Spa Six Hours Endurance Lines Up Another Star-Studded Field
The undisputed headline act of Spa Six Hours 2026, the six-hour endurance race starting in the early evening on Saturday, is once again set to deliver a fiercely contested battle. The Ford GT40s will be looking to dominate the sharp end of the field once again, but the opposition is strong and the entry list features an impressive number of high-profile drivers.
To say that the Ford GT40 is the iconic car of Spa Six Hours Endurance would be an understatement. With 19 victories since the event was first held in 1993, including wins in each of the last 14 editions, the car originally designed to beat Ferrari at Le Mans remains the undisputed queen of the Roadbook Events classic. With no fewer than 13 examples entered for the 2026 edition, fans of the Blue Oval will have plenty to cheer about – especially with such a strong line-up of crews.
Among the GT40s likely to attract particular attention is the #8 shared by 2022 winners David Hart, Olivier Hart and Nicky Pastorelli. They will face the #3 of Nikolaus Ditting and Sam Hancock, the #11 of Fred Wakeman, Mike Grant-Peterkin and Richard Bradley, and the #18 of Kyle Tilley, 2021 winner Oliver Bryant and Phil Keen.
Paradoxically, the car with perhaps the best chance of ending the Ford GT40s’ remarkable run is a British machine with considerably more modest mechanical credentials: the #2 Ginetta G4R of Danish duo Palle Birkelund Pedersen and Nicolai Torsland Kjaergaard, joined by Alexander Weiss. In recent editions of Spa Six Hours Endurance, the Ginetta has come tantalisingly close to pulling off a major upset, repeatedly proving to be a thorn in the side of the powerful American machines. A second G4R will also take the start, with Britons Neil Primrose, Ciprian Nistorica and Jason McInulty sharing the driving duties.
The rest of the field is every bit as strong and diverse, featuring Shelby Cobra 289s and Daytona Coupés – including the #4 of Rudiger Friedrichs and Charlie Martin, the #77 of Robin Greenhalgh, Alan Greenhalgh and Nigel Reuben, and the #65 of Alexander and Vincent Kolb – as well as the incomparable Aston Martin DB4 GT DP214 of Wolfgang Friedrichs, Paul Friedrichs and Simon Hadfield.
Among the Belgian contingent, alongside Verdonck, Goossens and Maes, there will be no shortage of experienced historic racing specialists. The entry list includes Luc Moortgat (Ford Mustang), Laurent Jaspers and Anthony Schrauwen (Shelby Cobra Daytona), Christian Chambord (Porsche 911), Paul and Jordan Lejeune (Triumph TR4), Serge Libens and Jean-André Collard (Ford Mustang Notchback), Thierry and Alex de Latre du Bosqueau (Jaguar E-Type), Maxime Castelein (Lotus Elan), and Emiel De Weerdt, Luc Banckaerts and Juri Vannieuwenborgh (Ford Mustang), among many others.
Qualifying for Spa Six Hours Endurance will take place on Friday, 25 September, from 17:30 to 19:00. As tradition dictates, the race itself will get underway on Saturday at 15:50, with the chequered flag falling at 21:50, under the cover of darkness. This year’s podium ceremony will take place in the F1 pitlane.
Bring it on…
