Lionspeed GP conquered the biggest GT race in the world with its Porsche, which was shared by Ricardo Feller, Thomas Preining and Bastian Buus. They were among the pre-race favourites but an engine change on Thursday forced them to start from the pit lane, significantly reducing their chance of victory.
But a faultless performance brought the car to the front of the pack and it was the clear pick for the win by Sunday morning. It faced a stern challenge from some of the best teams and drivers in the sport – particularly Mercedes-AMG Team Mann-Filter and AF Corse Ferrari – but had the pace to defeat both over the closing stages.
The #48 Mercedes-AMG drove an equally perfect race to finish as this year's runner-up, never putting a foot wrong across the 24 Hours. In contrast the #51 Ferrari was incredibly fast but suffered a number of setbacks, ultimately securing a third successive Spa podium having started from pole.
As ever, the battle for overall glory was complemented by four enthralling class battles. The Gold Cup went to the #998 ROWE Racing BMW of Jens Klingmann, Ugo de Wilde and 24 Hours rookie Tim Tramnitz, who fought the #58 Garage 59 McLaren until the British squad retired on Sunday morning.
The Silver Cup produced a thrilling conclusion as the #45 Rinaldi Racing Ferrari beat the #30 Team WRT BMW to victory with its crew of David Perel, Dylan Medler, Rafael Duran and Alessandro Balzan, while the Italian marque also won in the Bronze Cup where Dustin Blattner, Dennis Marschall, Ben Tuck and Mathys Jaubert shared the Kessel Racing entry.
Finally, the Pro-Am class went to JMR, which secured the first victory for Corvette since the American heavyweight triumphed overall in 2009. The Ibrahim brothers, Jeffri and Abu Bakar, were joined by their regular teammates Ben Green and Jordan Love in the winning machine.
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∞∞∞ Rovera passes Guven for P3. That Ferrari is still in the hunt here, at the very least for P2. And we're into the final hour.
∞∞∞ The #555 McLaren briefly stops on start-finish, but it's going again now and we have avoided another FCY
∞∞∞ All very stable at the front. The #80 Porsche still leads by 7.8 seconds from the #48 Mercedes-AMG, which has the #22 Porsche for company just 0.5 seconds back.
∞∞ The #22 Porsche stops from P3. That releases the #51 Ferrari to try brige the gap to the #48 Mercedes-AMG for runner-up spot.
∞∞∞ Two hours to go. The #80 Porsche is on for the win, unless the rain hits.
∞∞∞ There's been talk of rain since about Monday, but it just doesn't seem like it's coming. Two hours and 10 minutes to run.
∞∞∞ The #51 Ferrari served five extra seconds at its most recent stop. That was for nudging the #2 Porsche into the gravel almost two hours ago.
∞∞∞ Actually, the #2 Porsche has not lost all that much time. The car was due a stop anyway, so the damage is minimal. All the leaders stopping now.
∞∞∞ Porsche on Porsche – it's friendly fire. The #22 goes up the inside of the #2 at La Source and there's contact.The front right section of the latter's bodywork has been detatched and the car is in the pits. It's still looking good for Porsche, but they've lost one of their shots at victory.
∞∞∞ The Mercedes-AMG is keeping the #51 Ferrari at bay, which is allowing the #80 Porsche to pull clear. Thomas Preining is eight seconds to the good and the gap is growing each lap.
∞∞∞ We go racing again with three hours and 20 minutes to run. The #80 Porsche has already cleared off, pulling a 4.1 second gap over the #48 Mercedes-AMG. The Ferrari is close behind but it won't be easy to pass that Merc.
∞∞∞ This safety car has definitely brought the #51 Ferrari back into the mix. On the other side, it's probably done for the #32 BMW.
∞∞∞ Big accident at Raidillon! The #123 Porsche loses it at Eau Rouge and goes into the barriers hard. Happily driver Tobias Müller is out of the car but we're going to a FCY and then a safety car.
∞∞∞ The pack has been shuffled by the pit stops. The #80 Porsche retains the lead from the #48 Mercedes-AMG, while the #2 Porsche jumps to third. But we know how quick that Ferrari is and the #51 AF Corse machine charges past and into P4. That car is back in it – again!
∞∞∞ The #51 Ferrari has recently stopped. It's off-sequence but basically on the same strategy as everyone save for the #32 BMW. That car is still extremely fast and could perhaps sneak into the fight for victory, though it would take a little good fortune.
∞∞∞ One brand that is most certainly in this is Porsche. The #80 Lionspeed GP entry is 13 seconds clear of the #48 Mercedes-AMG at the front, which is followed by two more Porsches – the #22 and the #2.
∞∞∞ Is the #32 BMW in this? It is arguably a single full-course yellow away from being able to stretch its stint and be in the lead at the finish. Still about five hours to go, but keep that car in mind.
∞∞∞ Lead change! The #80 Porsche makes the undercut work and blasts past both the #48 Mercedes and the #22 Porsche on the Kemmel.
∞∞∞ It's now a Mercedes out front chased by three flying Porsches. The #22 is the best of them followed by the #80 and the #2.
∞∞∞ More major drama! The Ferrari finally gets close enough for a pass, but there's contact with the Mercedes. Mosca looks to have a puncture, he's limping back.
∞∞∞ The #48 Mercedes-AMG is not such an easy pass for the Ferrari. Stolz has a half-second advantage over Mosca, followed by Buus and Güven.
∞∞∞ The #51 Ferrari is flying! Mosca charges past the #22 Porsche and now he's chasing down Stolz for the lead.