The Spa Six Hours returns to the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on September 25-27, 2026, with organiser Roadbook restoring the meeting to a Friday, Saturday and Sunday format. That reverses the timetable used in recent editions, when the event was structured to finish with the Six Hours on Saturday night, and gives the 33rd edition a full Sunday programme once again.
The main event remains largely unchanged. Qualifying for the Spa Six Hours Endurance is scheduled for 5:40pm until 7:10pm on Friday, with the race itself running from 3:50pm to 9:50pm on Saturday. The timing is central to the format: the race begins in daylight, moves through dusk and finishes in darkness, bringing lighting, driver changes and fuel strategy into play without stretching the contest through the night.
Eligibility for the Six Hours covers Touring, Competition Touring, Special Touring, Grand Touring, Competition Grand Touring and Grand Touring Prototype cars from 1947 through to the end of 1965, run to FIA Appendix K requirements. Each car can be shared by two or three drivers, with an uninterrupted driving stint limited to 150 minutes.
One of the event’s more unusual features also remains in place for 2026: race refuelling takes place at the Total petrol station inside the paddock below Eau Rouge, where the driver must get out and refuel the car without assistance from mechanics. Up to 100 litres may be taken at each stop, making a facility that would be unremarkable on the road an important part of the race strategy.
That basic format has been central to the Spa Six Hours since Alain Defalle and Vincent Collard established the race in 1993. The inaugural race attracted just 35 cars, with Defalle later recalling that its losses took five years to repay, but the concept survived: a long-distance race for period machinery that would begin in the afternoon and finish in darkness at Spa.
The field subsequently developed into one of Europe’s largest Historic endurance grids, and the roll of honour reflects how the competitive order has changed. Porsche 911s featured heavily in the earlier years, while Lotus Elans, TVR Griffiths, Chevron B6s, Jaguar E-types and Aston Martin DB4 GTs have all won. More recently the Ford GT40 has become the defining car of the race, winning every overall edition since 2011. Another GT40 victory in 2026 would give the model its 20th overall Spa Six Hours win.
The surrounding programme is broader than the Six Hours itself, covering machinery from the pre-war period to contemporary Porsche one-make racing. Historic Formula Junior is for original Formula Junior single-seaters raced up to 1963, while the Frazer Nash Car Club provides a dedicated pre-war grid. Historic Championship ’65 is open to GT, Touring and two-seater racing cars from 1947-65, with Historic Championship ’81 extending the range to Touring, GT and sports cars built up to 1981 and racing cars up to 1971.
There is a strong single-seater element, too. The Derek Bell Trophy Series covers cars from 1967-84 and brings together Formula 1, Formula 3, Formula 5000 and Super Vee machinery, while the Alfa Revival Cup is restricted to Alfa Romeo Touring and GT cars built between 1947 and 1981. The Belcar Historic Cup reaches as far forward as 1999 and the Colmore Youngtimer Touring Car Challenge incorporates Touring cars, sports cars and prototypes, including machinery associated with Le Mans and IMSA, built before 1990. The Porsche Sprint Challenge Benelux, meanwhile, brings together various eras of GT3 and GT4 Porsches.
Friday’s running begins at 9:00am, with the Six Hours qualifying session closing the principal Historic programme. Saturday starts with Derek Bell Trophy practice and Belcar Historic qualifying before the Alfa Revival Cup, Colmore YTCC, Formula Junior, Historic Championship and Frazer Nash races lead into the Six Hours itself. Racing then continues on Sunday. Historic Championship ’65 and ’81, Formula Junior, the Derek Bell Trophy and Belcar Historic Cup are among the grids in action, with the final scheduled race finishing at 5:25pm.
More details are available here.
