How To Prepare for iRacing’s 24 Hours of Spa

In the past we already looked at options on the possibility to race the 24 Hours of Spa in simracing. Now, with iRacing’s 24 Hours of Spa approacing this weekend, we want to specifically look at how to prepare for this unique event.

The 24 Hours of Spa has become one of the biggest endurance events worldwide over the years – be it in Real-life or in simracing. The track is one of the most iconic and the field consists of GT3 cars only, which is arguably the most popular race car class in today‘s motorsport.

The real event hosted 76 race car entries a few weeks ago – a new all-time record!

Spa-Francorchamps is a very fast and flowing track, consisting of mainly high to medium speed corners, but also having two very long straights. This means it is key to find a good aerodynamic balance, as you need downforce through the coners but too much of it can slow you on the straights. Legendary corners like Eau-Rouge/Raidillon, Pouhon and Blanchimont will really show you the limit of your aero-setup. Too less wing here and you will lose the car immediately.

The key is to adjust your wing setting until you make it through these corners without the rear stepping out. But don’t increase the wing angle any further, as is might slow you too much on the straights, making you car not competitive at the main overtaking points on track.

Regarding your suspension setup, Spa has a lot of evaluation changes but the track surface itself is very smooth. It is important to have enough ground clearence through the compression zones like Eau-Rouge, so that your car doesn‘t bottom out and you lose control. Generally though, you can run a pretty stiff suspension setup here, which makes you car more reactive to your inputs. I fit feels too twitchy to you, make the rear of the car softer (ARB settings, damper settings) and bring the rear lower to the ground (ride height setting).

These are the main car setup points to consider, but remember that this race is 24 hours long, so it might be beneficial to go with a safer setup for the long duration of the race.

„Practice makes perfect“ as they say, so it is obvious to get enough laps in before the race even starts. Try to improve your racing line to maximise pace and if you got the time, also try to drive a complete stint to see, how the car’s behaviour changed with less fuel and more tire degredation. Also, racing on track with other drivers has huge benefits, as it teaches you how to behave in close sitations and on-track battles.

Additionally, we made another article about Maintaining Focus and Performance During an Endurance Sim Race, which is worth checking out if you want to stay fit for he whole duration of the race.

If you look for the most authentic experience, check out our Podium Steering Wheel BMW M4 GT3 and Podium Steering Wheel GT3 Endurance, which originate from real-life GT3 racing.

As with every endurance race, it is important to take your time and prepare accordingly. However, the 24 Hours of Spa presents some unique challenges with it’s track layout and up to 60 car entries in this year’s iRacing event. Hopefully you learned something and feel much better prepared for the upcoming event!