In a month which hosted three of the most prestigious endurance races, all eyes turned to the hallowed ground of the Spa Francorchamps circuit, nestled in the undulating forest of the Ardennes in Eastern Belgium. The biggest GT race in motorsport landed hot on the heels of a thoroughly entertaining 24h du Mans, and expectations were high.
It was back in 1924, a year after the inaugural Le Mans 24h race, where a circuit on the public roads in this area first hosted a 24h race, won by the French pairing of Henri Springuel and Maurice Becquet in a Bignan 2L. Though 24 racing has not been continuous throughout the subsequent 100 years, the 24h of Spa Francorchamps has continued in various forms, during this period, growing in popularity, first as a Touring Car race, as part of the European Touring Car Championship, and latterly as a race for GT cars, as we have come to embrace in modern times. This constant evolution is no more notable than at the turn of the millennium, where the last touring car race was won by a humble Peugeot 306 GTI, only for the following year to see victory for a Chrysler Viper GTS-R.
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