Spa-Francorchamps last weekend

[slob]

Up early on Saturday, start laying out kit and cleaning out 'Rusty', a 1994 Transit with 140K Miles on the clock that I have borrowed for the trip, he's already left half a rear bumper on my neighbours drive so I'm starting to wonder about the wisdom of driving half way across Europe in him. Ali (Funkatronic) arrives around 8am and we load the bikes and kit and leave for Folkestone just after 9. Arrival at the Chunnel presents problem number one, a train had broken down earlier and they're running around four hours behind schedule. We take the divert to P&O option they offer and drive across to Dover, just in time for the allocated ferry.
Ali uses the crossing to catch up on last night's zzzs.
http://www.thelasturl.net/Spa20100516/Ali.jpg

We arrive at Spa-Francorchamps just before dark. Bikerdays have been running a Yamaha only trackday and the last few folks are just leaving, some of them look horrified at the sight of Rusty. We manage to get sausage and chips plus a 6-pack of Juliper just before the last paddock concession shuts. We then set about prepping the bikes for the track, have a couple of beers and settle down for the night. It's bloody freezing in the Eifel mountains, I wake up shivering a couple of times in the night and in the morning I find a thin layer of ice on the seats of our bikes.
Cold but picturesque.
http://www.thelasturl.net/Spa20100516/Ardennes.jpg

Sign on is at 7:30 and I get stickers for my bike, Ali hunts out the Rider School, since he signed up late and it was the only way he could get a rider place. I hunt out the MOB and move my bike up to their pit-box before the safety briefing, which is conducted in Dutch, French and English.
Ready to roll
http://www.thelasturl.net/Spa20100516/130.jpg

Leo looks scary, Peter's just pleased to be there.
http://www.thelasturl.net/Spa20100516/Leo_Peter.jpg

Leo's very tidy track bike
http://www.thelasturl.net/Spa20100516/Leo_S4R.jpg

[slob]

There is quite a lot of exotica there for the day, including five D16RRs in the next pit-box.
http://www.thelasturl.net/Spa20100516/D80RR.jpg

I particularly like the one that's been black 'shrinkwrapped'
http://www.thelasturl.net/Spa20100516/Clingfilm.jpg

Scary start, I see a guy drop one whilst trying to get it on the paddock stand, scratching the rear rim and swingarm... ouch!
not as bad as the one I saw later though
http://www.thelasturl.net/video/Ouch!.wmv
I guess if you can afford a £42K bike, you can afford to fix it.

Some of the machinery is a little less exotic
http://www.thelasturl.net/Spa20100516/Fukyou.jpg

The circuit is immense at just over 7km long
http://www.thelasturl.net/Spa20100516/Circuit.jpg

If you look at the red & white armco in the background you can see the start of the 100m drop from Les Combes to Paul Frere
http://www.thelasturl.net/Spa20100516/Distance.jpg

[slob]

We lost our second morning session due to a serious accident in the fast group, still you've got to be glad you're not the one getting a helicopter ride!

I think I got steadily faster through the day but still nowhere near as fast as I could go with a couple of extra days there. At least I didn't bring my bike home in a bag. Sadly my camera batteries ran out on my last session, so I lost the best video laps.
http://www.thelasturl.net/video/Spa_20100516.wmv
I also need more power, as you can see how fast superbikes pass on the Kemmel straight as the 620 'plods' along at about 120mph in top.

After the cold of Saturday night, we found a nice hotel near Brussels on the way home,
some of you may recognise it...
http://www.thelasturl.net/Spa20100516/Boskapelhoeve.jpg

...and as for Rusty, he didn't miss a beat.
http://www.thelasturl.net/Spa20100516/WeHeartRusty.jpg


I'm sure Ali will be along soon to add some words and more pics.


Finally, recommended gadget of the trip:
X-Mini II speaker for phones & MP3 players,
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001UEBN42/ref=asc_df_B001UEBN42657139?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=7974&creativeASIN=B001UEBN42
It's cheap, tiny, makes an awesome noise and the internal battery lasted there & half way back.

[LouSCannon]

Brilliant write up Rob, thanks.

Great to hear you guys came away unscathed, but not good to hear about the accident, hope the guy is ok? How did it feel going up the mountain for the first time?!

[J.P]

I AM NOT JEALOUS. I AM NOT JEALOUS. I AM NOT JEALOUS !!!!!!!!!!!!!


You know I'd have been there had I not already been away in Paris, with arsy French waiters & waitresses reminding the English why we don't like the French....

Was the track just awesome ?

[J.P]

and a fantastic video of the lap

[BluprintZ]

Nice one Rob, the vids are wicked.
Must admit, it's one hell of a circuit.
We walked around nearly half of it last year at the F1 weekend.

14056

G ; )

[crust]

I also am not jealous. :(

It really is a superb circuit, I was lucky in that Stumpy and I did a two dayer there to start with.

We also had the advantage of staying with Neil and Anne at AE, Neil knows Spa really well and also has a GSXR1000K3 like mine so was able to advise on gears and turn in points. Track knowledge there makes a huge difference, get Eau Rouge right and you get rewarded with a wheelie over the top and an extra 10 mph at the top of the straight.

Its the only track I've been to where you can cane a litre bike.

I'll definitely go back for more.

[scrapps]

Could not get clips to play on my crap works comp but glad you had a good time and good photos.
I am looking forward to going to the less exotic Lydden hill in a few weeks.

(Just ordered one of the speakers for my ipod looks great)

[J.P]

Crust,
Would you recommend Neil & Ann ? I'm booked in with them for 4 days at the end of September when I'm doing a bit of a tour of the area on my own.

[crust]

Crust,
Would you recommend Neil & Ann ? I'm booked in with them for 4 days at the end of September when I'm doing a bit of a tour of the area on my own.

Bad Points (or possibly a good point) - there's no local bar in walking distance, their house is at the end of a road in the wilds.

Good points - They are very good company. Neil is obsessed with all things two wheeled, powered or not and will happily chat all evening over beer about bikes. He's also very quick, teaches at the Ring, instructs at Spa etc.

The house is modern, clean and the food is great - Anne will cook whatever you like - my mate doesn't do veg, not a problem, you can have potatoes done a different way each night.

The local area is great for roads, Neil will steer you towards the best I'm sure and I doubt it would take much to persuade him to get the bike out and show you. There's loads of WW2 stuff around there if you're interested or just miles of empty twisties.

I'd happily recommend them and would go there again.

[J.P]

Great , that's reassuring to know, thank you.

And

"my mate doesn't do veg, not a problem, you can have potatoes done a different way each night."

Are potatoes meat now then ??? :)

[Diego]

well done chaps. nice write up too!

[Paranoid Dave]

Fantastic !!

[buzzbomb]

Great write up and vids Rob.

It's my all time favorite circuit, theres just something special about the place.

1st time there it was the long circuit and a lap in a works bmw batmobile with Tom Walkinshaw at the wheel, jeez I sh*t myself but in the years that followed really got to know the place and had some wonderful and successful times there.

[Albie]

Looks great fun. I might book some time off next year and try and do that. You make it look so easy and it probably isn't. Great pics and a great write up.

[Pomp1]

Great write up Slob, I'm so jealous. Spa is on my bucket list, taking on the eau rouge corner must be something..

[rac3r]

Looks great! 620 = win :D

[benson]

No Albie - Slob makes it LOOK easy - because it probably isn't! :D

Really good to read the thread Slob - I enjoyed the vid a lot...

Also, some of us were away last weekend and thankfully weren't in chagre of anything mechanical apart from hairdryers and cider... Not that cider is mechanical, that's just bad grammar...

Hurrah!:yoparty:

[J.P]

And because of your advice, I've just bought a X-MINI II speaker.
You're right, amazing little speaker. Good recommendation, cheers

[Pedro]

Great write up slobby!

[Mr.Number]

Good write up Slob, thankyou I enjoyed that.

Would do my Fu*kin head in though watchin the sbk's eat the track ahead.

Any news on the guy that got airlifted ?

[Jaron]

Wicked vid of lap - well done!

[scrapps]

And because of your advice, I've just bought a X-MINI II speaker.
You're right, amazing little speaker. Good recommendation, cheers

Me to its very good and very handy thx