So this was the big one – the British GT round that I was most excited about….but did it live up to expectations? In a word, yes. Although to be fair – ‘yes’ doesn’t do justice to just how fantastic the trip actually was.
To set the race weekend in context, the reason I had been looking forward to this round was simply because it was taking place at Spa Francorchamps. A legendary circuit that has hosted some incredible racing over the years – and a circuit that has possibly one of, if not the greatest corners in the world – Eau Rouge. The corner has legendary status, and the prospect of watching my favourite British GT cars and pilots taking it on was a genuinely mouth-watering prospect. The adventure started Thursday afternoon as I made my way down to London to meet up with my old best friend from home. From there we made a bee line for the Eurotunnel and hopped across to Calais for our overnight stop. The next morning we were up early and made the relatively short journey to Spa. En-route we stopped off at Antwerp for steak and frites (naturally) and popped into the Central Train Station to take in its incredible architecture (well worth a visit if you’re nearby). We knew we were getting close to the circuit as the typically flat Belgium landscape transformed into a lush green, alpine environment with beautiful flowing hills. Having parked up only a stone’s throw from the entrance gates, I had a slowly dawning realisation that we were walking straight towards Eau Rouge. As we neared, and I could see the steep winding track, my heart genuinely quickened and I just couldn’t stop grinning. We made our way to the stands – and no sooner had we sat down, qualifying started. The sun was out, I was sat at Eau Rouge with my best friend, and my favourite cars were tearing past, full throttle, up my favourite corner. All in all – pretty much perfect. At risk of being sentimental, that moment will live long in my memory. Having watched cars take on this corner on tv over the years, you really don’t get a true sense of its majesty and challenge. The energy under loading as the cars transition from the decline to the incline is incredible – puffs of smoke rising from the rear left tyres as they are being pushed to their absolute limits….it really was a wow moment. Wanting to fully experience the corner, we moved our way along its outer edge and up the hill. The views further up are in and of themselves legendary, and again, being so close to the track and seeing the forces at play on the cars and drivers as they come up and over the brow is awesome. My friend – who has an inbuilt radar for beer – found the bar at the top of the hill and we duly toasted our arrival. Once qualifying was over, we decided to get our bearings by taking a walk round the paddock. As it wasn’t the main race day, much of the VW funcup tents and displays were still having their finishing touches made – but we went further up to the upper paddock and pit area and worked out where the British GT cars were being housed for the weekend. We popped into the Barwell garage and said hello to the engineers, catching up with how the car was handling and discussing prospects for the next day. Given that Phil Keen had stuck it on pole in his qualifying session, all in all, the number 33 Lamborghini seemed to be in a good place. In preparation for the big day ahead, we made our way to ‘B&B Le Clos de Lac’ – which I highly recommended; it’s close to the circuit, situated in a beautiful, secluded location, and has some genuinely good restaurants only a short walk away. Having eaten well, accompanied by some fine Belgium beers, we called it a night and slept well. Next morning, washed and breakfasted, we made our way back to the circuit and headed to the top of Eau Rouge for the first race. As it was a 9am start, the circuit was fairly quiet and we easily found a spot to watch the race from. Because of the prolonged safety car periods, we decided to explore the circuit a little more, and walked up Kemmel towards Les Combes. Because the footpath is higher than the track, you get a really good view right the way along. Once we got to Les Combes, we then thought we’d just drop down to the next corner, but halfway along to Bruxelles we found a pedestrian tunnel – which took us to the most amazing vantage point overlooking the straight going down into Double Gauche. You could also see all the way across to the paddock area. Spurred on by the incredible views, we made our way down to Double Gauche and marvelled at the way the drivers managed to scrub just enough speed to safely navigate the high-speed bend with very little drama. It was from here that we watched the end of race 1 and then made the very lovely woodland walk back to the paddock. Back at the paddock the VW stalls had been finished off and the hordes of race fans were beginning to build. Staying in-field, we went on a little nosey around the rest of the paddock, popping into various garages – and then by chance, ventured up to the hospitality spaces above the uppermost garages. There we found a superb spot overlooking the start/finish straight – and with the added advantage of being in the shade. With a little time before the next race, we decided it was time for a spot of lunch. At the last round at Silverstone, I had gone to see Jonny Adam to take a good luck card from my son, in anticipation of his Aston Martin factory drive at Le Mans. As I’m sure you will already be aware, after what was one of the closest run GTE Pro class races ever, Jonny overtook the lead Corvette literally on the start/finish line of the very last lap – and held on to take an historic victory. Given the magnitude of the win, my son was keen for me to pass on the ‘well done’ card he had subsequently made. On finding Jonny in his garage, and passing on the card, we had a lovely chat about the race and what that meant for the rest of the WEC season. I have to say that Jonny is one of the nicest people, let alone drivers, you could ever hope to meet. He is just so down to earth, and was genuinely happy to chat. Whilst retaining the British GT title is unfortunately looking unlikely, we wish him all the very best for the WEC championship! For race 2, we made our way up to the hospitality space above the pits and watched the entire race from there. The rolling start was such a visceral experience; the thunderous noise of all the GT3s and GT4s charging past in unison was incredible. Whilst we weren’t as ‘trackside’ as we had been for the previous race, by staying in one place it meant we could follow the race more easily. It also meant that we were roughly in the right spot for the podium; although like other circuits, it was positioned above the pits and looking out across the track to the opposite stands. We managed to catch a side on view – but in future, we might try to access it via the pits. We had originally planned to head back to the B&B post-race with the view to having a mid-afternoon snooze before heading out for another lovely supper – but on our way out, we noticed that people were making their way on to the track for a track walk. Seizing the opportunity to actually get onto this legendary tarmac we quickly followed suit and were soon taking the obligatory selfies with Eau Rouge behind us. Having taken part in the track walk, we thought it churlish not to at least watch the start of the epic 25hr funcup – and having done so, we then said our goodbyes and left. All-in-all, I have to say that it was simply the most perfect trip. It was hugely indulgent – and I consider myself extremely lucky – not least because I can’t think of anything I would have wanted to do differently - I was with my best friend, at my favourite circuit, watching my favourite drivers and cars, sat in the sun enjoying fine food and fantastic Belgium beers…..I’m not sure life gets any better. Next stop is Brands Hatch in a little over three weeks’ time. Whilst it’s not going to be able to match my ‘Spa experience’, it should be a cracker of a weekend as the championship is so tight at the top that the competition is going to be fiercer than ever. I can’t wait!
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AuthorHi I'm Jon - an almost middle-aged motorsport fan - blogging for the first time.... Archives
September 2017
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