What do you do with a weekend off work and no plans? You go to the 24 Hours of Spa, of course.
Le Mans had re-ignited my love for a twice-around-the-clock race, so when I realised I had the Spa 24hrs weekend free I set myself a challenge. Get to Spa in time for the start on Saturday, then get home in time for work on Monday morning.
A 4am alarm is something nobody enjoys, but it is easier to stomach when the world’s greatest GT race is waiting at the other end of it. I crawled out of bed and got ready for the 400-mile journey to Spa.
The journey out
A quick train to London St Pancras and I was ready to board the first Eurostar of the day to Brussels. I don’t think this trip would be possible without it. Unlike a flight, there’s no arriving hours early. You turn up, pass through a quick security and border check, then get on your train. It makes so many European circuits easy to reach for UK-based fans.
In Brussels, small pockets of motorsport merchandise began appearing across the city’s biggest station. I made platform 14 for the Verviers train with seconds to spare. The connections were tight the whole way, and a five-minute delay on either train would have been the difference between making the start and missing it.
No issues, though, and I arrived in Verviers alongside all the other fans who had boarded along the way. The bus to the track was so full the doors could barely close. Despite the heat and being packed in, there was real excitement in the air, and it only grew as we neared the world-famous Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
Off the bus, it was a short walk to the wristband office. It sat a few minutes from the track itself, and keeping ticket collection and security away from the circuit made the whole thing quicker and calmer. You collected your wristband, walked another five minutes down the road, had a quick bag check and you were in. Having been to plenty of events, it’s the small details like this that add up. A difficult entry can sour a day before it has started, and Spa did everything it could to make sure that didn’t happen.
Lights out at Les Combes
Walking in, I was met by the sound of GT3 cars firing up for their laps to the grid. With just under an hour until the start, my last-minute planning had come off perfectly. That left time to meet fellow GT REPORT colleague Shanna for some much-needed hydration and SPF 50 (thanks Shanna).
As the start neared, the anticipation in the crowd rose with the temperature. Soon enough it was time to go racing. I watched from Les Combes and it was the perfect choice. Sixty-nine GT cars streaming almost head-on towards you down the Kemmel straight is a sight every racing fan dreams of.
A first-lap crash gave me time to start making my way round the track. The sun was almost unbearable, but Spa had water points dotted across the venue. Handing out so much free water rather than charging for it was a welcome touch for the 132,000-strong crowd.
I did a full lap of the circuit, taking in the scenery. Spa is one of the most beautiful tracks on the calendar. The surrounding forest makes a perfect backdrop and the hills open up long views across the circuit and the Belgian countryside.
Into the night
Back in the paddock, I met Shanna again for a couple of well-earned beers and a taste of the Spa 24hrs nightlife. The SRO spare no expense on atmosphere and it shows, with a huge line-up of DJs playing through the evening and into the early hours. One change I noticed was the removal of the second paddock stage. Centralising everything around the main stage was a good move. It builds a better atmosphere in one spot while leaving a quieter area to catch up, with a giant screen to follow the race.
Next came a ride on the Ferris wheel, and the view was worth it. On one side sat the main stage, on the other the circuit, with a clear view of Eau Rouge as the lights lit up the track. After that I said goodbye to Shanna, who headed off for a well-earned nap while I set about pushing through another night at a 24-hour race.
A quick stop at the merch tent followed, to browse everything on display. Over years of attending SRO events I’ve got to know Phil and Ellen of Neon Street Touring, the SRO’s go-to merchandise company. They’ve always been welcoming and this time was no different. A good reminder that you’re never really alone at a racetrack, and there’s always a friendly face to chat to.
A storm on the horizon
Into the darkest part of the night, with the music over, I headed to the Eau Rouge grandstand to settle in. More views, and this one was something else. Distant lightning threw flashes of purple across the sky. It was a rare backdrop, and it hinted at trouble ahead. That weather led to one of my favourite moments in motorsport, as a fan walked through the grandstand to wake sleeping spectators and warn them about the approaching storm. Another example of how good the motorsport community is.
In the end the storm never came. I took the chance to grab a short nap in the grandstand and woke an hour later to find it far busier than when I’d dropped off. With around seven hours of racing left, I wandered the track a little more.
The race home
With two hours to go I made one last loop of the paddock before heading up to La Source, where I’d watch out the rest of the race before the dash back to London.
The race finished at 16:30 and my bus back to Verviers left at 16:45, so it was going to be tight. The stop was a 15-minute walk away, and missing that bus meant missing my way home. The chequered flag flew and I bolted, no easy thing in 30-degree heat. I reached the stop with seconds to spare, turned around, and the bus was already in view.
First leg done. Now the bus had to fight through the thousands of fans leaving at the same time. Packed in like sardines, it felt like forever sat in standstill traffic. I’d left ten minutes to change onto my train, plenty I thought. As the queues grew, my chances shrank. We pulled in, I ran to the platform, and found my train already pulling away.
Disaster. I scrambled through the options and found one that would get me to Brussels just before Eurostar check-in closed.
I’d love to tell you about the journey home, but after almost 42 hours awake, minus a one-hour nap, I was done. I’m fairly sure I slept the entire way.
Worth every mile
Back in London with only hours before my shift, I thought back on the weekend. Hectic and busy, 800 miles covered, the media centre’s entire Monster supply drained, and thousands of photos taken. This one wasn’t planned, but sometimes going on a whim is the best way to do it.
Once again, Spa delivered. The effort from the circuit and the SRO to make the people in the stands feel as welcome as the drivers and teams is obvious, and it makes for a great weekend, however long you’re there for.
