Quote:
Originally Posted by wolfhound
Did anybody see DC and Lewis driving round the old part of Spa on the BBC today. It must have been a very fast track in its original form no wonder it was so dangerous.
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It was not especially dangerous measured by the standards of the day, British drivers who grew up on airfield circuits were often quite taken aback by continental tracks where trees, ditches, brick walls and street furniture was the norm. Probably a daunting prospect knowing that 'chucking at the scenery' took on a whole different meaning at somewhere like Spa, Albi, etc.
Mike Hawthorn in his book 'Challenge Me The Race', tells of Ken Wharton in his Cooper Bristol spinning into a field at Spa, and having to duck into the cockpit as he passed through a barb wire fence to avoid losing his head. Imagine any of today's drivers faced with such a prospect.
The modern Spa is not even a shadow of it's 1950's self, and while one can understand why, it is easy to miss the sheer drama of the old circuit.