For the second time after the Corona break, the Spa Classic took place last weekend on the iconic race track in Francorchamps.
Spa Classic : Racing At Its Best
A wide variety of racing series were presented. Starting with the Heritage Touring Cup, it went through the historic Group C, the Fifties Legends, the greatest trophy, sixties endurance, the 2.0L Cup for classic Porsche 911, the Endurance Racing Legends and the two grids of the Classic Endurance Series CER1 and CER2.
Almost all starting grids were very well filled, especially the CER1 races showed a great variety of historic sports cars with the large volume Lola T70, the Chevron B16 and B19, and some rare Porsche sports cars.
As usual with Peter Auto, the process and the whole program were perfectly organised. The races were very entertaining and exciting. On Friday, a heavy downpour during training for the Greatest Trophy caused exciting action and beautiful pictures.
A personal highlight for me was the Heritage Touring Cup with actually six wonderful BMW 3.0 CSLs and various Ford Capri RS 3100s. It reminded me of the 1970s with the great rivalry between BMW and Ford in touring car races. Indeed the rivalry went as far as hiring Formula One drivers for special races, so there was, I think it must have been 1973, a touring car race at the Nurburgring with Jackie Stewart in a Ford Capri RS 3100 and Emerson Fittipaldi driving a BMW 3.0 CSL.
The grid of this racing series was absolutely impressive, quantity and quality wise I have never seen something similar before.
The historical Group C was again well represented: of course some Porsche 962C but also less prominent vehicles like Spice SE90C, Tiga GC285, 288, 289, Nissan NPT-90 and of course Jaguar XJR 9 and 10 in the famous Silk Cut livery.
A visual treat in terms of uncompromising design was the Bentley Speed 8 in classic British Racing Green from 2003 by the Endurance Racing Legends. I still marvel at the presence of this generation of Le Mans racing cars, but they are almost all 20 years old. This is how time flies.
For me, the Spa Classic is one of the best events in historic motorsport. Every year the grids are prominently filled with special and rare racing cars from many decades. The smooth running of the entire weekend speaks for the fact that real professionals are at work here. Even though there were a lot of safety car phases and a few red flags this time, nobody was upset.
The magnificent backdrop of the Ardennes with the great and famous Spa Francorchamps racetrack with its uphill and downhill characteristics is always fascinating.
When historic racing cars drive this 7-kilometer roller coaster track, the illusion of the golden era of motorsport is perfect.
Despite everything, what strikes me again and again is that historical motorsport is also becoming more and more professional, at least in some racing series, and the effort required to get classic racing cars up and running seems to be increasing all the time.
But it is very good that this piece of culture is being preserved and that even younger people who have not experienced these racing cars in their current time have succumbed to the fascination of historic motorsport.
The Spa Classic also makes a cultural and historical contribution. I very much hope that such fantastic events will continue to take place in the future and celebrate the good old days of motor racing. But thanks to Peter Auto’s enthusiasm and passion, there’s no need to worry too much.
For more information on the start lists and race results, please visit Peter Auto’s website, there you will find everything you need to know. Until then, take a look at the impressions shown here of a wonderful weekend in the Belgian Ardennes. Find out more about our photographer Ralph Lüker.
