Belcar: Maya Weug's podium streak ends in frustration after electronic issue at Spa

Despite once again showing front-running pace at Spa, Maya Weug and ART Racing saw their unbeaten Belcar Endurance Championship podium streak come to an unfortunate end after an electronic failure shortly after the first pit stops.

Photo credits: clm_visual

After a strong start to her GT racing career, Maya Weug arrived at Spa-Francorchamps for the third round of the Belcar Endurance Championship having already collected back-to-back podiums while battling for overall victory at both Zolder and Assen.

Transitioning to endurance racing after finishing runner-up in the 2025 F1 Academy championship, Weug adapted remarkably quickly to the Porsche 992 GT3 Cup car and enjoyed a superb debut at Zolder before backing it up with another runner-up finish at Assen alongside ART Racing teammates Christoff Corten and Sam Jongejan, where the trio challenged for overall victory throughout the race despite a drive-through penalty.

Heading to the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit, Weug was determined to continue her unbeaten podium streak while adding further experience in endurance racing. For the third round of the season, she was joined by Christoff Corten and Lorenzo Donniacuo aboard the #2 ART Racing Porsche 992 GT3 Cup.

The weekend immediately started on a positive note, as ART Racing demonstrated excellent pace, converting that speed into a competitive qualifying performance. Donniacuo in fact came within striking distance of pole position, ultimately securing second on the grid after an excellent effort that placed the Porsche on the front row for the four-hour contest.

Saturday's four-hour race got underway under warm conditions at Spa-Francorchamps, with Belgian driver Christoff Corten taking the opening stint from second on the grid.

Corten initially held position at the start, but Belgium Racing's Kai Rillaerts managed to find a way through on the second lap, relegating the ART Racing Porsche to third.

However Corten immediately demonstrated strong pace and began setting fast lap times, producing a 2:24.6 that stood as the fastest lap overall in the opening stages while pursuing the cars ahead.

Although Rillaerts gradually edged clear at the front, the fight for second remained intense as Corten kept constant pressure on Derdaele.

The race's first Full Course Yellow arrived on lap 7, briefly neutralizing proceedings before green flag conditions resumed two laps later. Corten quickly returned to his rhythm, but another FCY followed shortly afterwards, once again interrupting the battle at the front.

Both Belgium Racing entries elected to complete their pit stops under caution, with Rillaerts and the second Belgium Racing Porsche pitting on consecutive laps while ART Racing chose to stay out.

Corten therefore inherited the overall lead as racing resumed, opening a gap of approximately two seconds over Olivier Bertels, while Rillaerts - who had already having completed his first stop - ran around ten seconds further back.

Knowing the importance of maximising the advantage before his own stop, Corten consistently lapped in the low 2:24s, remaining among the fastest drivers on track, gradually increasing his margin.

Around the one-hour mark, the ART Racing Porsche extended its opening stint and continuing to build a small but valuable advantage over the Belgium Racing challengers. On lap 29, with approximately two and a half hours remaining, ART Racing finally brought the #2 Porsche into the pits from the race lead.

Maya Weug climbed aboard for the second stint as the team committed to its different strategy.

Weug rejoined third overall behind the two leading rivals - and almost immediately after her stop, another Full Course Yellow was deployed.

The neutralization once again gave Kai Rillaerts thechance to pit for his second service stop under caution, followed shortly afterwards by Derdaele. Michael Cool and Nicolas Saelens subsequently assumed driving duties as the race entered into its second half.

Photo credits: clm_visual

When green flag conditions resumed on lap 31, Weug found herself fourth after Kenneth Heyer's #747 Porsche briefly moved ahead. Maya however immediately began closing the gap, consistently gaining around half a second per lap on Heyer. Applying increasing pressure, she completed the overtake on lap 34 to reclaim third place.

Unfortunately, shortly after, the team's race was hampered by a technical issue.

Weug returned to the pits on lap 35, with an electronic issue delaying the #2 Porsche. The car remained stationary in the garage while the ART Racing mechanics worked to diagnose and repair the problem.

The lengthy repair cost the team approximately 20 laps, instantly eliminating any hopes of another podium finish and dropping the Porsche far down the order.

Eventually, Lorenzo Donniacuo took over and returned to the track, but the delay meant the race had effectively become a test session.

Weug later returned to the cockpit for a final stint, completing additional laps despite the deficit. The ART Racing Porsche eventually suffered another stoppage before the finish and the trio were ultimately classified 27th overall and seventh in the GTC class.

Despite the disappointing result, the pace shown throughout the weekend provided plenty of encouragement for the remander of the season.

Reflecting on the weekend, Weug remained positive despite the frustration.

"Race day at Spa didn't go as planned", she stated. "After a strong opening stint from Christoff Corten, we were running at the front when an electronic issue during the pit stop cost us a lot of time and positions while we tried to fix it."

"Despite the result, there are plenty of positives to take away", she continued. "The team gave us a really competitive car, and we were able to show our pace both yesterday and during the first part of today's race. A huge thank you to the entire team for all their hard work, and to everyone who supported us throughout the weekend."

With the podium streak brought to an unfortunate end through circumstances beyond the drivers' control, attention now turns to the biggest event on the Belcar Endurance Championship calendar: the 24 Hours of Zolder on 29-30 August.