Kevin Magnussen ahead of 24 Hours of Spa: “There’ll be plenty of action”

The Danish BMW works driver is expecting a thrilling race as he teams up with German legend René Rast and Italian superstar Valentino Rossi for his debut in the legendary 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.

The Danish BMW works driver is expecting a thrilling race as he teams up with German legend René Rast and Italian superstar Valentino Rossi for his debut in the legendary 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.

Magnussen will share the BMW M4 GT3 with German René Rast – a two-time winner of the Belgian endurance classic – and Italian motorcycle star and nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi. The trio will compete in the Pro class as one of five BMW factory-backed top-class entries – facing a fierce 20-car field featuring Porsche, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Mercedes-AMG, Lamborghini, Ford and McLaren.

A total of 75 GT3 cars across five classes are on the entry list for this year’s Ardennes challenge, promising heavy traffic on the iconic seven-kilometre circuit. BMW has a proud history at Spa – the brand took its first win in 1965 and has claimed victory four times in the past decade.

"The 24 Hours of Spa is probably the toughest and most complex GT3 race in the world. It’s a highly prestigious event, and the manufacturers go all-in with their best teams and drivers, so there are plenty of strong lineups with a real chance of winning,” says Kevin Magnussen.

“There are more cars on the grid than at Le Mans, but on a much shorter circuit. And since it’s GT3-only, the field is a lot tighter – so naturally, there’ll be plenty of action. Spa is one of the coolest tracks in my book, but it’ll be a completely new experience in a GT3 car. BMW has been competitive in recent years, so I really hope we’ll be in the fight for the win,” the Dane adds.

This year’s 24 Hours of Spa got underway on Thursday with the first practice sessions, while qualifying begins Thursday evening. All sessions – including the race itself, which goes green on Saturday 28 June at 16:30 – will be streamed live on YouTube.