This weekend, the circuit of Spa-Francorchamps will host the 12th edition of the Spa Classic by Peter Auto. In 2023, the meeting attracted over 22.000 spectators, which made it one of the most popular events of the historic race season. The meeting promises to be exceptional l with the presence of all the grids, including Classic Touring Challenge and The Gentlemen Challenge (combining the former grids The Greatest’s Trophy and Fifies’ Legends), the new 2024 grids.
The Classic Touring Challenge will pay tribute to the cars of the 5000 km of Spa, while The Gentlemen Challenge will feature the legendary cars of the 24h of Spa and the 1000km of Spa. So there’s something for everyone on the track! Add to this the circuit’s demanding layout and potentially capricious weather, and all the ingredients are in place for a legendary event.
The Porsches in the races
We checked the entry lists and, next to the early Porsche 911s in the 2.0 Cup, there were quite some interesting Porsches that conquer for victory.
The CER1 has the stunning Porsche 908-03 (Chassis 001) from Mark de Siebenthal. Furthermore, in the same series, 2 Porsche 906 Carrera 6 and about a dozen of Porsche 911 Carrera RSRs, both in the 1973 2.8 liter configuration as the 1974 3.0 liter. In CER2, we traced a Porsche 935, a Porsche 935K3, and a Porsche 930 Turbo. In the Gentleman Challenge, Peter Vögele brings his Porsche 904 Carrera GTS, and so do Mateo Radicioni and Carlos de Quesada. Unfortunately no cars from the Spyder era in this race, but you will be able to admire 2 Porsche 356s in this series.
Lucky enough for the visitors, Peter Auto managed to bring a group of Group C cars together, to make a race worthwhile. In the entry list, 15 cars are shown, of which we spot the 1990 Porsche 962C twice (Ivan Vercoutere/Ralf Kelleners). Or will they surprise us, and race each one of these cars that dominated the endurance races in the 80s and 90s?
More modern Porsche cars come into action in the Endurance Racing Legends 2. The cars you will see are for example the Porsche 993 GT2, the Porsche 996 GT3 RSR and 996 GT3 R and 997 GT3 RSR
Gallery Spa Classic 2023
The Peter Auto series at Spa Classic
- 2.0L Cup – Porsche 911 2-liter short chassis pre -1966
- Classic Endurance Racing 1 – GT 1966 / 1975 & Protos 1966 / 1971
- Classic Endurance Racing 2 – GT 1975 / 1981 & Protos 1972 / 1981
- Classic Touring Challenge – Pre-66 Touring Cars
- Endurance Racing Legends – GT & Protos 1990 / 2000
- Group C Racing – Protos from 1982 to 1993
- Heritage Touring Cup – Touring cars from 1966 to 1984
- Sixties’ Endurance – Pre-63 Sports Cars & Pre-66 GTs
- The Gentlemen Challenge – GT & Protos 1950 / 1960
International Porsche 914 Meeting
As a lucky coincidence, this weekend, the Porsche Classic Club Belgium hosts the International Porsche 914 meeting in Belgium. No better place to gather than at the Spa Classic event. There are about 100 Porsche 914s announced, so just that would be worth the visit
Porsche 917 exhibition
The 2024 edition is also set to be extraordinary with the previously announced organization of a unique exhibition of Porsche 917s, timeless icons of the racing world. This collection highlights several emblematic models, each telling a unique story in the world of racing. Almost a dozen chassis will be present and will take part to 4 sessions of 20 minutes from Friday to Sunday! However, the attraction won’t be limited to legendary cars, as the exhibition will also welcome renowned drivers such as Gérard Larrousse, Richard Attwood, Jürgen Barth, Reinhold Joest, Mario Casoni, and Philippe Siffert Jr , who will be representing his late father Jo ‘Seppi’ Siffert.
You won’t have lots of occasions to see this number of Porsche 917s at the same time.
Book your hotel in Spa
Pictures courtesy Tim Havermans
