Just over 50 kilometers from Aachen, nestled in the beautiful Ardennes, lies the Spa Francorchamps racetrack. Due to its location, it is often referred to as the Ardennes rollercoaster. And anyone who has ever experienced the track live will fully endorse this statement. Similar to the Nordschleife of the Nürburgring, the Spa circuit was built into the hilly landscape in the 1920s. Even though it has been repeatedly adapted to modern requirements in recent decades, it has lost none of its appeal. If you ask the current Formula 1 drivers what their favorite circuit is, you will usually hear "Spa Francochamps". Spa is also an ideal venue for motorsport with classic cars. As the past has recorded a number of legendary races here in the motorsport history book. The main event for all nostalgic petrol-heads traditionally takes place in September with the Spa Six Hours. This year, the event took place from September 25 - 29, 2019.
Endurance race as the highlight
Various races were once again on the program:
- FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championchip
- Jaguar Classic Challenge
- Historic Grand Prix Association
- Aston Martin Masters Endurance Legends
The above list represents only a small part of the total. The absolute highlight of the weekend is the endurance race - the Spa Six Hours. This six-hour race always starts on Saturday afternoon and runs until late in the evening. It offers everything that makes the heart of a motorsport junkie beat faster. Top-class classic racing cars, highly motivated drivers, a race that runs into the dark night, garnished with numerous pit stops and all against a historic motorsport backdrop.
Ford GT 40 as the most popular car among the participants
The Ford GT 40 has proven to be the top car for the six-hour race. It has won the last 8 races and taken a total of 13 victories at the Spa Six Hours. A line-up of 15 Ford GT 40 cars ensured that the winning streak would continue this year. Honestly, where else would you find something like that today? Among them were last year's winners Marcus Graf Von Oeynhausen and Nico Verdonck - with starting number 1, of course. However, a second consecutive victory seemed difficult for the experienced German and the young Belgian, not least because of the strong competition.
Specialists such as Walker, Meaden, Stretton, Davies, Newall, Hart, Meins, Bryant, Cottingham, Nolte, Gläsel, Le Blanc, Schryer, Guenat, Mahé, Hancock and Co had signed up, and they also had a Ford GT40 at their disposal. The names of the co-drivers also made people sit up and take notice: Nicolas Minassian, Rob Huff, Gordon Shedden, Nicky Pastorelli and a certain Eric van de Poele, who acted as co-driver for the American James Farley. It could therefore be the year of the Ford GT40 again. 50 years after Jacky Ickx's GT40 victory in the 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans, the entry list also included many Jaguar E cars, various Ford AC Cobras, a dozen Lotus Elans, a handful of TVRs - in short, a cross-section of the automotive heroes of the 60s and 70s. Over 100 registered cars promised an exciting race with fierce battles.
Difficult conditions for the drivers
The six-hour race also took place under difficult conditions. The team - Eric van de Poele / James Farley - took pole position with a time of 2:42:634. In second place was the GT 40 of Marcus Graf Von Oeynhausen / Nico Verdonck - with a time of 2:42:846. Even though there was a slight misunderstanding with the correct starting grid on the front row, the field of participants set off on the wet journey on time at 15:55. The start went off without any major incidents and as the field made its way up the long Kemmel uphill section for the first time, it dragged a long fountain of spray behind it. The majority of the field rode with their lights on from the first lap at 16:00. On the second lap, the lead changed hands and last year's winning car took the lead.
Minor and major damage due to the conditions
As the grip on the track was constantly changing during the race, slips and spins were not uncommon. This resulted in minor and major bodywork damage. After exactly one hour of racing, the number 8 car, the GT 40 of David Hart, was among the front runners. He lost control of the vehicle in Blanchimont and hit the tire wall. The Dutchman and his team - son Oliver Hart and Nicky Pastorelli - had started from third place. Fortunately, he was uninjured.
The Marcus Graf Von Oeynhausen / Nico Verdonck team also had bad luck, dropping back a few laps due to battery problems and not being able to repeat their previous year's victory. On lap 69, the GT 40 team - Eric van de Poele / Jim Farley - who had started from first place on the grid had to retire from the race with a gearbox problem. The wet track almost suited the lightweight Lotus Elan, as they clung to the more powerful Cobras and GT 40s like burrs under braking.
By now it was pitch dark and the batteries of headlights were burning streaks of light into the Ardennes forest. The pits were a hive of activity. Driver changes and minor repairs were completed by the respective teams at a practiced pace.
However, the refueling stops were a different story.
Here, all vehicles had to go to the official refueling station. A maximum of 4 vehicles could refuel there at the same time. The driver was on his own. No team member was allowed to help. It must have driven a driver crazy when he arrived at the filling station .... at full racing speed and had to wait there until a fuel pump became available. Then it was time to unbuckle, get out, take the nozzle out of the pump and fill up the tank or tanks.
In the hectic rush, many a full tank spilled over. After a short time, the filling station was covered with a thin layer of sand that had been spread for safety reasons. Fixed posts then helped the pilots to get in and fasten their seatbelts. After the short refueling break, many vehicles with their hot engines did not start voluntarily and had to be pushed on. Then it was back to threading into the pit lane exit and shooting up the incline to Raidillon.
Tough race for vehicles among the favorites
After six hours of driving in adverse weather conditions, the team - Philip Walker / Miles Griffith / Gordon Shedden - were waved off as winners in their GT 40 with 107 laps completed and a time of 5:59:03.
With 104 laps completed and a time of 5:59:45, the Aston Martin DB4 GT DP214 team of Wolfgang Friedrichs / Simon Hadfield / Michael Mallock surprised in second place. The GT 40 of Nikolaus Ditting / Sam Hancock took third place on the podium, just 2.6 seconds behind and having also completed 104 laps. It was an exhausting race with many retirements, especially among the favorites.
In the hope of better luck and an understanding weather god, however, most of the competing teams will return to the beloved Ardennes rollercoaster in 2020.
