The CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, the world’s biggest GT3 race, once again delivered everything that makes endurance racing so special, incredible competition, passionate fans, unpredictable drama, and unforgettable moments.
Returning to Spa after our podium finish in the Silver Class last year, Oman Racing by Century Motorsport arrived with confidence and high expectations. Strengthening our driver line up for this year’s challenge, we welcomed talented young Brazilian driver Pedro Ebrahim, who joined Ahmad Al Harthy, Calan Williams, and Javier Sagrera for one of the toughest races in international GT3 racing.
This year’s event was made even more demanding by the extreme summer temperatures in Belgium, with trackside temperatures reaching nearly 40°C. The scorching conditions tested every driver, mechanic, and team throughout the race weekend.
As always, Spa delivered an unforgettable atmosphere. Thousands of passionate fans lined the streets for the traditional drivers’ parade, creating one of the most iconic moments of the event. The support from the Belgian crowd is unlike anywhere else in motorsport, and it remains one of the highlights of racing at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
Following productive practice sessions, the team shifted its focus to qualifying, where our BMW M4 GT3 delivered a strong performance to secure P4 in the Bronze Class, leaving the team confident ahead of the biggest GT3 race in the world.
When the race began, Pedro Ebrahim took the start from P4 in the Bronze Class, carrying the hopes of the entire Oman Racing by Century Motorsport team. However, disaster struck almost immediately.
A major multi car collision unfolded in the opening laps, leaving Pedro with nowhere to go. Despite doing everything possible to avoid the incident, our BMW M4 GT3 sustained significant damage. Thanks to Pedro’s quick reactions, what could have been the end of our race on the very first lap became a chance to keep fighting.
Pedro managed to bring the damaged car back to the garage, where our incredible mechanics immediately went to work. Their determination, professionalism, and relentless effort saw the car repaired and returned to the circuit. Although the repairs cost us several laps, the team refused to give up. In endurance racing, 24 hours provides plenty of time to fight back.
Our drivers, Pedro Ebrahim, Ahmad Al Harthy, Calan Williams, and Javier Sagrera, all delivered outstanding performances throughout their stints. Battling from the very back of the field, they steadily climbed through the order and, after around ten hours of racing, had recovered to P11 in the Bronze Class, keeping hopes of a strong finish alive.
Unfortunately, after approximately 12 hours of racing, another incident brought our comeback to an abrupt end. This time, the damage was too severe, and we were unable to return the car to the garage for repairs. With no possibility of continuing, we were forced to retire from the race.
It was a heartbreaking conclusion to a weekend that had shown so much promise.
We started P4 in the Bronze Class with every reason to believe a strong result was within reach. An unavoidable incident in the opening laps dropped us to the back of the field, but our drivers and crew never stopped believing. Their determination allowed us to recover positions and remain in the fight until fate dealt us another cruel blow.
This wasn’t the ending we had envisioned after standing on the podium at Spa last year, but that’s the nature of motorsport. Sometimes, the outcome is decided by circumstances beyond your control.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to every member of Oman Racing by Century Motorsport for their incredible commitment, professionalism, and hard work throughout one of the most challenging races of the season. We are equally grateful to our partners and to our loyal fans around the world for their unwavering support.
We’ve faced setbacks before, and we’ve always come back stronger.
We’ll do it again.
See you at the next one.