watch: Niccolo Canepa smashes Eau Rouge on his YART R1 race bike
Eau Rouge is one of the most spectacular corners on the planet, but rarely do we get this kind of view of it
THE chances are that you’ve seen countless competitors taking on one of the most famous corners in the sphere of motorsport. Be it two wheels or four, Eau Rouge is spectacular to behold, whether you’re watching on the TV or from the side of the track.
You may have also seen some on-board videos of competitors taking on the famous bend, with many F1 and sportscars on-boards painting a frightening picture of the near flat-out blast through the Eiffel Mountains.
WATCH: Niccolò Canepa smashes Eau Rouge on his YART R1 race bike
Never though have we seen this view though, which comes from EWC racer Niccolò Canepa, who managed to mount his Garmin VIRB action camera on his chin for a unique rider’s-eye-view of the spectacular, and sometimes deadly corner.
The result is beautiful, poetic, and just a little bit scary, but don’t think that Eau Rouge is the only reason for watching this video. The nine-minute clip also gives us a look at the re-profiled corner (shown below) just before the fast left-hander of Pouhon.
It’s referred to as Speakers Corner by Spa officials and was re-shaped specifically so that high-level motorcycle events like the EWC could take place at the historic venue. The corner that opens the clip was also tweaked to allow bikes to compete at the top level around the track, with both Eau Rouge and Radillion benefiting from revised barriers, while larger, safer run-off areas were installed elsewhere during the €80m government-funded works.
So, grab a cuppa, sit back, and enjoy, a lap of Spa Francorchamps, like you’ll (probably) never have seen before.
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
