Introduced in 2006, GT3 quickly became the most prolific endurance racing category worldwide. Its growth was so spectacular that it became the main class of the 24 Hours of Spa as early as 2011. 20 year after the creation of the series, the early GT3 cars will be returning to Spa.

Photo SRO Courtesy MRL

In 2001, the 24 Hours of Spa switched to an all-GT field for the first time, leaving touring cars behind and injecting
fresh energy into the event. However, GT1 and GT2 machinery remained costly to run. The creation of the
GT3 category in 2006 addressed this. SRO Motorsports Group introduced regulations for a more accessible
formula featuring prestigious models, with running costs capped at around one-third of a GT2 car. One
of the most significant innovations was being the first category designed around what is now known as Balance of Performance, previously unknown at this level of motorsport. Its purpose was to equalise the performance of cars with vastly different technical configurations.

When GT3 became the top class at Spa in 2011, Audi scored its first victory in the Ardennes with the young WRT team. The Schubert BMW took second, driven by Claudia Hürtgen, still the only woman to stand on the overall podium in the GT3 era, while Black Falcon’s Mercedes-Benz completed the podium with a tribute livery to the 1971 300 SEL AMG. Since then, grids have expanded steadily, peaking in 2025 with 74 starters in the world’s biggest GT3 race.

To mark the 20th anniversary of the category, Motor Racing Legends will organise two GT3 Legends races alongside the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa on the last weekend of June. The schedule will feature a 40-minute free practice session on Thursday; a 20-minute qualifying session and a 50-minute race on Friday; followed by a second 50-minute race on Saturday afternoon. Entrants will also take part in the famous parade from the circuit to the centre of Spa, where the cars and drivers will be presented to the public.

Entry is open to all GT3 cars homologated by the FIA between 2006 and 2012, with updates permitted through 2015. As always, Balance of Performance will be applied to ensure fair competition. Several entrants in the GT3 Legends field already have notable 24 Hours of Spa history. Olly Bryant was reunited with the Ecurie Ecosse BMW Z4 GT3, twice a class podium finisher in its period at Silverstone in 2025, while Marcus von Oeynhausen is a regular entrant in the #2 WRT Audi that finished third overall in 2013.

Between 20 and 30 cars such as Aston Martin V12 Vantage, Audi R8, BMW Z4, Chevrolet Corvette C6 Z06 R, Ferrari 458, Ford GT, Lamborghini Gallardo, McLaren MP4 and more are expected, ensuring that the category’s first generation is celebrated on the stage where it truly came of age. See motorracinglegends.com for details and entries.