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Not only is the scenery stunning, but the track is a real challenge.
It's Spa Francorshapms of course, in the Eifel mountains.
I'm sorry to say that after driving from work at lunchtime, in three countries, arriving at midnight, I did not make it up in time to photograph the mist in the mountains on the way to the circuit. Next year ...
#1
So I fitted my culmann travel clamp onto the front edge of the windscreen frame, added a ball head and the MInolta A2 (I consider it expendable) and drove a few hours around what I think is the most beautiful F1 circuit in the world.
I suppose there are three parts of the circuit that are well known, Radillion/Eau Rouge, Bus-Stop chicane, and la Source hairpin.
From a driving point of view it's the descent into Eau Rouge and the climb through Radillion that is the best part of the track.
#2
It requires cojones of steel to go through here flat, as you've come down from the exit of la Source and accelerated full chat all the way down the hill to the entry. Normal road cars will be doing 90-100 mph into here.
If you have not lifted off the throttle through here then you are probably (a) stupid, (b) brave, (c) driving something exotic - or any combination.
In my case, with ESP off on road tyres at 90mph, I't say (b).
Last year I was (a) see below.
#3
It doesn't look much as you go through, clipping the kerb on the left, but if you take the time to look around you are in deep trouble !
The exit is blind, as soon as you clip the right hand kerb you have to turn right, and there's nothing to see in front of you but sky and trees.
Of course if you get it wrong, there's a kerb and a wall waiting for you on the left. Last year I was lucky enough to go wide to the left, get onto and back off the saw-tooth kerb and then spin in the middle of the track, over the blind ridge.
Lucky?
Yes, no-one was coming through after me to collect me in my cloud of tyre smoke. I also kept it on the track, not into the barriers on the right across the pit lane exit, or into the barrier on the left across the kerb. Unlike the poor owner of the new Porsche GT3 who went off into the left barrier, spun and shortened his car significantly by a second impact into the same barrier, but with the other end of the car (I guess he's much poorer now).
#4
The bus stop chicane has been totally emasculated. The changed F1 pit entry, after David Coulthard and Michael Schumacher came together so spectactularly, and the changed exit profile make it far less of a challenge.
After braking down from 100mph to 40 and taking the left/right entry the rest is effectively straight line acceleration up to la Source.
Mind you that braking is in about 50 yards of straight before the corner, so it is exciting - particularly passing other cars under braking !
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Originally Posted by Photo-John
