eligible for the Spa outing. They are all subject to iRacing’s extensive Balance of Performance measures to ensure each has an equal chance of running up front.
They also all have unique engine type/placement combinations, so these attributes add up to each needing varying driving styles to get the best from them.
They also all have unique engine layout/placement combinations, so these attributes add up to each needing varying driving styles to get the best from them.
| Acura NSX GT3 Evo 22 | Twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 |
| Audi R8 LMS Evo II GT3 | Naturally-aspirated 5.2-litre V10 |
| BMW M4 GT3 | Twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six |
| Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R | Naturally-aspirated 5.5-liter V8 |
| Ferrari 296 GT3 | Twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 |
| Ford Mustang GT3 | Naturally-aspirated 5.4-litre V8 |
| Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo | Naturally-aspirated 5.2-litre V10 |
| McLaren 720s GT3 Evo | Twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 |
| Mercedes-AMG GT3 2020 | Naturally-aspirated 6.2-litre V8 |
| Porsche 911 GT3 R 992 | Naturally-aspirated 4.2-litre flat-six |
Need Spa 24 Hour setups?
Our iRacing Setup Subscription enables you to focus solely on your on-track performance at the Spa 24 Hours, as we provide a comprehensive setup offering before the event for all cars.
- Race setups
- Qualifying setups
- Onboard laps
- Data packs
Gain seconds in lap time with our incredible iRacing setups that include professionally developed setups and referance laps for every car available in the official weekly racing series that you can find on iRacing.
Race Format and Strategy
The grid for the Spa 24 Hours will be decided by an eight-minute qualifying test, in which one of each team’s designated drivers will have two laps to post the best time possible. A three-minute practice session will precede the quali session to allow drivers to join the server and equip their setups. The race will then get underway with a rolling start procedure.
Track Conditions
The Spa 24 Hours contest features dynamic weather, so depending on the climactic conditions and cloud cover, the grip available can change at a moment’s notice. The circuit will also get grippier due to extra rubber being laid down on the racing line as the race progresses.
However, be prepared for your strategies to be discarded at a moment’s notice with the possibility of rain now to be considered. Due to being a 24-hour race, much of the Spa 24 Hours will be contested under darkness. The cooler conditions this brings can change the balance of the car severely.
- Each member of the team should be comfortable with the car day or night to ensure the pace is kept consistent at all times
- Track development is important to keep on top of as car balance can shift significantly, which can harm driver confidence
- Temperature differences can greatly affect tire wear, so keep an eye on this value throughout the race to make sure you aren’t pushing your rubber too hard if the track is hotter
Consistency
Good consistency is a key element of doing well in endurance races. Without it, those crucial seconds lost over several poor laps could easily prove to be the difference between winning and losing over 24 hours.
- Having a good race rhythm will help to prevent mistakes as the car will always be within its limits, as is the driver
- This will also ensure the car is looked after, as when pushing hard it is easy to overstress the tyres
- This will cause them to deteriorate toward the end of the stint, leaving you vulnerable to those behind
Variables
While the Spa 24 Hours is a single-class event, traffic will doubtless become an issue sooner or later. Some teams will get involved in crashes, meaning they’ll need to complete the rest of the race with a damaged, and therefore slower, machine.
- Try to leave as many moves as possible until the straights, which mitigates risk. Riskier moves will need to be taken at times due to how much time can be lost being held up in fast corners, but these should only be made if absolutely necessary
- Make sure you’re well aware of which parts of the track your car has an advantage over others, and vice versa, to work out the best place to attack or put the pressure on others
- Remaining calm and decisive when battling and lapping other vehicles is important if you’re team is to survive the gruelling 24-hour encounter
Final Thoughts
The chance of a good result is high if these tips are kept in mind, though ultimately, simply surviving should open up the opportunity for a great finish in an event that runs over 24 hours.
Many will fall victim to the formidable Spa curves, but with the right approach, you can instead make the Belgian circuit fall victim to you.
- Sports, Formula & Oval iRacing Setups
- Race Telemetry - Brake, Throttle & Racing Lines
- Corner by Corner AI Coaching To Gain Seconds
- Challenge Racers on the Delta Leaderboards
