Gregory Hovesen lost a second consecutive win in the Crown Racing Series for his involvement in the opening lap collision with David Bozga.
Hovesen left it until the very last lap to pass Nicolai Pedersen for the lead, sealing a Ford Mustang 1-2 on the road and blow the championship race wide open. However, the stewards deemed the Canadian at fault for the opening lap incident, dropping him two spots in the final classification, handing Pedersen his second win of the year.
Luciano Witvoet also benefited from the late-race drama, as the Dutchman who finished third on the road moved up to second. Balazs Erdelyi secured another fourth place ahead of Igor Kos and Kodi Cosford. Dani Neo, who finished fifth on the road, was handed a three-place penalty for his part in a controversial late-race collision with Erdelyi.
Pedersen makes it a double
With a seven-point cushion over Erdelyi heading into Spa, Pedersen came into the meeting hoping to buck a trend of every race having a new winner.
From third on the grid, Pedersen tucked in behind surprise pole sitter Neo and pounced on Hovesen when the Canadian got out of shape on exit of Les Combes to take second.
The top four remained line a stern until the pit stops on lap 13, where Pedersen took the net race lead from Neo, who suffered a slow stop.
In what was a replica of Daytona, Hovesen and Pedersen worked together to build up a lead over Witvoet, with the Canadian getting mightily close on the run up to Les Combes.
But it wasn't until the last lap where Hovesen made his move, going around the outside of Pedersen at the fierce Blanchimont corner to take the lead and with it a second victory.
However, celebrations were short-lived for Hovesen as the stewards handed him a two-place penalty for his part in the opening lap shunt with Bozga. This handed Pedersen the win and, with it, extended his lead in the championship.
Witvoet seals a return to the podium as Erdelyi and Neo tangle
After an early bath in Fuji and a disappointing Daytona, Witvoet returned to the podium at Spa, rekindling his championship aspirations.
From sixth on the grid, Witvoet ran a steady first stint before opting to go one lap longer than his rivals, stopping just for fuel on lap 14.
The gamble paid off as Witvoet rejoined the race in fourth before dropping behind Neo and Erdelyi in their battle for the final podium place.
Neo held fourth until lap 19 when Erdelyi went to attack on the approach to Les Combes. Unfortunately, Erdelyi’s attempts to go around the outside of Neo proved fruitless as they both ended up off the road, with the Spaniard seeing his chances of a maiden podium evaporate in the gravel trap.
As a consequence, Witvoet breezed into third and pulled away from Erdelyi to secure his first podium since his commanding victory at Silverstone.
Bozga suffers home heartache
For the second weekend in a row, Bozga’s race ended in the barriers, casting further doubt on his championship aspirations.
Bozga came into his home round looking to bounce back from an opening lap exit in Daytona, and the Belgian got his weekend off to a good start by qualifying fourth. When the lights went out, Bozga got his elbows out passing Erdelyi on the rundown to La Source.
With Hovesen getting out of shape on the exit of Les Combes, Bozga saw his opportunity, only for the door to suddenly shut, sending him straight into the wall and out on the spot. The impact destroyed the rear of Bozga’s Ferrari, meaning there was no chance to continue or score any points.