Who will write their name in the history of the 2022 TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa?
On the afternoon of 30 July a field 66 GT3 cars representing nine different brands will plunge into Eau Rouge and then make the climb up through Raidillon, kicking off a full day and night of competition at the 74th TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa.
Among this bumper grid, 23 Pro crews will be gunning for overall glory in the Ardennes, the majority featuring factory drivers from the world's biggest brands. With so much talent spread throughout the entry list, it is difficult to know where to begin when assessing this year's hopefuls.
Porsche re-established its position as a Spa powerhouse with back-to-back wins in 2019 and 2020; with five very strong crews and a wealth of factory drivers on the entry list, it should be a contender again this year. Dinamic Motorsport will field its full-season Fanatec Endurance line-up, which sees reigning winner Côme Ledogar link up with Porsche experts Klaus Bachler and Matteo Cairoli. This team excels in changeable weather, an ideal quality for a successful Spa assault.
No fewer than four squads will field Porsche machinery on a one-off basis this year. GPX Martini Racing has reunited the line-up that won in 2019, with Kevin Estre, Michael Christensen and Richard Lietz sharing the #221 car. KCMG also has the potential to be a serious player, with two-time race winner Laurens Vanthoor joined by 2020 winner Nick Tandy and 2019 Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli champion Dennis Olsen.
EMA Motorsport makes its TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa debut this term with an impressive line-up. Experienced factory drivers Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet link up with former grand prix racer Felipe Nasr, who recently joined the Porsche works ranks. Toksport WRT completes the set, fielding its regular driver Marvin Dienst alongside Porsche experts Julien Andlauer and Sven Müller.
Strictly speaking, any of the 66 cars on this year's entry list could take overall victory. But while the increasingly high level of the leading Silver Cup crews means that we could see an interloper in the top-10, it is all but certain that the winner will come from the Pro ranks. The combined expertise of teams and drivers is as high as ever this year and whoever emerges on top will have truly earned their success.
To find out who takes the big prize, fans can follow the action live thanks to free-to-view online streaming. Commentary is available in English, German, French and Italian on the GT World YouTube channels, with further live streams available via the event’s social media channels.