A great film from a classic period, the Formula One cars at a peak of beauty. At the Masta kink, I noticed a road sign reading "Écartez-vous et laissez passer René!" Was it still there as you drove home?
Later that year, Luigi Musso, Peter Collins and Stuart Lewis-Evans were gone and Mike Hawthorn retired as World Champion, only to lose his life early the following year in a road accident. And that was a normal year.
Last Edit: Aug 1, 2024 16:30:55 GMT by Carl: Edited for clarity
Matt Bishop is doing some excellent articles for MotorSport online and has just done one on Luigi Musso - which I commentated that 1958 was such a tragic year and changed the whole perspectives of the then Formula One.
I have only find this once and can't find it again but a clip exists of Jimmy in 62 or 63 in the dry in the 25 taking the kink flat out and it was sublime, - those skinny tyres scrabbling for grip at around 170 - 60 + years on it scared the hell out of me, yet the thought of doing something similar sounds so enthralling.
Rene! cool, you've driven the Masta Kink, wow
People like Tony Brooks were sublime at places like Spa as the old circuit needed such bravery - Dan was another who excelled there and was the moral winner in 64 - no doubt repaid in 67 with the beautiful Eagle.
Did anyone else read a small article that there is a company fronted by the excellent Steve Rider that is collating all these little clips together and editing them so we have a co-ordinated approach to our historical clips. Hopefully sooner than later
I find the video-tour included below informative and interesting; especially for someone like myself, who has never been in the Spa Francorchamps area.
As to the Belgian/European GP 1958 movie, kindly posted by René, it's interesting to notice that the narrator says "on" (e.g., "Brooks on Vanwall") rather than "in". (But, of course, for the earliest types of cars (or automobiles), which resembled horse carriages, you were really on them, rather than in them.)
Interesting also to notice the flagmen/officials. As the narrator also comments on, some of them wave frantically with a blue flag already on lap 1 - and even to a front-running group of cars! Perhaps they (the flagmen) enjoyed complete autonomy? (Just wave the flags as you find it fit ...)
Thanks for posting this fascinating tour of the historic Spa-Francorchamp circuit. An imaginative viewer can almost see and hear the cars blast by! One of the first driver autobiographies I read was "All But My Life" by Stirling Moss and the great Ken Purdy, and the book's description of his near-fatal accident in practice at Spa in 1960, after a wheel came off his Lotus 18 at speed in the dangerous Burnenville Corner, left an indelible impression. I believe Burnenville is shown at the 4:00 mark in the film, looking about the same as it must today.
The approach to Burnenville
Spectators rush to aid the severely injured Moss, trackside opposite his Lotus
Last Edit: Aug 1, 2024 17:51:14 GMT by Carl: Edited for clarity
Thanks guys, much appreciated and as always happy to share.
@ Chris: The vintage cars are always great to watch... and hear! The driver in the Shadow was actually Thierry Boutsen who was there the entire weekend and had not forgotten how to drive!
Here is a video I made of some of the old cars from behind the fence. Unfortunately they didn't go full blast but it's still great to hear these old engines.
The Shadow must have been great fun to drive. Boutsen sounds like he's really on it as he exits
Last Edit: Aug 1, 2024 17:48:45 GMT by Carl: Edited for brevity
A great film from a classic period, the Formula One cars at a peak of beauty. At the Masta kink, I noticed a road sign reading "Écartez-vous et laissez passer René!" Was it still there as you drove home?
Yep, I made a photo of the sign. It's on a wall in my man cave now...
I find the video-tour included below informative and interesting; especially for someone like myself, who has never been in the Spa Francorchamps area.
It's a great video! I walked the l'Ancienne Douane last year.
Thanks guys, much appreciated and as always happy to share.
@ Chris: The vintage cars are always great to watch... and hear! The driver in the Shadow was actually Thierry Boutsen who was there the entire weekend and had not forgotten how to drive!
Here is a video I made of some of the old cars from behind the fence. Unfortunately they didn't go full blast but it's still great to hear these old engines.
The Shadow must have been great fun to drive. Boutsen sounds like he's really on it as he exits
A great film from a classic period, the Formula One cars at a peak of beauty. At the Masta kink, I noticed a road sign reading "Écartez-vous et laissez passer René!" Was it still there as you drove home?
Yep, I made a photo of the sign. It's on a wall in my man cave now...
Brilliant!
Whether based on your innate excellence or great driving skill, it's entirely justified that Belgium confers a perpetual right-of-way...
Last Edit: Aug 1, 2024 19:11:55 GMT by Carl: Paused for genuflection
Carl, the image was generated in Midjourney, an artificial intelligence application. It took me about 10 minutes to ‘make’ this.
I'm not surprised, but sources in Belgium tell me the federal police are on full alert to counter what they believe is a fraudulent scheme. Next time, you'd better be very careful... or exceed all limitations in your Dutch Orange 296 GTB
Carl, the image was generated in Midjourney, an artificial intelligence application. It took me about 10 minutes to ‘make’ this.
I'm not surprised, but sources in Belgium tell me the federal police are on full alert to counter what they believe is a fraudulent scheme. Next time, you'd better be very careful... or exceed all limitations in your Dutch Orange 296 GTB
I find the video-tour included below informative and interesting; especially for someone like myself, who has never been in the Spa Francorchamps area.
It's a great video! I walked the l'Ancienne Douane last year.
René,
You must have had an eerie sense of history past. Do you know if the building on the left is being used? It looks boarded up and abandoned.
You can see traces of the old detour on aerial photographs.
I have been watching different races this week, of the swimming and athletic variety. I have noticed on some of the lady athletic sprinters a rather disturbing increase in the length and curvature of their eyelashes and the length and shape of their nails. I am concerned that Adrian Newey may have been moonlighting for some athletic teams during his spare time. They definitely have a Neweyesque look to them and this may account for the fall-off in Red Bull's form over the last few weeks.
Perhaps they (the flagmen) enjoyed complete autonomy? (Just wave the flags as you find it fit ...)
