- 86,854
- Rule 12
- GTP_Famine
John Hindhaugh was on the CX-60 diesel launch with me. In fact the one in the GTP review is the RLM car 😂
Crowdstrike 24 Hours of Spa
- Thread starter Touring Mars
- 48 comments
- 8,249 views
- 454
- Rotterdam
- Capt_Quarck
Getting to the track from the campsite isnt a problem, but after a couple hours you might want to check out a different part of the track and transport can be a problem
Have you ever been to the nordschleife?
300+ meters in difference between the highest and the lowest part of the track(you can feel the difference as pressure on your ears...)
I think Broadbent or SuperGT made a video at the beginning of 2020 where they talk about this stuff and how it's missing from all the (sim) racing games
- 875
- NS, Canada
This is the best 24 hour race this year, lovin' it...
- 25,072
- Somewhere.
It's crazy to think a lot of these drivers were at Watkins Glen last week for IMSA and will be at Mosport next week again for IMSA. I get that modern GT cars are a lot easier to drive than they used to be, but that's still a bit insane.
- 17,109
- United Kingdom
Into the final 30 mins.
youtoube on android showed an "unskipable" ad when the rowe bmw crossed the finishing line ._.
Edit: it was a nice race.
Estre putting pressure on the audi in the last few laps was great. Sadly the iron dames didn't finish the race, they had some pretty decent laptimes in the qualifying.
Edit: it was a nice race.
Estre putting pressure on the audi in the last few laps was great. Sadly the iron dames didn't finish the race, they had some pretty decent laptimes in the qualifying.
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Tired Tyres
Premium
- 12,535
- West Yorkshire
- Tired_Tyres
- Tired Tyres
Didn't do the on YouTube on PC.
Stopped watching this once the first full couse yellow period was followed by a safety car.
Stopped watching this once the first full couse yellow period was followed by a safety car.
Last edited:
- 17,109
- United Kingdom
- 29,178
- Glasgow
- GTP_Mars
Here's a few photos and videos my week at the Spa 24h:
Pics:
Arriving at Spa for the first time..
Ferrari 296 GT3 in Spa town centre
Glamorous exterior...
... not so glamorous interior.
Very close to the action... my bag enjoying its moment of glory.
Dinner for Team Phoenix
Le Docteur - the man of the moment, Valentino Rossi meeting his many adoring fans in Spa town centre
Le vainqueur - the winning ROWE BMW M4 GT3 #98 of Philipp Eng, Marco Wittmann and Nick Yelloly being rolled out onto Eau Rouge
Le vanker - me standing on Eau Rouge after the race
One of the most tranquil spots on the circuit - the edge of the forest at Blanchimont
-
Spotted on the way to Francorchamps: Joly-Bois outing...
Videos:
Spa car parade - Wednesday evening before the race:
The entire field drives into Spa, then parks in the town centre where the public can freely mingle with the cars and drivers. The cars then roar back out of town at dusk. It was absolutely incredible to be this close to the cars coming past, and the car parade was a real highlight of my trip... indeed, I didn't meet anyone else at the race who had come early enough to see the car parade.
Start of the 24h of Spa - Saturday, 4.30pm:
Found a spot right at the head of the grid to watch the cars start the race. I originally took a seat up in the new stand overlooking Radillion and Eau Rouge, but this was an even better idea. The unlikely polesitter/grid was a result of a rain-disrupted Qualifying session.
End of the 24h of Spa - Sunday, 4.30pm:
As I did at the Le Mans 24h back in 2014, I made it to the grandstand for the end of the race and captured the checkered flag moment, so I was likely one of only a few people to witness the very start and very end of the race without the help of a big screen.
Parc fermé - Sunday, 5pm-ish:
Even after such a great week, the best was yet to come - I walked over to the newly-created fan-zone, where Parc fermé had been established, just in time for them to be rolling the winning car back to the paddock. Again, there were not a huge amount of people in the right place at the right time to see this. This was closely followed by a walk up Eau Rouge and Radillion, which was an amazing experience!
If you are prepared to walk alot, then you can experience almost everything at Spa. I did 160,000 steps in the 7 days I was in Belgium - an average of 23,000 steps, and approximately 70-75 miles, or ca. 10 miles a day. This partly explains why I couldn't stay at the circuit for the whole race - I was walking everywhere and was shattered by early evening, so the prospect of staying the night (without accomodation or even a tent) at the circuit was too much. I'm glad I didn't even try it, as I needed a lot of energy for Sunday, as I circumnavigated the entire circuit, chalking up 32,000 steps in the process, despite having to take around an hour's break due to severe bursitis in my right ankle.
The circuit:
There's pretty much no spot on the track that didn't feel awesome to be at, but here's some comments - note: I had a ticket with paddock access which cost a mere €75 for the entire week, and paddock access is an absolute must.
Paddock/Old Pit Lane: the view from the gantry on top of the old pit lane garages is fantastic, but was busy at peak times. You can actually stand on the wall right at the paddock gates (at Eau Rouge) and get a fantastic view of Eau Rouge from there. Even when it was quite busy, there didn't seem to be many people realising how good a spot this was.
Eau Rouge and Raidillion: absolutely awesome to see/hear, lots of different ways to see it, new grandstand was fine for a short while but I didn't enjoy it as much as I had thought I would.
Les Combes and Rivage/Bruxelles: Les Combes was popular with the campers/portable chair army, but the hill at Rivage (now called Bruxelles too) was always a good spot with one of the best (unhindered) views of the track, and good accessibility. The spot between Les Combes and Rivage where you can look back down over the entire circuit is breathtaking, hence why this was my favourite spot, since there were three great locations accessible within 2 mins of each other.
Pouhon and Les Fagnes: a very steep descent (or climb) between Les Combes and Pouhon (Double Gauche) and this is where my ankle gave up... but it's a great spot to get stuck at. Les Fagnes was surprisingly deserted, possibly because the barriers are quite onerous, and the cars are quite slow through Les Fagnes, but I found it to be a pleasant spot.
Paul Frere and Blanchimont: Blanchimont is probably the best part of the circuit that doesn't have great vantage points, but standing overlooking the apex for a while was amazing. Paul Frere and what used to be Stavelot is largely inaccessible, but oddly there is a fantastic view of Paul Frere from the karting track car park, which is not even inside the ticket boundary, even though it's in the infield of the circuit!
Final chicane, Start straight and La Source: all very watchable and pretty much accessible all the time. Grandstands were never full, and the gantry on top of the new pit lane gave stunning views of the whole sector.
Notes:
I enjoyed every minute of being at the circuit, and the trip was amazing fun all round. The car parade and driver meet & greet on Wednesday in the town of Spa itself was a must. Arriving at the track on Thursday was a literal dream come true, and I was stunned at the access I had - you could pretty much go anywhere except into the garages themselves, and some didn't seem to even bother if you did (not that I tried, but others did). Standing right at the gates from the paddock onto Eau Rouge was crazy, as the entire Super Trofeo grid passed out onto the circuit right infront of me. Another highlight was meeting Sam Neary's parents and having a beer with them, and then meeting them again, this time with Sam, on Eau Rouge after the race.
My only regret is not booking Hotel de la Source for the night of the race, but even the drivers (believe it or not) were struggling to find places to stay. Hotels in Francorchamps itself are block-booked by the teams months in advance, so it's a miracle I got to stay at Hotel de la Source on the night after the race. Doriane Pin checked out of the hotel right in front of me too, which was crazy. I also met Nicki Thiim, Kelvin van der Linde and Luca Engstler in the restaurant I went to for dinner in Spa.
I travelled to and from the town of Spa using public buses, but they start late and end early, and cabs are rare, expensive and unreliable. There's no Uber either, so you really need a car or to camp in Francorchamps to experience anything beyond 6pm at the track, unless you are prepared to hitch-hike. But even with the buses, I still spent all the time at the circuit I wanted to, and was grateful to have a comfy bed to sleep in each night after spending hours exploring one of the greatest circuits on Earth.
Pics:
Arriving at Spa for the first time..
Ferrari 296 GT3 in Spa town centre
Glamorous exterior...
... not so glamorous interior.
Very close to the action... my bag enjoying its moment of glory.
Dinner for Team Phoenix
Le Docteur - the man of the moment, Valentino Rossi meeting his many adoring fans in Spa town centre
Le vainqueur - the winning ROWE BMW M4 GT3 #98 of Philipp Eng, Marco Wittmann and Nick Yelloly being rolled out onto Eau Rouge
Le vanker - me standing on Eau Rouge after the race
One of the most tranquil spots on the circuit - the edge of the forest at Blanchimont
-
Spotted on the way to Francorchamps: Joly-Bois outing...
Videos:
Spa car parade - Wednesday evening before the race:
The entire field drives into Spa, then parks in the town centre where the public can freely mingle with the cars and drivers. The cars then roar back out of town at dusk. It was absolutely incredible to be this close to the cars coming past, and the car parade was a real highlight of my trip... indeed, I didn't meet anyone else at the race who had come early enough to see the car parade.
Start of the 24h of Spa - Saturday, 4.30pm:
Found a spot right at the head of the grid to watch the cars start the race. I originally took a seat up in the new stand overlooking Radillion and Eau Rouge, but this was an even better idea. The unlikely polesitter/grid was a result of a rain-disrupted Qualifying session.
End of the 24h of Spa - Sunday, 4.30pm:
As I did at the Le Mans 24h back in 2014, I made it to the grandstand for the end of the race and captured the checkered flag moment, so I was likely one of only a few people to witness the very start and very end of the race without the help of a big screen.
Parc fermé - Sunday, 5pm-ish:
Even after such a great week, the best was yet to come - I walked over to the newly-created fan-zone, where Parc fermé had been established, just in time for them to be rolling the winning car back to the paddock. Again, there were not a huge amount of people in the right place at the right time to see this. This was closely followed by a walk up Eau Rouge and Radillion, which was an amazing experience!
If you are prepared to walk alot, then you can experience almost everything at Spa. I did 160,000 steps in the 7 days I was in Belgium - an average of 23,000 steps, and approximately 70-75 miles, or ca. 10 miles a day. This partly explains why I couldn't stay at the circuit for the whole race - I was walking everywhere and was shattered by early evening, so the prospect of staying the night (without accomodation or even a tent) at the circuit was too much. I'm glad I didn't even try it, as I needed a lot of energy for Sunday, as I circumnavigated the entire circuit, chalking up 32,000 steps in the process, despite having to take around an hour's break due to severe bursitis in my right ankle.
The circuit:
There's pretty much no spot on the track that didn't feel awesome to be at, but here's some comments - note: I had a ticket with paddock access which cost a mere €75 for the entire week, and paddock access is an absolute must.
Paddock/Old Pit Lane: the view from the gantry on top of the old pit lane garages is fantastic, but was busy at peak times. You can actually stand on the wall right at the paddock gates (at Eau Rouge) and get a fantastic view of Eau Rouge from there. Even when it was quite busy, there didn't seem to be many people realising how good a spot this was.
Eau Rouge and Raidillion: absolutely awesome to see/hear, lots of different ways to see it, new grandstand was fine for a short while but I didn't enjoy it as much as I had thought I would.
Les Combes and Rivage/Bruxelles: Les Combes was popular with the campers/portable chair army, but the hill at Rivage (now called Bruxelles too) was always a good spot with one of the best (unhindered) views of the track, and good accessibility. The spot between Les Combes and Rivage where you can look back down over the entire circuit is breathtaking, hence why this was my favourite spot, since there were three great locations accessible within 2 mins of each other.
Pouhon and Les Fagnes: a very steep descent (or climb) between Les Combes and Pouhon (Double Gauche) and this is where my ankle gave up... but it's a great spot to get stuck at. Les Fagnes was surprisingly deserted, possibly because the barriers are quite onerous, and the cars are quite slow through Les Fagnes, but I found it to be a pleasant spot.
Paul Frere and Blanchimont: Blanchimont is probably the best part of the circuit that doesn't have great vantage points, but standing overlooking the apex for a while was amazing. Paul Frere and what used to be Stavelot is largely inaccessible, but oddly there is a fantastic view of Paul Frere from the karting track car park, which is not even inside the ticket boundary, even though it's in the infield of the circuit!
Final chicane, Start straight and La Source: all very watchable and pretty much accessible all the time. Grandstands were never full, and the gantry on top of the new pit lane gave stunning views of the whole sector.
Notes:
I enjoyed every minute of being at the circuit, and the trip was amazing fun all round. The car parade and driver meet & greet on Wednesday in the town of Spa itself was a must. Arriving at the track on Thursday was a literal dream come true, and I was stunned at the access I had - you could pretty much go anywhere except into the garages themselves, and some didn't seem to even bother if you did (not that I tried, but others did). Standing right at the gates from the paddock onto Eau Rouge was crazy, as the entire Super Trofeo grid passed out onto the circuit right infront of me. Another highlight was meeting Sam Neary's parents and having a beer with them, and then meeting them again, this time with Sam, on Eau Rouge after the race.
My only regret is not booking Hotel de la Source for the night of the race, but even the drivers (believe it or not) were struggling to find places to stay. Hotels in Francorchamps itself are block-booked by the teams months in advance, so it's a miracle I got to stay at Hotel de la Source on the night after the race. Doriane Pin checked out of the hotel right in front of me too, which was crazy. I also met Nicki Thiim, Kelvin van der Linde and Luca Engstler in the restaurant I went to for dinner in Spa.
I travelled to and from the town of Spa using public buses, but they start late and end early, and cabs are rare, expensive and unreliable. There's no Uber either, so you really need a car or to camp in Francorchamps to experience anything beyond 6pm at the track, unless you are prepared to hitch-hike. But even with the buses, I still spent all the time at the circuit I wanted to, and was grateful to have a comfy bed to sleep in each night after spending hours exploring one of the greatest circuits on Earth.
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- 17,109
- United Kingdom
You have to the N24 @Touring Mars, it's all the good bits about Spa on Steroids.. Le Mans really is a distant third for me in terms of 24 hour races. Glad you had a good time.
- 1,812
- Space City, USA
- GTP_MPower
- JetsE36
I always forget about the Spa 24. I wish I didn't because its a classic circuit, but maybe the full GT3 grid is why. It seemed like a decent race from the highlights, but the track limits crap spoiled what little I saw. It's the one 24 hour race that I'm never really hyped about. Maybe it's the not very multi-class feeling of it, maybe it's the fact that RLM isn't involved, or something else. 🤷♂️
- 29,178
- Glasgow
- GTP_Mars
I loved the LM 24 hr, but it was a completely different experience, not least as I went with 10 other GTPers and camped at the circuit.
The N24 is definitely on my list, though it is so huge that it would also be very different to Spa I'd imagine, but I'd love to go.
I didn't really follow the actual race all that closely - I had very limited data and so couldn't watch the race on my phone at the circuit, and I didn't watch much of the race overnight live either. I'd love to see the FIA WEC race at Spa for 24h instead of the 6h they currently do, but GT3 cars at Spa work very well, and they were awesome to see (and hear) in the flesh.
- 17,109
- United Kingdom
I think I'd sum up the three by looking at the contents of my SD card when I got home:
Le Mans: 1,321 photos
Spa: 2,945 photos
Nürburgring: 5,426 photos
... that actually represents well the difference between the events for me.
- 29,178
- Glasgow
- GTP_Mars
I'm currently planning my second trip to the Spa 24h, but booking hotels near the circuit isn't easy.
That said, I have found a holiday home near the track which looks great - and it isn't ridiculously expensive, though it is more than I was planning to spend.
I originally wanted to book a hotel in Francorchamps for 4 nights, but could only find a room for 2 nights (Sat/Sun), and so I re-booked the apartment I had in Spa for 3 nights (Wed/Thurs/Fri).
However, this plan would make attending the circuit on Thurs/Fri nights a problem, and I missed out last time because it's impossible to get back to the town of Spa after the buses go off at around 6pm.
So, I bit the bullet and have now booked a holiday home, where Eau Rouge itself runs through the garden. I've booked it for all 4 nights I wanted, and will now cancel my other bookings unless I have a change of heart.
The house is still a 2km walk from the track, but that is fine for me and close enough to allow me to walk to and from the track any time I want. All I need to do now is book my flights and my tickets, and I'll be back for my second experience of the Spa 24h, which this time will include plenty of time at the track in the evening/night.
That said, I have found a holiday home near the track which looks great - and it isn't ridiculously expensive, though it is more than I was planning to spend.
I originally wanted to book a hotel in Francorchamps for 4 nights, but could only find a room for 2 nights (Sat/Sun), and so I re-booked the apartment I had in Spa for 3 nights (Wed/Thurs/Fri).
However, this plan would make attending the circuit on Thurs/Fri nights a problem, and I missed out last time because it's impossible to get back to the town of Spa after the buses go off at around 6pm.
So, I bit the bullet and have now booked a holiday home, where Eau Rouge itself runs through the garden. I've booked it for all 4 nights I wanted, and will now cancel my other bookings unless I have a change of heart.
The house is still a 2km walk from the track, but that is fine for me and close enough to allow me to walk to and from the track any time I want. All I need to do now is book my flights and my tickets, and I'll be back for my second experience of the Spa 24h, which this time will include plenty of time at the track in the evening/night.
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