Uhoda Tower now open
This weekend is the first ACO-rules meeting at Spa since the new Uhoda Tower was opened. The five-story building, which features a bridge across the circuit on the old start/finish straight, a panoramic rooftop and the Virtex professional simulation centre, was officially inaugurated during June’s 24 Hours of Spa.
Pictured below, from 2019, is the former tower, highlighting the extent to which Spa’s skyline has changed in recent years.
Interest high in Asian Le Mans Series, but uncertainty remains despite calendar release
Whilst the current level of interest in the 2026/27 Asian Le Mans Series in the ELMS paddock is encouraging, many teams are yet to formally commit to participating in a winter campaign.
The absence of a full set of regulations, as well as the recency with which the calendar was announced, means that it’s too early for many competitors to confirm their plans.
That uncertainty extends to the new-for-2026/27 Pro/Am Hypercar class, with very few current firm commitments. DSC’s current expectation is 2-6 cars across potentially up to four different Hypercar manufacturers.
Pit Stop Challenge qualifying held
Yesterday saw the qualifying round of the 2026 ELMS pit stop challenge take place, with crews timed on how fast they could perform a four-tyre change.
It was taken seriously up and down the pit lane, with rehearsals, post-stop analysis and clear disappointment from those who failed to progress, as well as being a good excuse to watch the competition at work.
GR Racing’s #86 crew set the fastest time, 13.305 seconds, to secure its place in the finals, whilst the #28 IDEC Sport and #4 DKR Engineering squads headed LMP2 and LMP3 respectively.
The pit stop challenge finals will take place this evening.
Vector goes blonde
To honour a pre-season bet, the mechanics of the #7 Vector Sport effort have all dyed their hair blonde ahead of this weekend’s race. The British squad agreed pre-season to go blonde should they win a race this year, something its #7 ORECA duly did in LMP2 Pro/Am at Imola.
Wildfire restrictions cleared
Yesterday, event organisers confirmed that they have received clearance for the event. Recent nearby wildfires had led to a temporary ban on sporting events in the region.
A statement reads: “Following the recent fires in the Hautes Fagnes, the relevant authorities have confirmed that the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps can proceed, and the situation continues to be closely monitored.
“We look forward to welcoming you to Spa-Francorchamps.”
Tickets for this weekend’s action remain on sale.
Silverstone Charity Run
The ELMS Charity run will return to Silverstone this year, raising money for the Luca Guintoli Foundation. The run will take place on the evening of Friday 11th September, with further details in a separate story on DSC.
Images courtesy of Jan Patrick Wagner/Focus Pack Media and David Lord
