This coming weekend, more than 30 out of the 180 drivers invited to take part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, including six former winners, will take the start at the 24 Hours of Spa created in 1924, one year after the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The 24 Hours of Spa only allows GTs to compete, so certain drivers will switch from a prototype to a GT, such as official Toyota driver Kamui Kobayashi (at the wheel of a Mercedes) and official Porsche driver André Lotterer. The latter, invited at the last minute, will drive an Audi along with one of the two fellow countrymen with whom he claimed the top step on the overall podium three times at the 24 Hours, Marcel Fässler. The third driver, Benoît Tréluyer, will this time play a rival to the German-Swiss pair set to join Dries Vanthoor, a recent winner in the LMGTE Am class at Le Mans.

The Audi squad will run into Stéphane Ortelli (winner in 1998, now with Jaguar), Marc Lieb (winner in 2016 with Porsche) back at the wheel and Guy Smith, a loyal driver with Bentley with which he won at the 2003 24 Hours. The Brit will be joined by Oliver Jarvis who reached the second step on the overall podium and the top step in the LMP2 class with Jackie Chan DC Racing at Le Mans.

Several official factory drivers with manufacturers involved in GT will compete at the Belgian Ardennes track on Saturday, including Aston Martin (Jonny Adam, winner in LMGTE Pro with the British marque at Le Mans), Porsche and Ferrari. Two factory Chevy Corvette drivers - Antonio Garcia (third in LMGTE Pro at Le Mans) with Audi and Oliver Gavin with Lamborghini - will change cars. Two Le Mans winners will go up against one of their former teammates, Olivier Beretta, the class win record-holder at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The start of the 24 Hours of Spa, a round of the Blancpain GT Series, will be given Saturday, July 29th at 4:30 p.m.

Entry List

PHOTO: Official Toyota driver Kamui Kobayashi, pole sitter at the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans, will take the start at the 24 Hours of Spa in a Mercedes.