Reflections On The Spa 24 Hours

Iain Macbeth is a long time dsc reader with a passion for sportscar racing that runs very deep indeed – Here’s his thoughts on the weekend passed, probably the last international 24 Hour race for the GT1 cars.

Mention the word Spa to anyone with a glancing knowledge of motor racing, and I’d hazard the response would be along the lines of ‘great track – it always rains there doesn’t it?’ A sense of history and, of course, frites and mayonnaise. My earliest memories of circuit racing were formed there when my dad took my brother and me to the Nurburgring and Spa in the summer of 1975, a different world to that of weekends at hillclimbs at Shelsley and Prescott. Those early memories might be a little hazy on detail, but I do recollect images of Germans chopping down trees for bonfires, rain, and the sight and sound of BMW 3.0 CSL’s and an Alfa T33 driven by Henri Pescarolo and Derek Bell wailing through the (remaining) trees!

Fast forward 35 years, and a rapidly evolving different age of sports car racing. And the end of another chapter. The last roll of the dice for the big, bad, full fat, red blooded GT1 beasts that have become an indelible part and allure of endurance racing over the last ten years. Of course, everyone has their favourites, and under any other circumstances, this would be the point where you’d be expecting me to eulogise over the sight of Gulf or BRG liveried Aston V12’s. Unfortunately, some guys over in Michigan decided a few years ago that the American record in endurance racing needed to be addressed and that they needed to do something before the Vipers cleaned up. And that was to put a different perspective on racing for me after the Group C years.

Even the eagle eyed amongst the DSC readers will have missed my omission from the recent team sheet for the DSC All Stars cricket team. Actually, I have no interest in the game whatsoever, so I don’t blame Graham and Malcolm for dropping me in favour of Brabs! Must have been a tough choice after my efforts to avoid getting soaked last year were obviously noticed and my card marked!  Why on earth was I even asked to play you might ask – well, baffles me as well, but perhaps indicative of the accessibility and family atmosphere of sports car racing, whether in Europe or the USA. And Malcolm does have a soft spot for the big V8’s emanating from Michigan. (Truth is we forgot! Here's Iain at 2008's match third from the left between 'Doc' Bunkhall and Dep Ed Mark Howson - Ed)

Wandering around the paddock over the weekend reminded me of just how close to the cars, the drivers, the action that you can get in sportscar racing. Little boys and girls being taken around the paddock by their dads, wide eyed at the cars and dreaming of racing cars when they’re older. So this weekend was an opportunity for me to refresh those memories of my childhood, and who knows, sow the seeds for the next generation of fans through my niece and nephew. And also an opportunity to actually watch the race!

Yes, sounds odd to single out spectating, but for the last ten years, I’ve had the privilege to have been in the pits at Le Mans, tasked with a variety of minor roles for Corvette Racing. I always try to explain this by asking someone with no knowledge of racing to imagine they’re the team mascot at the FA Cup Final, and get to walk out on the Wembley pitch alongside the players you see mentioned in the sports pages every week. Sort of gives you an idea, even if they’re not fully sold. I guess there’s even a cricket equivalent! But the point is, once practice starts, and the fire suit donned, you are very much focussed on your class, even your own car, and only have a passing idea of what’s going on elsewhere down the pit lane. And you definitely don’t get to see the cars on track. So although I try to get to as many LMS and FIA GT races as I can, the Spa 24 hours is one of the few opportunities I’ve had in recent years to watch the cars racing at night.

And boy, is it special! I defy anyone not to admit that the hairs on the back of their necks tingle when watching the cars through Eau Rouge. At night. In the rain. In traffic. Flat out. Even if that hair is a bit sparser than a few years ago! Walking down through the woods in the pitch dark, fog rolling through the trees, you can hear the muted growl and scream of the cars slowly get louder and louder. Imagine if you’d been transported through time from the Middle Ages, and walked out the woods to see fire breathing roaring objects hurtling past – you’d be thinking dragons really do exist!

Spa is different – it does have its own history, and it is physical – talking to Ollie Gavin before the demise of the SRT C6R, you could tell just how hard the drivers were trying. Ollie didn’t disagree too much when I ventured it all looked a bit mad through Eau Rouge in traffic – but with a smile in his eyes! The race and place have their own unique flavour, and it is different to Le Mans. From the superb frites and mayonnaise, the freshly made waffles and croissants, to the refreshingly un-corporate feel. Of course, there are the bubbles of hospitality over the new pits and that is part and parcel of modern motor racing, and whatever your views on the SRO, this does impart that glamour on our sport. But Joe Public can still turn up on the day and buy a parking ticket and camping pass, and walk around the back of each garage and talk to their heroes. In that respect, it reminds me of Le Mans 20 years ago.

It is also uniquely Belgian – there are smatterings of British registered cars, and a few French, Dutch and Germans, but the audience does seem to be predominantly local. There aren’t the antics of the camp sites at Le Mans, or even Arnage on Friday night as far as I’ve noticed, but nor are there hot showers (just torrential cloud bursts). It is a simpler form of race event, but perhaps all the purer for it, just like the local mineral water! Let alone the endless variety of local beer.

So it does matter that a Belgian team, and preferably a Belgian driver is in the running for victory. Whilst the passing of GT1 will be mourned by some, I’ve no doubt that the race will continue, and maybe that will be the best way to preserve its unique identity, away from the pressures to conform to one hour media friendly sound bites.

I did venture to Spa two years ago to watch the C6R snatch a dramatic win from Maserati, and the racing this year was if anything, even more intense over those first few hours. It certainly had the crowd on their feet.  Yes, the grid was noticeably sparser, as was the crowd, and it was disappointing that there were no GT1 Astons for one final show down. But a final 24 hour victory for the Corvette C6R GT1 was a fitting end to an era, and one that probably resonated with the remaining crowd. By that time, I was already on the road back to Calais – after the intensity of the race, I always feel the post flag activities are an anti-climax. And had to get two exhausted but wide eyed children back home.

Of course, it’s not cricket, football, or even motor racing that is the most popular sport in Belgium, it’s probably cycling. So it was perhaps fitting then that a Belgian team, Belgian driver and sponsorship by Belgian cycle manufacturer Ridley featured on the winning car. And maybe that’s a clue to where the crowd were towards the end – watching a certain event reach its climax on the Champs Elysees? Times are a changing, and you only have to see the sums of money being invested in cycling to appreciate that the world is moving on, just as it is in endurance racing.

Even if the race format changes next year, a trip to Spa for FIA GT, LMS or Britcar really should be on the list of your top ten motor racing places to visit before you die. It’s not that far away, especially if you live in the south-east, the weather is just like home, and there’s even excellent radio commentary (and well done to David Addison for his sterling race updates – another Alfa link!). Maybe in a few years time we can look forward to GT1 cars at the Silverstone or Le Mans classics, but to see them in their natural habitat for one last time was a blast. Despite the rain!