Spa Francorchamps
 
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| Location | Stavelot, near to Francorchamps, Belgium |
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| Time zone | GMT +1 (DST: GMT +2) |
| Coordinates | 50°26′14″N 5°58′17″E / 50.43722°N 5.97139°ECoordinates: 50°26′14″N 5°58′17″E / 50.43722°N 5.97139°E |
| Capacity | 70,000 |
| Major events |
FIA Formula One Belgian Grand Prix Blancpain Endurance Series Spa 24 Hours World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Spa Spa-Classic |
| Modern Circuit With New Pit Lane And Bus Stop Chicane (2007–present) | |
| Length | 7.004 km (4.352 mi) |
| Turns | 20 |
| Lap record | 1:47.263 ( Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull, 2009) |
| Modern Circuit With Modified Bus Stop Chicane (2004–2006) | |
| Length | 6.976 km (4.335 mi) |
| Turns | 19 |
| Lap record | 1:45.108 ( Kimi Räikkönen, McLaren, 2004) |
| Modern Circuit With Chicane at Eau Rouge (1994) | |
| Length | 7.001 km (4.350 mi) |
| Turns | 19 |
| Lap record | 1:57.117 ( Damon Hill, Williams, 1994) |
| Modern Circuit With Original Bus Stop Chicane (1981–1993, 1995–2003) | |
| Length | 6.968 km (4.330 mi) |
| Turns | 19 |
| Lap record | 1:47.176 ( Michael Schumacher, Ferrari, 2002) |
| Old Circuit (1947–1978) | |
| Length | 14.1 km (8.761 mi) |
| Turns | 21 |
| Lap record | 3:13.4 ( Henri Pescarolo, Matra, 1973 WSC) |
| Original pre-War Circuit (1921–1939) | |
| Length | 14.9 km (9.31 mi) |
| Turns | 25 |
| Lap record | 5:04.1 ( Hermann Lang, Daimler Benz, 1937) |
| Website | www |
The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps motor-racing circuit is the venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, and of the Spa 24 Hours and 1000 km Spa endurance races.
It is also home to the all Volkswagen club event, 25 Hours of Spa, run by the Uniroyal Fun Cup. It is one of the most challenging race tracks in the world, mainly due to its fast, hilly and twisty nature. Spa is a favourite circuit of many racing drivers and fans.
Despite its name, the circuit is not in Spa but lies in the vicinity of the town of Francorchamps within the boundaries of the municipality of Stavelot, with a part in the boundaries of Malmedy.
Designed in 1920 by Jules de Thier and Henri Langlois Van Ophem, the original triangle-shaped course used public roads between the Belgian towns of 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.
The old Spa circuit was essentially a speed course with drivers managing higher average speeds than on other race tracks. Back then, the Belgians took pride in having a very fast circuit, and to improve average speeds, in 1939 the former slow uphill U-turn at the bottom of the Eau Rouge creek valley, called the Ancienne Douane (until 1920, there was a German Empire customs office here), was cut short with a faster sweep straight up the hill, called the Raidillon. Until 2000, it was possible to travel over the race track when it was still a public road. At Eau Rouge, southbound traffic was allowed to use the famous uphill corner, while the opposite downhill traffic had to use the old road and U-turn behind the grand stands, rejoining the race track at the bottom of Eau Rouge.
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Wikipedia