Spa Almighty!
The soul-stirring spectacle provided by the superb Spa-
Francorchamps circuit is a reminder of what real road racing is
all about. If F1 is to continue to call itself the pinnacle of
motorsport it must always have Spa - the ultimate showcase for
the bravest men in the fastest cars. Located deep within the
dense pine forests of the Ardennes region in southeastern
Belgium, (where the WW2 Battle of the Bulge featured some of the
fiercest fighting) and originally formed in 1921 from public
roads roughly triangulated to link the rustic farming villages of
Francorchamps, Stavelot and Malmedy, the rollercoaster-ride-of-a-
track swoops and swerves through the stunning topography of a
magnificent natural landscape. Though shortened and sanitised
over the years to improve safety the now 7.004km lap is by a
considerable margin still the longest on the F1 tour. What really
separates Spa from other circuits, and the men from the boys, is
the daunting demands it makes on those who dare to throw
themselves into the lap of the gods. Over its meandering course
the track plunges through breath-taking elevation changes
totalling 225 meters. It features 19 strength-sapping corners,
including several mind-numbing twists and turns negotiated at
well over 300kph and subjecting the drivers to disorienting
gravitational forces in the order of 5g.
“One lap of Spa is like twenty at any other track, in terms of the
excitement and adrenalin it generates.” - Fernando Alonso
All the drivers tend to speak in superlatives about Spa. Martin
Brundle explains why: "It is the most exhilerating place on earth
to drive an F1 car. It reminds you what being a Grand Prix driver
is all about."
Noted daredevil Jacques Villeneuve had huge accidents at Spa,
yet loved the place with a passion. "It's just fantastic and if
you love road racing it doesn't get any better than this. The
thing about Spa is that it follows the natural landscape and is
not artificial. Every lap is an adventure and you feel like
you've really travelled somewhere special."
Foremost among Spa's breathtaking challenges is the notorious Eau
Rouge/Raidillon section, where the cars streak straight down a steep hill,
fly in the blink of an eye over over a stone bridge (and the
the Eau Rouge - red water - stream), jink abruptly left, then
corkscrew skyward on a harrowing high speed hillclimb that
veers right then left. Spa's signature landmark is still considered to
be the one of the greatest of all corners in racing, and in the old days
it was one of the most dangerous. Only the brave tried to take it flat out.
Eau Rouge And All Taken Flat Out By Famous F1 Drivers>>
When trying to describe the sensation of negotiating the
original, unemasculated, frightmaking 300kph Eau Rouge section
drivers tended to bring portions of their anatomy into play...
Martin Brundle: "It is terrifying. You're heading downhill, flat
out and it's like: 'I'm not gonna lift this time.' Your heart
says you're not going to lift and your brain says you are. Your
brain seems to have this little muscle attached to your foot."
David Coulthard:"It's big a battle between your brain and your
arse."
Mika Hakkinen: "You approach it with a combination of excitement
and fear. Your heart speeds up and you have to have courage and
when you get it right it's really satisfying. But it's always a
quite scary moment."
Michael Schumacher: "It's just like flying down a hill and seeing
a big mountain in front of you. It is a feeling that affects your
whole body and is probably the best experience and the most
satisfaction you can have as a racing driver."
Jacques Villeneuve: "You stop breathing, you start closing your
eyes...No you don't close your eyes. They stay wide open - with
fear!...But when you're safely through Eau Rouge your eyes blink
quite rapidly."
Rubens Barrichello: "It is just fantastic! You feel that if you
do not hold onto your heart it will come out your mouth."
Mark Blundell: "It is like nothing on this earth. It is
incredibly daunting and you have to drag up a hell a lot of
commitment as you come out of La Source and head down the hill.
On the way into Eau Rouge you are really studying the size of
your balls."
Jacques Villeneuve always insisted on taking Eau Rouge without
lifting off - even when it wasn't possible - as he discovered in 1998
and again in 1999...
Eau Rouge Attacks Villeneuve And Zonta>>>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRH75RyTgKk
The soul-stirring spectacle provided by the superb Spa-
Francorchamps circuit is a reminder of what real road racing is
all about. If F1 is to continue to call itself the pinnacle of
motorsport it must always have Spa - the ultimate showcase for
the bravest men in the fastest cars. Located deep within the
dense pine forests of the Ardennes region in southeastern
Belgium, (where the WW2 Battle of the Bulge featured some of the
fiercest fighting) and originally formed in 1921 from public
roads roughly triangulated to link the rustic farming villages of
Francorchamps, Stavelot and Malmedy, the rollercoaster-ride-of-a-
track swoops and swerves through the stunning topography of a
magnificent natural landscape. Though shortened and sanitised
over the years to improve safety the now 7.004km lap is by a
considerable margin still the longest on the F1 tour. What really
separates Spa from other circuits, and the men from the boys, is
the daunting demands it makes on those who dare to throw
themselves into the lap of the gods. Over its meandering course
the track plunges through breath-taking elevation changes
totalling 225 meters. It features 19 strength-sapping corners,
including several mind-numbing twists and turns negotiated at
well over 300kph and subjecting the drivers to disorienting
gravitational forces in the order of 5g.
 |
| Spa's splendours lie deep in the Ardennes forest (commons.wikimedia.org) |
“One lap of Spa is like twenty at any other track, in terms of the
excitement and adrenalin it generates.” - Fernando Alonso
All the drivers tend to speak in superlatives about Spa. Martin
Brundle explains why: "It is the most exhilerating place on earth
to drive an F1 car. It reminds you what being a Grand Prix driver
is all about."
Noted daredevil Jacques Villeneuve had huge accidents at Spa,
yet loved the place with a passion. "It's just fantastic and if
you love road racing it doesn't get any better than this. The
thing about Spa is that it follows the natural landscape and is
not artificial. Every lap is an adventure and you feel like
you've really travelled somewhere special."
Foremost among Spa's breathtaking challenges is the notorious Eau
Rouge/Raidillon section, where the cars streak straight down a steep hill,
fly in the blink of an eye over over a stone bridge (and the
the Eau Rouge - red water - stream), jink abruptly left, then
corkscrew skyward on a harrowing high speed hillclimb that
veers right then left. Spa's signature landmark is still considered to
be the one of the greatest of all corners in racing, and in the old days
it was one of the most dangerous. Only the brave tried to take it flat out.
Eau Rouge And All Taken Flat Out By Famous F1 Drivers>>
When trying to describe the sensation of negotiating the
original, unemasculated, frightmaking 300kph Eau Rouge section
drivers tended to bring portions of their anatomy into play...
Martin Brundle: "It is terrifying. You're heading downhill, flat
out and it's like: 'I'm not gonna lift this time.' Your heart
says you're not going to lift and your brain says you are. Your
brain seems to have this little muscle attached to your foot."
David Coulthard:"It's big a battle between your brain and your
arse."
Mika Hakkinen: "You approach it with a combination of excitement
and fear. Your heart speeds up and you have to have courage and
when you get it right it's really satisfying. But it's always a
quite scary moment."
Michael Schumacher: "It's just like flying down a hill and seeing
a big mountain in front of you. It is a feeling that affects your
whole body and is probably the best experience and the most
satisfaction you can have as a racing driver."
Jacques Villeneuve: "You stop breathing, you start closing your
eyes...No you don't close your eyes. They stay wide open - with
fear!...But when you're safely through Eau Rouge your eyes blink
quite rapidly."
Rubens Barrichello: "It is just fantastic! You feel that if you
do not hold onto your heart it will come out your mouth."
Mark Blundell: "It is like nothing on this earth. It is
incredibly daunting and you have to drag up a hell a lot of
commitment as you come out of La Source and head down the hill.
On the way into Eau Rouge you are really studying the size of
your balls."
Jacques Villeneuve always insisted on taking Eau Rouge without
lifting off - even when it wasn't possible - as he discovered in 1998
and again in 1999...
Eau Rouge Attacks Villeneuve And Zonta>>>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRH75RyTgKk
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