Last year’s Spa Classic was a refreshing addition to my calendar and proved to be a truly memorable experience to see all those legendary cars in action. Well, actually not all the legendary cars, I missed a great deal of the fleet, and I thought, it might be a good idea to check out the missing ones.
So I returned to Spa this year, again on a Saturday that prove to be an interesting compromise: it is the longest day of the event, it features most racing divisions, and also hosts the night sessions.
I finished my post on last year’s Spa Classics with praises about how immersive such an experience can be, compared to mainstream events. I was allowed to visit and see things no visitor would ever get to see on a crowded F1 weekend, like the Sky Bar on top of the Pits, let alone the pits themselves.
I took another deep dive into the action this year when I arrived in the middle of the preparations for the Group C race. These cars are one the scariest beasts of automotive history, and the best part is that visitors could enter the pits to take photos.
In principle, visitors seemed to have free access for all the pits where the doors were not closed. Many of the GR4 cars were parked in the tents, and with the bodywork removed, visitors could have a closer look on used to among the best kept technological secrets once.
Classic races are not about constantly pushing the cars to the very edge of their performance, and this is particularly true to the Saturday races (I saw one major incident on that day), but these cars already impressed me before moving an inch.
The Group C cars and the Endurance legends are quite a sight when they thunder through the Eau Rouge and Radillon combo. For those who follow only contemporary racing, the Group C regulations were in force between 1982 and 1993, and can be considered as the true predecessors of today’s WEC endurance cars. In the early days, Porsche 956s dominated the field, with the arrival of Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Nissan and Mazda the upgraded 962s faced a more intensive competition. The field at Spa was also dominated by Porsches, but in addition to Jaguars and other brands, participants include a number of race cars from small racing manufacturers.
The Group C cars were followed by the Global Endurance Legends, that is a guest grid of the Peter Auto series and a newcomer to the 2018 Spa-Classic with three 40-minute demonstrations (I saw the Saturday afternoon session). The field consists of GTs, that raced in the most famous endurance events between 1990 and 2000, and the members of this club drive racing legends such as the McLaren F1 GTR, PanAll Postsoz GT1, Ferrari F40, Saleen S7, Chrysler Viper GTS-R or Venturi 600 LM.
The high-speed parade was followed by a session with the Classic Endurance Racing cars. This league is now split into two sections covering cars between 1966 and 1981: Ford GT40s, Porsche 910s and 917s, Ferraris 512Ss and Ms, BMW M1s, that raced on the most famous European circuits in the context of the Sports Car World Championship.
When the legends left the track, the gates opened for the public during the Classic Club session. Seeing a Ferrari F40 passing by an old Mustang and a brand new Alpine is quite a sight. I guess the only place to see a more diverse set of vehicles is a Merry-go-round.
Once the privateers cleared the track, the largest fleet of cars gathered for the main event of the day, the two-hour endurance race of the Sixties’ Endurance class. The sheer number of cars is already impressive, but it’s the diversity that really makes this event special.
This racing class consists of pre-63 sports cars and pre-66 GTs that raced in the world endurance championship of the epoch. On the track you can expect cars like the AC Cobra, Ferrari 250 GT, Lotus 15, Jaguar E-Type but also the evergreen 911s. I also witnessed the first accident at the arrival of the dusk.
The race went on until night fell, but unfortunately, I had to leave before the race was finished. After another session of the Classic club, there was a shorter night race scheduled for the Heritage Touring (these cars delivered quite a show last year).
Essentially I managed to get a better look on the other half of the series I missed last year, apart from the crown jewels of Greatest Trophy, like the Ferrari 250 (a.k.a. Breadvans). So there is still a reason for me to return for the third time :).
Following the 2017 event, it seems that meeting up at Spa-Classic has become a regular habit for some of the Belgian car clubs like the BMW, Porsche and TVR gatherings, that occupied the same locations as last year. They enjoyed prime locations to watch the event, but nothing beats the cosy corner of the Ferrari Drivers Club that rented the Hotel de l’Eau Rouge.
The Spa event is part of the classic racing series run by the French Peter Auto. This year’ programme comprises eight events. The French organiser revisits its classic playing fields and has added two new events to the 2018 calendar, the Espίritu de Montjuïc 2018 and the Rallye des Légendes Richard Mille as well as a return to a circuit much loved by the entrants, Imola. Unfortunately, the Hungaroring was dropped from the calendar this year, but Le Mans returned.
The next race is in two weeks time, the entrants in the Peter Auto grids will meet up again at the Grand Prix de l’Age d’Or on the Dijon-Prenois circuit.
