"The 25 Hours: it's the World Cup of the VW Fun Cup"

It is in these terms that Marc Van Dalen, CEO of Kronos Events, organisers of the longest race in the world, presents the 19th edition of this event, absolutely unmissable in the calendar, which  takes place this weekend of 8-9-10 July.

A major showcase for the drivers and teams that participate, the 25 Hours is always distinguished by its friendliness and family atmosphere. And the organiser has put everything in place  to make the 2016 version a grand cru vintage.

There are 110 “bugs” expected at the start of this edition. Over the space of a weekend, the prestigious circuit of Francorchamps will be the theatre for a major confrontation between teams and drivers who have all - or almost all - the same equipment. If a classification is still expected for the VW Fun Cup Evo1 (the first generation with the 1.8 petrol engine) and Evo2 (diesel engines), which will find their place perfectly in the peloton, victory in the general classification should be contested between the Evo3s which will constitute the majority of the array on offer.

Let's not forget also that this is a very international event, with the presence, naturally, of many Belgian crews, but also English, Italian, German and French, as the most-represented nations.

One of the particularities of these events is the presence of two-seater cars which allow numerous passengers live the race from the inside.

Two major Belgian sportspersons will participate in the 25 Hours VW Fun Cup this year: the tennis player Kirsten Flipkens, and Niels Albert, the ex-double Champion of the World in Cyclo-cross.

Among the activities and other races that make up the card for the weekend, we need to mention the parade on Thursday evening in the streets of Stavelot where technical control will be done. A great moment of conviviality where the teams, drivers and the public will be brushing shoulders.

Again this year, many additional races will be taking place: the single-seaters Formula 3 cars of the BRDC British F3 Championship; the Lotus Cup Europe; the Ginetta GT5 challenge; the British GT & GT4 field and the Milltek Sport VW Racing Cup.

And all this is accessible free of charge to all those who have downloaded their free entry on the site www.vw.be .

Hoping that the sun returns for this festival, you have an appointment this weekend for the world's longest endurance race on circuit, at Spa-Francorchamps, of course!