Spa 24-Hour: Race preview

A big track and an even bigger challenge is in store for the FIM Endurance World Championship riders and their teams this weekend when the legendary Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps hosts the second event of the 2022 season, the 24H SPA EWC Motos.

Recreating the spirit of the famous 24 Heures de Liège - which counted as a round of the EWC up until 2001 - the 24H SPA EWC Motos is set to become a modern-day classic with a talent-packed, high-level entry list and a track upgraded specifically for the EWC as part of an investment programme of 25 million euros.

A full schedule of support races and activities to provide even more entertainment for fans off-track will create an unforgettable atmosphere.

The second of three 24-hour races on the EWC calendar for 2022, the 24H SPA EWC Motos is notable for Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps’ 6.985 kilometre layout, undulating nature and mixture of low, medium and high-speed corners, while its location in the Ardennes Forest can result in changeable and unpredictable weather conditions.

While the return of the EWC to the iconic Spa is just days away, its comeback has been more than five years in the making. The 24H SPA EWC Motos will take place on a significantly modified track, the result of changes mandated by both the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and Fédération Motocycliste de Belgique (FMB).

Central to the changes, which were ratified by the Fédération Internationale de l’Autombile (FIA) in line with car racing requirements, are expanded run-off areas at several corners, the repositioning of safety barriers in some sections, plus the realignment of the Speaker’s Corner left-hander, albeit for bike use only. Additional infrastructure work and the construction of a