Spa 24 Hours: Lamborghini takes maiden victory
Grasser Lamborghini claimed a hard-fought maiden win at the 2025 24 Hours of Spa, as Mirko Bortolotti, Luca Engstler, and Jordan Pepper took their Huracan GT3 to the top step of the podium.
The race ran uninterrupted for the final eight hours, with the last safety car disappearing after 16 hour. Instead, the closing stages were shaped by three Full Course Yellow (FCY) periods, two of which proved decisive in the battle for the win.
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The pivotal moment came in the 13th FCY of the race, nearly 18 and a half hours in, as both the #63 Grasser Lamborghini and Rowe Racing's #98 BMW of Augusto Farfus, Jesse Krohn, Raffaele Marciello pitted. While BMW's pace wasn't enough to mount a real challenge, the Lamborghini emerged in the lead.
Another FCY shortly after the 20-hour mark handed the top spot to the #96 Rutronik Racing Porsche Sven Muller, Patric Niederhauser and Alessio Picariello with a lucky pitstop under the caution period to set up a duel with Grasser's Lambo for victory.
The Porsche held the lead for nearly two hours until disaster struck: Muller suffered a puncture in the fearsome Blanchimont section. Fortunately, he kept the car under control and was able to limp to the pits - but it was just enough for Grasser to regain the lead.
But Grasser's final pitstop nearly unraveled it all, as Bortolotti lost precious seconds as his Lamborghini struggled to fire back up. Bortolotti lost six seconds in total, and the margin over the chasing Porsche was down to less than one second.
#63 GRT - Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2: Mirko Bortolotti, Jordan Pepper, Luca Engstler
#63 GRT - Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2: Mirko Bortolotti, Jordan Pepper, Luca Engstler
But once back on track, Bortolotti controlled the lead and kept Niederhauser firmly at bay to win by 8.703s.
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Lamborghini becomes the 20th different manufacturer to win the Spa 24 Hours, while it is also the first win of the event for all three drivers.
Third place went to #51 AF Corse's Ferrari Alessio Rovera, Vincent Abril, and Alessandro Pier Guidi, thanks to a post-race time penalty against #98 Rowe BMW for exceeding track limits. The Ferrari had overcome an early brake issue and even went a lap down before staging a strong comeback, aided by good FCY timing.
Just behind was the sister #50 Ferrari #50 Antonio Fuoco, Eliseo Donno and Arthur Leclerc, which delivered a clean race but missed the decisive FCY luck.
In the Gold Cup, the #58 McLaren of Adam Smalley, Frederik Schandorff, Dean MacDonald, Louis Prette Jr was on course for class victory, until a late-race puncture struck with just eight minutes remaining. That handed the class win to the #33 Verstappen.com Racing Aston Martin Thierry Vermeulen, Chris Lulham, and Harry King, which also emerged as the best-placed Aston overall after both Pro entries retired.
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The race was marred by a terrifying high-speed accident: Laurin Heinrich, driving the #22 Schumacher-CLRT Porsche, plowed into the slowing #112 CSA McLaren with nearly 200kph speed difference. Miraculously, both drivers walked away unscathed.
Read Also:
How Verstappen has created an ambitious GT team ahead of new era in 2025
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