| A challenging CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa saw Car Collection Motorsport finish in the top 5 of the Pro-Am Cup. Car Collection Motorsport took part in the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa – the world’s biggest GT3 race – for the fourth time. The Walluf-based team lined up in the Ardennes with a Porsche 911 GT3 R, which competed in the Pro-Am Cup. Porsche works driver Joel Sturm and Niccolò Schirò led the driver line-up, which was completed by the two ambitious gentleman drivers Nicolò Rosi and Reinhold Krahn. In the four-part qualifying session, the quartet secured seventh place in the highly competitive class, but were forced to start from the back of the field due to two penalties. The 24-hour race on the Ardennes rollercoaster track proved particularly challenging in the 2026 edition. Temperatures exceeding 40 degrees pushed the cars, drivers and teams to – and in some cases beyond – their limits. Niccolò Schirò and Porsche ace Joel Sturm managed to push the Hessian team’s Porsche to the front of the Pro-Am class in the early stages of the endurance classic, making up over 45 places in the overall standings during their opening stints. Several time penalties for breaching track limits meant that the Porsche was unable to remain among the class leaders. In addition, the team had to carry out two repairs to the car on Sunday after Joel Sturm had a minor collision during the night, meaning the Car Collection Motorsport Porsche finished the race in fifth place in the Pro-Am Cup. “Many thanks to our entire team and the drivers for their hard work under what were at times gruelling conditions; they all did a fantastic job and crossing the finish line is our reward for that. We would have liked to repeat last year’s class victory, but unfortunately, due to various penalties and a bit of bad luck – which, of course, is always part of such a challenging 24-hour race – it wasn’t quite enough. Nevertheless, I’m pleased with the speed of our car, as Joel and Niccolo proved that we were definitely capable of winning. Nicolo and Reinhold also did a great job throughout the weekend. Next year, we’d like to be back on the starting grid and fight for top results there,” said team manager Romina Schmidt. Alongside the 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps, Car Collection Motorsport had planned to compete in the Porsche Sports Cup Germany at the Nürburgring. Jova Zec was due to drive a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport once again. Although Zec set the second-fastest lap in the GT4 class during practice, he subsequently crashed so badly that the car could not be repaired at the Nürburgring, bringing the youngster’s race weekend to a premature end. |
