Spa Francorchamps
Designed in 1920, the original triangle-shaped course used public roads between the Belgian towns Francorchamps, Malmedy and Stavelot.The track was intended to have hosted its inaugural race in August 1921, however this event had to be cancelled as there was only one entrant! The first car race was held at the circuit in 1922, and two years later saw the first running of the now famous 24 hours of Francorchamps race. The circuit was first used for Grand Prix racing in 1925..
Over the years, the Spa course has been modified several times. The track was originally 15 km long, but after WW2, the track had some changes. The uphill U-turn right after the famous Eau Rouge corner called "Virage de Ancienne Douane" was eliminated and cut short, thus giving birth to the Radillon uphill sweeping corner.
Spa is the venue of the F1 Belgian GP and the Spa 24 Hours endurance race and it is a favourite circuit of many racing drivers and fans. Since inception, the place has been famous for its unpredictable weather. Frequently drivers are confronted with one part of the course being clear and bright while another stretch is rainy and slippery.
Spa is arguably one of the world’s most iconic circuits and probably demonstrates the importance of driver skill more than any other in the world. This is largely due to the Eau Rouge and Blanchimont corners, both which need to be taken flat-out to achieve a fast run onto the straights after them, which aids a driver in both a fast lap and in over-taking.
RS Academy runs Club Days on selected high quality track days at Spa from March to November. As with the Nürburgring, the winter weather conditions prevent all year round running on track. Spa is only about an hours drive from the Nürburgring, so often it makes for a good combination of tracks in one visit.
