The Porsche #88 from Up2Race won the 2026 24H Barcelona after a race full of lead changes.
There were Code 60 periods and a fight that only got settled in the final hours.
The German team also set a new distance record for the event.
The 24H Barcelona race, Trofeo Fermín Vélez 2026, began as an endurance scrap.
Lead swapped hands repeatedly until the Up2Race Porsche 911 GT3 R #88 secured it.
Driven by Tim Heinemann, Fabio Grosse, Alfred Renauer and Oleksiy Kikireshko, the car completed 741 laps of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. It finished ahead of the HAAS RT BMW #21 and the HOFOR Racing Mercedes-AMG #11.
Ajith RedAnt grabs the early lead
The race got underway on Saturday at 11:59 with the GetSpeed Team PCX Racing Mercedes-AMG #28 on pole.
The Ajith RedAnt Racing #93 quickly took over at the front. Gamota Racing’s BMW #500 also made a strong start and moved into second, while GetSpeed and Up2Race rounded out the early top positions.
Ajith stayed in control through the first hour, but things didn’t stay that way for long.
Up2Race and HAAS join the fight
In the opening hours the Porsche #88 steadily climbed the order and took the lead around the three-hour mark.
The HAAS RT BMW #21 then moved to the front. At the same time the Viper Niza Racing Mercedes #65 started looking like a real contender.
By the six-hour point Viper Niza led from HOFOR and HAAS. The race looked nothing like the starting grid anymore, with different cars taking turns at the front. Up2Race stayed right in the mix throughout.
Viper Niza strong in the first half of 24H Barcelona
The #65 of Viper Niza Racing kept a solid pace for much of the first half and spent plenty of time in the lead.
HAAS RT and Up2Race stayed close. Early contenders such as Ajith RedAnt, GetSpeed and Gamota gradually dropped back.
Night-time started to sort the field out.
The GetSpeed Team JR286 #286, which had arrived as championship leader, hit transmission trouble and fell out of the victory fight for good. Up2Race kept making progress.
The Porsche #88 takes charge
Through the early hours of the morning the Porsche began putting together a long stint at the front.
Up2Race strung together more than 150 consecutive laps in the lead before rivals managed to challenge again.
HAAS RT and Viper Niza still had chances to reclaim the top spot, but after the various pit cycles the #88 found its way back to first.
The key moment came after lap 510. HAAS RT grabbed the lead for two laps, but Up2Race hit straight back. From that point the Porsche never lost the lead again.
The final stretch
As the hours ticked by, HAAS RT became the main challenger. The BMW #21 stayed within reach, yet Up2Race controlled the closing stages and ran 232 consecutive laps in first place right up to the chequered flag.
The race still had to deal with several Code 60 periods on Sunday morning. There were 11 neutralisations in total, adding up to nearly two hours, but none of them changed the Porsche’s grip on the race.
Tim Heinemann also set the absolute fastest lap of the race with a 1:41.207.
Up2Race takes the chequered flag
At 11:58:34 the system called the final lap. Shortly after, at 12:00:22, the chequered flag came out.
The Porsche #88 had completed 741 laps, beating the previous distance record for the 24H Barcelona.
HAAS RT finished second on 740 laps. HOFOR Racing took third with the same total.
After 24 hours of lead changes, strategy calls and safety periods, the win went to the car that managed the decisive phase best.
Up2Race claims the 2026 24 Hours of Barcelona and sets a new distance record for the race.
992, GTX, GT4 and TCE/TCX results
In the 992 class the win went to Mühlner Motorsport’s #921. The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup finished on 721 laps after its main rivals dropped out with mechanical problems with 40 min to go. The team had been building a strong position in the later stages and sealed the result when RPM Racing retired in the final hour.
GTX went to the #701 Vortex. It was the only car in the class. The team completed 658 laps and still made it to the flag despite a few issues that forced them into the pits during the race.
GT4 produced another win for CP Motorsport with the BMW M4 GT4 #483. They kept a steady pace over the full 24 hours and ended on 657 laps. Once night fell their rivals started to fall away, leaving them with one of the clearest wins among the tourist categories.
TCE/TCX also went to CP Motorsport, this time with the Cupra TCR DSG #142. The Dutch car was one of the few in its class to get through without major trouble. It piled up 665 laps and held the lead all the way to the chequered flag.
The 2026 24 Hours of Barcelona delivered a race that stayed alive right until the final hours. Nightfall, mechanical trouble and the different strategies the teams ran kept shifting the picture. Once again Barcelona proved the same old truth: being quick is not enough. The car has to make it to the end in one piece.
After a full day and night of racing the winners have their reward. So do all the other teams that simply managed to finish one of the toughest events on the calendar. 24H Barcelona closes another intense endurance weekend, with different names on top in every class and plenty of stories that go far beyond the final classification.
Thanks for reading and more will be to COME!!
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