The final countdown has started … In the wake of the Goodwood Revival, held last weekend, the Spa Six Hours is presently setting up the Big Top at the greatest circuit in the world. Once again the Roadbook team, that form the basis of the 100% Pure Historic Racing event, can pride itself on offering the best international series, allowing the general public to see, hear and breathe these wonderful machines that created the legend of motorsport, whether it be Formula 1, Prototypes, GT or Touring cars. With no less than twelve different competitions, bringing together 650 vehicles on the track, it is worth stating that there will be some high intensity …
Honour where honour is due, let us start off the browsing over the various categories with the key event of the weekend, the Spa Six Hours Endurance, traditionally scheduled on the Saturday between 16.00 and 22.00hrs. With some 120 cars on the grid, the show will once again be mind-blowing, all the more so seeing that for the 25th edition no less than … 15 Ford GT40 are entered, with at the wheel, apart from the historic racing experts, such drivers as Rob Huff, former Touring Car World Champion, or Andy Wallace, winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1988.
Trying to counter this gaggle of GT40 machines, there are the Jaguar E-Type – with the renowned Top Gear presenter Chris Harris -, the spectacular Shelby Cobra (of which the Daytona version of the Hart family with Pastorelli and that of the Belgians Dumolin-Van Riet-Bouvy), a short chassis Ferrari 250 GT and the splendid Aston Martin DB4 GT DP214. In a nutshell, pure bliss …
The rest of the programme is equally appealing, with an incredible collection of jewels and a clearly displayed eclecticism. If on the one hand the F1 single-seaters of the ‘70s and ‘80s of the FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship will be offering some head to head battles between Williams, Lotus, Brabham, Ligier, Arrows, Tyrrell, McLaren, as also Ensign, Shadow, Hesketh, March and even ATS – with the Belgians Loïc Deman and Christophe d’Ansembourg among the favourites! -, two new series will definitely not go unnoticed. As such in the Masters Endurance Legend, we will for the first time see a confrontation between Audi R8 LMP1, Pescarolo LMP1, Peugeot 908 (with a certain Nicolas Minassian at the wheel), Lola Aston Martin DBR1-2, Courage LC75 and consorts, more recent machines, as from now also poured into the ‘historic’ category. As for the Jaguar Classic Challenge, brought about by the parent company, the point of reference will undoubtedly be the superb and timeless E-Type machines!
The other ‘Masters’ series are also well filled, with on the FIA Historic Sports Car Championship front a … Ferrari 512 that will be crossing swords with various Lola T70, Chevron B19, McLaren M1A and M6B, etc. On the Gentlemen Drivers Pre-66 GT front, the various Shelby Cobra (of which a Daytona version!) will set off as favourites, while the frailer Lotus XI GT ‘Breadvan’ will not go unnoticed.
Once again brought together for the best, the Woodcote Trophy and the Stirling Moss Trophy will be filled with Lotus 15 and 11, Jaguar C-Type and D-Type, Lister Knobbly and Costin, Aston Martin DB2 and DB3, Maserati 300 S and Frazer Nash. As for all Touring car aficionados they will take great delight in the bigger engine muscle cars (Ford Falcon and Mustang, Mercury Comet Cyclone, etc.) the Masters Pre-66 Touring Cars, or the U2TC (under 2 litres), with on the billboard various Ford Cortina Lotus, Alfa Romeo Sprint GTA, BMW 1800 TISA and … Austin Cooper S!
By way of cherry on the cake, the Historic Sports Car Club will be bringing together an impressive pack of Lola, Lotus, Chevron and Osella that made up the history of sports cars, while the Spa One Hour event will bring a handful of BMW 3.0 CSL on to the track!
As you will have realised, it will be a large book taking in the history of motorsport that will be opening up its pages on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with a promising 25th edition of the Spa Six Hours. All this in close collaboration with the Fédération Belge des Véhicules Anciens (FBVA), whose highly official Maison FBVA will for the occasion transform into a … cinema!
