- Third of 10 collector's edition posters celebrating centenary CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa
- More than 90 years separate Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 MM and Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo 2
- Scuderia Ferrari earned first Spa victory in 1932 with an Alfa
The series of posters celebrating the centenary CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa (June 26-30) is proving a big hit. Following the official design featuring Mercedes-AMG and a second version that profiles Porsche, the third iteration has now been revealed.
For the first time, two different brands are shown approaching the legendary Raidillon. With more than 90 years separating them, the difference between these machines could not be more visible.
On the right, we see a Lamborghini Huracán GT3 Evo 2 in the colours of Barwell Motorsport. This has been one of the most popular and successful cars in modern GT racing, earning five class wins at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa: three in the Silver Cup, one in the Pro-Am, and one in the Am Cup. Indeed, the Italian brand is only missing the coveted overall victory, its best finish to date being eighth.
Its success in the classes shows that this car has both performance and reliability. As such, Lamborghini's objective in 2024 is to finally add its name to the list of CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa winners, alongside fellow Italian marques Ferrari, Maserati, and Alfa Romeo.
It is the latter that features on this version of the poster. With a total of seven overall wins, Alfa Romeo left its mark on the early years of the 24 Hours. The success of the Quadrifoglio came within a 10-year spell, between 1928 and 1938. On this collector's edition poster, we see the 1932 winner shared by Antonio Brivio and Eugenio Siena.
While the drivers are known only among experts, the same cannot be said about the team that represented Alfa in 1932. This marked the first appearance of Scuderia Ferrari in what was still called the 24 Hours of Francorchamps. To use an expression dear to Julius Caesar, it was a case of “Veni, vidi, vici” for Enzo Ferrari. On his first attempt with the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 MM, Il Commendatore and his crew left with a one-two finish.
In this sense, three Italian constructors (Ferrari began producing its own cars in 1947) are shown on this poster. The eagle-eyed will also notice that the iconic hot air balloon features the colours of the Italian tricolore.
To mark the centenary CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, the event’s promoter, SRO Motorsports Group, asked artist Guillaume Lopez to produce 10 versions of the official poster. The series will honour a century of history and showcase each of the manufacturers competing at the 2024 edition.
These collector's edition artworks will be on sale at merchandising stands throughout race week. In 10 days, the fourth poster will be revealed. So, which manufacturer will be under the spotlight next?
Did you know?
Like a number of other team principals, Barwell Motorsport boss Mark Lemmer is a former driver. He made two appearances at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, at the end of the touring cars era, debuting in a Honda Integra Type R in 1999 (12th overall). The following year he drove a Honda Accord, which was supported by the Japanese manufacturer and entered by Barwell Motorsport in association with European Luigi Racing.
During the GT3 era, Barwell has established itself among the most successful class contenders. After running BMW and Aston Martin machinery, the team joined forces with Lamborghini in 2016. This has been a successful partnership, earning three consecutive class wins at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa: Am Cup (2018), Silver Cup (2019) and Pro-Am (2020).
