Opening its doors for the 11th year, Spa-Francorchamps was transformed into a whirlwind of tyre smoke and roaring engines at Spa Classic. Over the weekend, more than 22,000 enthusiasts came to admire the 430 historic racing cars battling it out on one of the world's most beautiful tracks, confirming it to be one of the most popular events on Peter Auto’s busy calendar.
A circuit known for its unforgiving nature and weather that can change in just a few corners, Spa-Francorchamps is a real test of both driver and machine, especially when those machines date back to the birth of motorsport.
One of the most exciting races came from the pre-1966 short-chassis Porsche 911s. Despite the length of the race, the gap between the #77 of Seb Perez and #53 of Christian Coll never exceed a handful of seconds, but it was Perez would who emerge victorious. The sight of these iconic machines pounding around the circuit for an hour and a half was something to behold, a true test of driver ability and mechanical durability!
However, it wasn’t just the Porsches providing the eager fans with exciting on-track action. Spa Classic hosted a huge variety of classes, from legends of the 1950s, endurance racing heroes, and a personal favourite of ours, the Group C action. Under a rain-soaked circuit, the drivers' skills was tested to the limit, driving some of the fastest race cars ever made, including the Mercedes-Benz Sauber C11, Porsche 962 C and a Lola T92 thrown in for good measure too. The battle was fought in the pits, with many teams deciding the optimal tyres for the tricky weather. While others were fitting rain tyres, it was Philip Kadoorie in his Porsche 962 C #69 who was brave enough to stay on slicks, which turned out to be the right choice. Kadoorie finally won ahead of Lendoudis, in an ex-Baldi & Schumacher Mercedes, and the Jaguar XJR-9 of Richard Meins and Andrew Bentley.
Spa-Classic is, above all, a story of passion which brings mechanical heroes together on track to the delight of the public and drivers. Belgian-native and motorsport hero Eric van de Poele perfectly summed up the event during an interview: “For the public, it is fantastic to see these cars on the track again, to hear them. For us to pilot them. The idea is not to go after the last hundredth of a second at all costs, or to overtake madly. Throughout this weekend, there are great races, it's very hot. These are real races.”
Peter Auto’s packed calendar once again shows no sign of slowing, as the teams and drivers pack up and head to France’s Dijon-Prenois circuit for the Grand Prix de l’Age d’Or from the 2nd to the 4th of June. To find out more about Peter Auto’s incredible roster of historic events, head to their website!
Photos by P.Payani for Fotorissima & PhotoClassicRacing.com
