Vitaphone Racing Team, currently leading both teams' and drivers' classifications in the FIA GT Championship, finished in first and second places last year at Spa and this weekend the team will be aiming to to claim a fourth win from five years, and to achieve this it will have no less than three Maserati MC 12 cars on the grid for the start the 61st edition of the 24 hour race on Saturday afternoon driven by twelve quick drivers.

The Total 24 Hours of Spa is definitely the summer highlight for the FIA GT Championship. A glorious, beautiful circuit, frequently cited by drivers as their favourite. A legendary endurance race, now in its 61st edition, with the opportunity of seeing the driver's name go down in history. A race which has become, since 2001, the leading long-distance race for GT1 cars. And one of the toughest races around, due to the challenging circuit and the often difficult weather conditions in the Belgian Ardennes. This will be the ninth running of the race as part of the FIA GT Championship, which will be visiting the circuit for the tenth time, the first race having been in 1997.

FIA GT Championship leader Michael Bartels and his Italian team-mate Andrea Bertolini will be joined in the nr 1 car by Alexandre Negrao from Brazil, and Frenchman Stéphane Sarrazin.  The nr 2 car will be in the hands of regular drivers Alex Müller and Miguel Ramos, who will be joined for this event by former F1 driver Pedro Lamy of Portugal and Eric van de Poele from Belgium - the five-times winner of the 24-hour race at Spa. A third car will be entered at Spa under the name Vitaphone Racing Team (DHL) and will be shared by Alessandro Pier Guidi of Italy, Stéphane Lemeret and Vincent Vosse of Belgium, and Carl Rosenblad of Sweden.

"I am looking forward to this race, which is almost a home race for us, and one of my personal highlights of the year. The one-two last year was very special," commented Matthias Quinger, CEO of Vitaphone GmbH. 

Vitaphone has won the Ardennes marathon three times in the last four years, losing out on the hat trick in 2007 by just 78 seconds. Bartels and van de Poele are the only drivers to have savoured all three Vitaphone victories, with van de Poele winning in 1987, 1998, 2005, 2006 and 2008. Bertolini has won twice, and Sarrazin once. However the Corvettes are equally keen to win, not forgetting the Saleen, Nissan and Ford cars which could create a surprise at Spa, so Vitaphone will have a race on its hands.

After two tight and twisting circuits, the cars and drivers taking part in the 2009 FIA GT Championship will surely be pleased to be let loose on the 7.004 km circuit, with its famous corners like the Raidillon and Blanchimont. But more is at stake than just glory in the Ardennes. The Championship is extremely close, and with points only being allocated after 24-hours this year, it is more important than ever to see the chequered flag on Sunday at 16:00.

GT2 will see the traditional fight between Porsche and Ferrari continue. With the score running in Porsche’s favour so far this season, and without the success ballast gained over the first three races, the scene is set for an interesting battle. Some impressive names have been called in as reinforcements and the class, the biggest on the grid, should see some close fighting. BMS Scuderia Italia have won the past two years, first with a Porsche and then a Ferrari. Recent podium success at Le Mans should make them the team to beat once again.

The G2 and G3 classes will see an impressive array of cars join the fray. In G2, for cars from national Championships, Phoenix is entering its Audi R8 LMS, in VLN specifications, with an impressive line-up of drivers. They will be up against three Porsches, from Jetalliance and PMB Motorsport, and two Mosler cars, one of which, entered by Gravity Racing International, has an extremely well-known driver: 1997 Formula One World Champion Jacques Villeneuve. As for G3, reserved for GT3-homologated cars, Porsches have been dominant over the years, and four-times winner Mühlner Motorsport will once again be aiming for victory. But they will be up against a fine field including Porsches from Prospeed Competition and First Motorsport, Matech GT Racing, with two Ford GT cars, Barwell Motorsport with an Aston Martin DBRS9, Rosso Corsa with a Ferrari 430 GT3 and two BMW Alpina B6 GT3 cars from French team Sport Garage. Although designed for one-hour races, GT3 cars have already proved their worth in endurance, and 2009 should be no exception.