THE Spa Francorchamps circuit in Belgium is almost unrecognisable, as improvement works are underway that could see top-flight motorcycle racing like MotoGP and WorldSBK return.
The iconic venue in the heart of the Ardennes Forest first started life as a motorcycle and car racing venue in the 1920s and has been steadily evolved ever since. That rate of evolution though hasn’t kept pace with the new breed of race circuits, with many of the track’s Armco barriers and run-off areas not passing muster for certain racing events. Most notable of those series are the EWC, MotoGP, and WorldSBK, with all three requiring extensive groundworks and modifications to the layout and safety infrastructure.
Kick-starting the tracks renovations though was the announcement in early 2019 that the venue would be making a return to the calendar of the FIM EWC Endurance World Championship in 2022. That announcement started a chain reaction of events, that would see the sprawling complex completely overhauled in record time.
It’s a story you can follow in a video released by the EWC. And it not only outlines the updates to the track that benefit all formulas but there are also a host of motorcycle-specific features to the revised layout too. The biggest change specific to two-wheeled competition comes in the form of a newly designed section at so-called Speaker Corner, the fast downhill left just after the Bruxelles hairpin. The new layout will see the bikes apex earlier than before, squaring the turn off, and putting the riders further from an immovable rock wall that sits outside the Armco.
Spa Francorchamps circuit updates
The €25m investment in the venue will get its first taste of action in June this year, as the EWC holds the 24hrs Spa Motos from 2nd to 5th June.
For more information, head to: www.24hspamotos.com
