Spa Six Hours 2023
Less than a week after the ELMS race , I was back at Spa Francorchamps. The Spa Six Hours were being held for the 30th time. This historic race weekend was organized by Roadbook Events. And I was also given the opportunity to photograph this event. The event takes its name from the main 6-hour race that starts late Saturday afternoon and finishes in the dark. But it's much more than that.
A wide range of racing classes appeared at the starting line. These included the Masters Historic classes with F1 cars, Masters Endurance Legends, and Sportscar Legends, which I saw earlier at Donington . There were also the HGPCA Historic Grand Prix cars and the Belcar Historic Cup. Plenty of variety, in other words. What makes historic racing events like this so enjoyable is the access you get as a visitor, even without a vest.
Just like at the Spa Classic, everyone could explore the garages and paddock to their heart's content, getting right up close to the cars and drivers. This way, you're right up close as the vintage Grand Prix cars warm up.
You'll also see the mechanics checking or even replacing engines and gearboxes for the six-hour race. You'll also see damage from practice being repaired, and you'll even be right there watching the pit stops. It's great work for me to capture this experience and all the variety on film.
The day started off a bit foggy, as is often the case in the Ardennes. But as the day progressed, it became beautifully sunny, reaching around 20 degrees Celsius in the sunshine – wonderful.
The Masters Endurance Legends saw a slightly larger field of cars than earlier this year at Donington. On Friday, Stuart Wiltshire won the race in the Peugeot 908, the same driver who also competed at Donington.
The V12 roar of the Lola Aston Martin in its original Gulf livery was also enjoyable, but unfortunately, it frequently pitted during Saturday's race due to problems. Ultimately, it was Antoine d'Ansembourg in the Dallara-Oreca who emerged victorious.
The Masters Historic Sportscar Legends once again brought a fantastic selection to the starting line. It's always fantastic to see such a large selection of Lolas, Chevrons, and McLarens tearing up the hills. After a few retirements and minor incidents, it was the #65 Lola T292 that emerged victorious.
Before the Six Hours race, there was a shorter race with the Masters Racing Legends F1 cars. It's always great to see, hear, and chase these 70s and 80s Formula 1 cars. Especially on a track like Spa Francorchamps. Saturday's victory went to Werner d'Ansembourg in the Brabham that Nelson Piquet (yes, Max Verstappen's father-in-law) once lapped in.
But then, at 3:50 PM, it was finally time for the Spa Six Hours. With over 100 cars at the start, including some 20 powerful Ford GT40s, this was, of course, the race that everyone was racing for. At the start, polesitter Nico Verdonck already had a considerable lead over the rest of the field heading into Les Combes.
The various classes were fiercely contested. In a field ranging from Mustangs to Fiat 500s, and from E-types to MGs, there was naturally plenty going on. It wasn't long before you saw damaged cars, clouds of smoke from cars leaking oil, and retirements. This occasionally resulted in a safety car, but thankfully, these were quickly resolved.
The evening brought a beautiful sunset. And as darkness fell, I was at La Source. It had already been a thrill for me as a photographer to get so close to the Endurance Legends. But in the evening, it became truly magical.
The cars zoomed past, their brake discs glowing, their headlights on, and the last traces of evening glow still in the air. This, of course, made for a beautiful image.
The race lead changed several times. But ultimately, it was the #14 Ford GT40 of Miles Griffiths, Gordon Shedden, and Touringcar and GT legend Andy Priaulx that emerged victorious. Andy had flown in especially overnight from the USA after testing for Multimatic there. But his speed hadn't suffered. All in all, a fantastic 30th anniversary edition of the Spa Six Hours. The album is below. If you're interested in my services as a photographer, or would like to have photos, please feel free to contact me.
