Jessica Hawkins' misfortune continues at Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa
- MIKA BÖCKER
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Jessica Hawkins’ bad luck continued at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps: after a difficult qualifying result, the #270 Comtoyou Racing team staged an impressive comeback in the first hour of racing—until an accident not of their own making ended their race prematurely.
Jessica Hawkins’ bad luck continued at the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. After a difficult qualifying result, the #270 Comtoyou Racing team staged an impressive comeback in the first hour of racing—until an inattentive opponent ended their race prematurely.
This followed another unlucky round at Monza, the second event of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, where a crash involving one of her teammates in the sole free practice session forced the team to withdraw. As a result, Jessica Hawkins has not been able to complete a racing lap in the last two rounds.
Hawkins and the #270 Comtoyou Racing Aston Martin began the season at Paul Ricard, where the British driver made her GT World Challenge Europe debut by helping the team climb 13 positions to finish P11 in the Bronze Cup.
After the misfortunes at Monza, Hawkins, along with Alexandre Leroy, Antoine Potty, and joined by Rodrigo Almeida, aimed to bounce back at the third round—the legendary 24 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.
The 24 Hours of Spa is considered the most prestigious GT3 race in the world, with over 70 cars competing this year. Big accidents occurred during pre-tests and practice, though most teams managed to repair their cars in time for qualifying or the race.
Qualifying on Friday evening proved extremely difficult, as intermittent rain made the conditions unpredictable—too slippery for slicks, yet not consistently wet enough for rain tyres. The first incident came in Q1 when the #21 Aston Martin crashed into the tyre wall at Stavelot, causing a red flag.
After a delay for car recovery and barrier repair, Q1 resumed with 10 minutes left. However, the #52 Ferrari spun into the gravel during its out lap, triggering another red flag. With just eight minutes left after the third restart, Leroy could only complete one valid flying lap in the difficult conditions—well off the pace. A further red flag with 2:30 remaining, later extended to 4:30, prevented him from improving.
Q2 was calmer, and Almeida set a solid time of 2:21.796, placing the team 65th overall and 16th in Bronze class. Potty took over in Q3, but another red flag—this time for the #11 car spinning into the gravel near Fagnes—halted his session with just over 7 minutes remaining. After the restart, Potty improved their position to 67th overall.
Q4, held at night, saw Jessica Hawkins take the wheel as the only woman in the starting field. Despite setting fast lap times, the trio was unable to overcome the 15-second deficit accumulated earlier. The team ultimately qualified 70th overall and P18 in Bronze class.
The race started on Saturday at 4:30 p.m., with the #270 Aston Martin lining up third-to-last on the grid. Potty moved up to 72nd after the first lap and steadily improved. A Full Course Yellow was called just 10 minutes in, after the #60 Lamborghini was spun around in the Bus Stop chicane and hit head-on by the #97 Porsche. Both cars returned to the pits, but debris had to be cleared before racing resumed.
Potty continued his charge, gaining more than 10 positions over the next hour before handing over to Leroy, who rejoined in 60th place and 15th in class.
Shortly afterward, a major incident occurred. A McLaren with a puncture was limping back to the pits at under 50 km/h through Blanchimont, remaining on the racing line. Despite white flags being waved, Heinrich's Porsche—approaching at over 200 km/h—slammed into the rear of the McLaren, sending both cars spinning. Luckily, no one was seriously injured. The #270 car used the subsequent Full Course Yellow for its second stop, remaining in 53rd overall. The race resumed after nearly 100 minutes.
Almost two hours into the race, another incident sealed the team’s fate. At Fagnes, the #97 Porsche was pushed into the gravel by the #4 Mercedes, bringing out another Full Course Yellow. As the #270 approached the end of the Kemmel Straight, the #70 Ferrari failed to react in time and rear-ended the Aston Martin.
While the Ferrari’s radiator burst and forced its retirement, the damage to the Aston Martin initially seemed minor, with only the rear hatch visibly dislodged. Leroy returned to the pits, but extensive repairs revealed a badly damaged chassis. By 7:20 p.m., it was confirmed the car could not continue. Jessica Hawkins’ race was over before she even got behind the wheel.
Later, Hawkins joined the commentary team and reflected on the event:“Obviously not the result that I wanted, losing out of the race just over two hours into it, but I’m happy to be here. It has been good to get some laps under my belt earlier on in the weekend.”
“My first ever 24h race—what an experience, lots of carnage. Happy to be here.” Despite the disappointment, she remained optimistic:“I think it’s the best place for my development. The championship is so tough all year round. And this race, with 77 cars on the grid... you know there’s no room for errors.”
Still, the early exit was hard to take: “I think we’re all probably heartbroken, but that’s racing at the end of the day. It wasn’t Alexander’s fault. It would be harder to take if it was one of our faults.”
The team now looks ahead to the next Endurance Cup round at the Nürburgring, from August 29 to 31, where they hope for better luck and a stronger result.
