Tooth and claw in 24

In the pantheon of 24-hour races, the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa often gets overshadowed. There are no prototypes, no multi-class racing. But with 74 GT3 cars on the 4.352-mile Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, the racing is tough. Some drivers will tell you it's the hardest 24-hour race on the planet. Spa is unforgiving, and with all the cars being somewhat equal, passing is challenging, even when lapping backmarkers. And at 2am, it's dark. Very dark. Thankfully, it's only eight hours, and sometimes less, from sunset to sunrise.

The 17 cars per mile is roughly twice the race car concentration of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring and more than twice the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Rolex 24 At Daytona comes close to the car-per-mile ratio, but the long “straights" on the oval and the abundant lighting make Daytona a different challenge.

Winning none of these races is easy; ask Nick Tandy, the one man – yes, one – who has taken an overall victory at each of them. But Spa is both grueling and special, and winning this 24-hour test of endurance means something.

“It's a place that kick-started my career back in 2017,” said Pepper. “Nine years later, I've been through a lot here. Pretty much every year has gone against me. In motorsport. I feel like you always have to put in 120 percent and if it's meant to be, it will be, and every year I was coming back more motivated than ever. I think what happened when we crossed the finish line was those emotions, collected over nine years, letting out.”

It was Pepper's first 24-hour win. Bortolotti has a win at Daytona, and Lamborghini has had three GTD victories in the Rolex 24, but the European around-the-clock races had eluded them. In 10 years of competition with the Huracán GT3 and its evolutions, it was their final chance, and it happened.

“This is another dream that is coming true, because we have four fantastic 24-hour races in the world and Spa is one of the most amazing races and to win it has been fantastic,” said Rouven Mohr, Lamborghini's Chief Technical Officer. “The job that the whole Squadra Corse team has done has been superb and a good example of a perfect collaboration – I am super proud of this. This is the best way to end the 10-year history of the Huracán GT3, but we still have many more races to focus on and win.”

“It's the biggest race of the year for us. I have the chance to do Nürburgring, Daytona, but Spa is, first of all, only GT3. So it's the biggest GT race, and on top of it is my home race. So for me, it is the race that matters the most,” Picariello said. "It means a lot. I'm really happy to be finally on the overall podium and to have also led the race. It was nice; I could see the fans waving on the side, it was a cool feeling. So I'm really proud of it.”

Fabian Duffieux knows how Picariello feels, having grown up near the circuit and working there driving a recovery truck. Winning the Pro-Am category with Noam Abramczyk, Mathieu Detry and Bo Yuan in the AV Racing by Car Collection Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R brought him full circle.

When Max Verstappen got knocked out of the Austrian Grand Prix in a collision with Kimi Antonelli, he didn't continue watching the F1 contest. Instead he tuned in to watch his verstappen.com team of Thierry Vermeulen, Chris Lulham and Harry King take a surprise Gold Cup victory at Spa in the No. 33 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO.

Arguing over which endurance race is the toughest, or which one outside of Le Mans carries the greatest prestige is a lot like arguing who is the greatest driver of all time, or whether LeBron James is better than Michael Jordan, or how the 1967 Green Bay Packers would fare against the 2024 Kansas City Chiefs. There is no doubt, however, that the 24 Hours of Spa has earned its place among the greatest.