Spa 24 hour newbie - Any advice welcome

[tomrunner]

Hi All,

Looking at doing Spa 24 hour in 2023 with a group of friends for the first time and keen to find out the best way to go about booking.

Have been to Le mans a few times so well versed in booking this type of trip however I am not sure of the things that might be unique to Spa, like:

- Recommended ferry crossings
- Best camping sites/ is it better to get a hotel package?
- Best agencies to book tickets?
- When general passes and camping plots go on sale?
- Are general passes like Le Mans where you buy one pass for the week or is it individual day tickets like an F1 race?
- Any other key bits of info that a newbie may over look on their first visit.

FYI We will likely be driving over in two cars

Looked for key facebook fan pages but can't find much. Le Mans has loads (like beer mountain) but not much for Spa 24.

Any advice welcome.

Cheers

[Krikkit]

Not sure where you are, but if you're up North you might want to have a look at the Hull-> Rotterdam ferry, makes for a good overnight journey, few beers etc, and once you've added in fuel costs often not that much difference to driving down to Dover.

[LukeBrown66]

Beers on a ferry are you mad!!

[Jordie Barretts sock]

Don't think there are any agencies as such. I know Just Tickets don't get involved. They said there just isn't the demand.

Book direct via Spa Francorchamps site. I've not been, but have seen threads on here and elsewhere saying it's much 'quieter' than Le Mans. No radio LM for instance unless you can pick it up on line. No 'village'. Fewer campsites with fewer people.

I'll be following this with interest since LM24 seems to be about to become and absolute clusterfluk.

[snotrag]

Jordie Barretts sock said:

I'll be following this with interest since LM24 seems to be about to become and absolute clusterfluk.

Ditto. We wanted to go back to Le Mans first time in a few years. Its been absolutely farcical for the past month or so, to the point where I've given up.

[FredericRobinson]

The way I do it-
Book nothing in advance other than the Tunnel.
Turn up Wednesday or Thursday, camp in a field behind Les Combes, there’s at least 3 options, I use www.promocombes.be , no booking through the website but it shows where it is. A man with a satchel appears at some point and I give him £45 euros, this seems to be per vehicle, take as much space as you want. There’s portaloos there, and a mobile shower truck on the next door site.
I buy a 4 day non paddock access ticket on the gate, think it was 55 euros this year, you can pay more for paddock access if you want, can’t say I see the point, seen one truck and hospitality unit, seen them all, anyway access I’d only restricted on the Saturday and Sunday.
Grandstands are all free access.
The race isn’t as good as Le Mans, the track and viewing is miles better.

[hunter 66]

Great think is with good bike you can get anywhere for viewing , and some top garages have spectator areas in their garage ( not the old pits ) .
Great weekend just the cars are so close in performance unlike LM where there are LMP cars .

[PatreseBT52B]

Hi,

I went to Spa this year staying in a hotel in Liege. Observations from my first visit:

1. If day tripping from a hotel, parking is a nightmare on the Saturday if you want to park around Eau Rouge or La Source. Get there early and don't expect to park in an official car park. Better still, go to Les Combes and you'll park in minutes not hours.
2. I bought tickets in advance through official website. If you do this, don't wander up to the gate and expect to be let in - I had to walk back to a hut at the La Source entrance and swap my ticket for a wrist band.
3. I enjoyed the Paddock - some big reveals on the Friday and you are allowed into the massive Restaurant at the end of the F1 Pits - You have to buy a wristband on the Saturday - minimum charge only 5 Euros. Good Buffet although you don't want to eat it every day. Good way to meet the drivers as well.
4. Grandstands before the race get busy very quickly. I had to get into the one on the Endurance Pits straight 2 hours before the race to secure a space. Should be more seats there next year.
5. There is a mixed (rotated) language commentary that you can pick up on a UK radio. English is the poor relation behind French and Dutch though.

Regards

Edited by PatreseBT52B on Wednesday 7th December 13:49

[taransahota]

Also a spa 24 newbie here!
I was planning to get the euro tunnel instead of the ferry
From looking at when tickets went on sale last year looks to be end of feb
Defo want to camp and looks like there’s a few good options round that you can book now. campinglesecuriesf1.com looks like the go to one for F1 fans, or might risk it and turn up to the ones that you can’t book in advance.

[kalexan273]

Been three times now, first time we pre-booked tickets and ending up in a big queue to get in, every other time we just bought tickets on the day, It's never a sell out... you can get a one day ticket for each day, or a full weekend one. Parking is separate, if you are planning to drive to the circuit every day it's worth maybe looking into sorting out a pass beforehand, as the on the day parking is a bit away from the circuit. We managed to rent a chalet in Francorchamps and just walked to the circuit each day.

If you are going, try and make sure you get there a few days early to catch the parade from the circuit into Spa town, a great spectacle to watch.

One other thing, I live in the NW of England, first two times we all went on the Shuttle, the drive down to the South of England was just a massive pain, third time we took the night ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam, was miles better and it's about a 4hr drive from the ferry to the circuit depending on the route you pick. It's also about 1hr 30 from Spa to the Nurburgring, which makes a great alternate day trip if you have a free day too.

Edited by kalexan273 on Saturday 4th February 14:23

[kalexan273]

Tickets now on sale @ Ticketmaster

https://www.crowdstrike24hoursofspa.com/news/2467/...

https://www.ticketmaster.be/artist/total-24-hours-...

Two-Day Practice Pass (valid Thursday & Friday): 37€– Allows full spectator access around the circuit during Thursday and Friday, which feature support race action and the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa qualifying and Super Pole sessions.

General Entrance (valid Thursday-Sunday): 47€– Full spectator access around the circuit and to grandstands for all track activity during 4 days. Also provides access to the Fan Village and the Saturday night music concert.

General Entrance + Paddock (valid Thursday-Sunday): 79€– Full spectator access around the circuit and to grandstands for all track activity. Also provides access to the Fan Village, car exhibitions, and the music concert, as well as the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa paddock where all teams are based.

Sunday Only: 37€ – Full spectator access around the circuit and to grandstands, plus paddock access, for Sunday only.

Parking: Please note that parking is not included in ticket prices. For more information, see the ‘Parking’ section.

[FredericRobinson]

The cheaper general entry ticket has always allowed paddock access on the Thursday and Friday in the past, presumably will this year too

Edited by FredericRobinson on Tuesday 7th February 07:26