Porsche stars make history with 24 Hours of Spa victory

There was boundless jubilation at Lionspeed GP when closing driver Thomas Preining crossed the finish line at the 24 Hours of Spa. Preining, Ricardo Feller and Bastian Buus have won the 24 Hours of Spa, the world’s biggest GT3 race, for the first time. It is also the first victory at the endurance classic in the Ardennes for the German team from Bad Homburg.

The season has been a difficult one for the team so far. Problems with the power steering led to retirements whilst in promising positions at Paul Ricard and in the first Sprint Cup race at Brands Hatch. The Porsche was also forced out of the race during the crash-fest at Monza. Only the second Sprint Cup race at Brands Hatch went off without a hitch, with Feller and Buus taking the win there straight away.

The weekend on the Ardennes rollercoaster also began with another setback. Following the parade through Spa’s old town, the engine had to be changed. As a result, they had to start from 66th on the grid via the pit lane.

What followed was an unparalleled comeback, culminating in victory at 4.30 pm on Sunday. With this victory, the team made history, as no car had previously won the race in the GT era from a starting position lower than 29th. It is also the first car in the history of the race and the GT World Challenge Europe to win a race from the pits.

“I’m very relieved and incredibly proud of the whole team – they deserved this victory. Having to start from the pit lane was, of course, a setback. But we still believed in our chances. That’s exactly what makes a strong team. We’ve been able to write a great chapter in our history. In our sport, you experience more defeats than victories, which is why we’re going to celebrate this success in style,” said a jubilant Ricardo Feller after the race.

Highlights from the thrilling 2026 edition of the 24 Hours of Spa: