Belgium - a small Western European country. A country that appears of no great consequence. Indeed, Belgium seems to have breezed through history with no real hardships, no great catastrophes and nothing of real note. (I now brace myself for an onslaught of Belgian history lessons.) This is not to deride the Belgians or their country, for it is a pleasant place; indeed they produce the greatest chips in the world, and some very fine chocolate. But it is in Motor Racing terms that this little unassuming nation comes into its own. For up in the Ardennes mountains, among the villages and winding roads that cover the area, is the majestic Spa Francorchamps circuit. And if I am to stand accused of cliches, of hyperbole, I will defend to the last - for majestic this place truly is.
Spa has long since passed into the annals of Grand Prix legend. It stands alone on the current calendar as a reminder of the glories of times gone by. It stands alone, too, as a circuit unique and unmatched. Recent press stories quoted various luminaries comparing the new Istanbul Otodrom with this most revered of places. Indeed, the tag 'The New Spa' seems to have stuck with that, admittedly great, new circuit. But there can be no comparison, for Spa can never be replicated.
The notion of creating a Grand Prix circuit consisting of public roads was nothing new when the original Spa Francorchamps opened in 1924. Road circuits were legion -Le Mans, Rouen-le-essarts, the Targa Florio, all public road circuits. But Spa, then as now, was different. In its original eight mile form the circuit through the mountains was considered a challenge; fast and difficult, not for the foolhardy, it appeared to exist in its own micro-climate where the fine weather at one end would be contrasted with pouring rain at the other. In its current truncated but still wonderful form, the same is still true today.
Indeed, it would not be unusual for a driver to leave the pits at the tight La Source hairpin, accelerate away past the old pits down towards the daddy of all corners, the terrifying Eau Rouge, blast up the hill through the Raidillon sweeps, accelerating hard, engine revving frantically at the top of its range, brake for the Malmedy kink and slow for the tight Rivage hairpin and, suddenly, high in the hills, find it misty and raining on the run through the daunting Pouhon towards Stavelot! No, not unusual at all. But it sorts out the men from the boys.
Spa is, almost to a man, the favourite circuit among the drivers today. And that is understandable for only Suzuka comes close as a drivers circuit. they love the challenge of the extreme gradients, the blind corners, the thrill of trying to take Eau Rouge flat. and that thrill, that challenge, can catch out even the best - think of the memorable footage of Jacques Villeneuve violently spinning from kerb to kerb having not-quite-made-it, or the earlier, more catastrophic accident that befell a young Allesandro Zanardi in the Lotus. These two, thankfully, survived to tell the tale. Many didn't.
Jim Clark, winner here from 1962 to 1965, hated the place. It was too dangerous. Jackie Stewart, the man who did more for safety in racing than any other throughout history, hated it also. Too dangerous. In the 1960 race alone the place claimed the lives of both Alan Stacey and Chris Bristow, two of Englands finest, in separate incidents. To highlight the problem it is worth noting that in 1970 winner Pedro Rodriguez attained an average race speed just shy of 150mph. That's about the same as the fastest race now, in 2005. The consequences don't bear thinking about.
So Spa was consigned to the history books (or so we thought) after 1973, having been overlooked the year before in favour of the circuit that was supposed to be the new home of the Belgian Grand Prix. This was Nivelles, and if Spa can be said to be the circuit that evokes the most superlatives from those concerned, Nivelles can easily be labelled the opposite. To say the place was bland is an understatement. It was so faceless, so featureless, and so devoid of character that it becomes hard to describe. Hence, when the race moved to Zolder, a circuit hardly drowning in atmosphere, for 1975, it was hailed as a welcome relief.
In the following years, from 1975 to 1982, Zolder actually produced some fine Grands Prix. Unfortunately it will always be remembered for something far more tragic - the death of Gilles Villeneuve in practice for the 1982 race.
Although I am aware that this incident has been more than blanket covered in the past, i'll just give a brief description for the benefit of those who may have missed out. Gilles, with a few minutes to go, is on track attempting to better the qualifying time of his team-mate and sworn rival Didier Pironi. He rounds one of Zolders identi-kit corners, just as Jochen Mass, on a slowing down lap, sees him in his mirrors and moves off line. Fatefully, Gilles has committed to the same piece of track, and the die is cast. In an accident of sickening violence the Ferrari clips the back wheel of the March, is sent high, barrel-rolling nose first into a grass bank. The chassis bounces skywards again, cartwheeling, and the helpless driver is flung from the wreckage in mid-air and slams into a catch-fence on the other side of the track. And we all know it's hopeless. That is how we will remember poor Zolder.
Still, moves had been afoot to resurrect Spa prior to that death-knoll sounding, and resurrect it they did! What was feared was an anodyne, sanitised version of a once great arena, something like the 'new' Nurburgring turned out to be. What we got was the shortened, safer, but still utterly marvellous track that we have today.
Who can forget the fantastic Schumacher - Hakkinen duel of a few years back, the one where Mika makes his move one side of the hapless backmarker, Michael the other? Who can forget the now-legendary Schumacher - Coulthard incident that resulted in Michael trying to separate Davids head from his body afterwards? Who can forget the wonderful Jordan 1-2 that time, Hill ahead of the frustrated Ralf Schumacher, or the momentous pile up on the way down to Eau Rouge that eliminated half the field in spectacular and, thankfully injury free, fashion? These memories, and others, and those yet to come, are what Spa Francorchamps is all about.
So it will come as no surprise that the greatest Belgian driver of all was a man who excelled in the rain. Jacky Ickx, for it is he, stands among drivers who 'should' have been World Champion, but never quite achieved the accolade. He was good enough, indeed he was great, but circumstances always conspired against him. He joined Ferrari, and became a favourite of 'Il Commendatore' Enzo Ferrari, in the early 1970's, just as the team began to fall from grace. So for 1974 he switched to the hitherto all-conquering Lotus team and, lo and behold, found himself with an uncompetetive car! This was the way Ickx's Grand Prix career went, and he retired in 1979 after a few years with tail end teams, with a healthy eight Grand Prix victories to his name. And also the small matter of six Le Mans 24hours victories. He was, incidentally, involved in the re-design and development of the Spa circuit we know and love today, and for that he should be deified, at least.
There have been others who raced from this little country: Thierry Boutsen for instance, a multiple winner with Williams and a driver far better than his quiet demeanour will have him remembered, and Oliver Gendebein, Paul Frere, the Pillette brothers, and the unforgettable 'Wild' Willy Mairesse whose exploits in Sports Cars are the stuff of legends. And there lies the odd statistic - all of Belgiums finest, the aforementioned plus a handful of others, have excelled in the Sports and Endurance category, and never quite managed to make their mark on the premier category.
But Spa Francorchamps has made its mark, and it is a mark that will never be removed. The place is, truly, among the greats. It is a King of a circuit, if not the king of circuits, a truly great, and thoroughly, yes, majestic, place. Long may it remain so.
Written by 3 on Thu, 08 Sep 2005 07:22:19
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