Spa 24 Hours transitions from touring cars to GT race in 2001
Motorsport.com • 1 min read • Latest: Jun 27, 2026, 5:00 AM
Last updated Jun 27, 2026
The Spa 24 Hours, originally a premier touring car race since its revival in 1964, became a GT race in 2001. This transition followed a decline in prestige in the 1990s due to dwindling manufacturer interest and competition. The Royal Automobile Club of Belgium sought to revitalize the event by partnering with SRO Motorsports Group to promote GT racing, leading to a new era. The changes aimed to attract more participants and spectators after several years of disappointing performances and low grid numbers.
- •Spa 24 Hours was a top touring car race for decades.
- •Declining interest led to the switch to GT racing in 2001.
- •Partnership with SRO Motorsports Group aimed to attract more participants.
- •Original touring car prestige diminished in 1990s competition.
- •Historic races like the 1981 Mazda RX-7 win faced classification ambiguity.
- 5:00 AMMotorsport.com — How the Spa 24 Hours became a GT race in 2001
- 5:00 AMYahoo Sports — How the Spa 24 Hours became a GT race in 2001
"Today, the Spa 24 Hours stands as the ultimate GT3 spectacle on the sports car calendar. Yet, this remains a relatively modern phenomenon. Following the race's revival in 1964, it spent nearly half a century as a permanent, iconic fixture of the touring car world. Naturally, the lines between touring cars and GT sports cars blurred on more than one occasion during that era. The Porsche 911 ...Keep reading
"For decades, the Spa 24 Hours was the premier touring car race. Here is how SRO saved the historic event from falling into obscurity
Sources
External links- Motorsport.comJun 27, 2026, 5:00 AMHow the Spa 24 Hours became a GT race in 2001
Today, the Spa 24 Hours stands as the ultimate GT3 spectacle on the sports car calendar. Yet, this remains a relatively modern phenomenon. Following the race's revival in 1964, it spent nearly half a century as a permanent, iconic fixture of the touring car world. Naturally, the lines between touring cars and GT sports cars blurred on more than one occasion during that era. The Porsche 911 ...Keep reading
- Yahoo SportsJun 27, 2026, 5:00 AMHow the Spa 24 Hours became a GT race in 2001
For decades, the Spa 24 Hours was the premier touring car race. Here is how SRO saved the historic event from falling into obscurity
Original reporting and copyright belong to the linked sources. SportsNewsReport.com aggregates and links — it does not republish full articles.
Related Stories
Last 14 days- NASCAR•Jun 27, 2026, 5:25 AM"Old-School NASCAR Racing"- Veteran Driver Unmasks Sonoma's Unique Quality Giving Rise to False Road Course Specialists
- F1•Jun 27, 2026, 5:00 AMOn This Day (27th June 2001): Lilian Laslandes – The Signing That Symbolised Sunderland’s Decline
- F1•Jun 27, 2026, 3:13 AM⚠️Alarm bells in Spain: Pino could miss rest of the World Cup
MotorsportsNASCAR•Jun 27, 2026, 1:04 AMKern Raceway hosts July 4 "The American 250" with races, fireworks- NASCAR•Jun 27, 2026, 12:55 AMDenny Hamlin Fires Back at NASCAR Social Media Critic: ‘Show Your Face’
- Motorsports•Jun 27, 2026, 12:15 AMJulien Beaumer: 'The best version we've seen' after High Point second-place finish
