2026 Sportscar Thread (WEC, IMSA, NLS, GT World Challenge)
Discussion
40C? - That's way too much. The top of the Eau Rogue stand is a good place to hide from the sun with the wind, saves walking over to the woods or eking out a space under the trees near Les Combes.
That reminds me of one of the last 24hr EWC rounds: great weather on Saturday, great photos. Sunday? rain, rain, rain, rain and more rain. Tin-top pilots get an easy life ;-)
That reminds me of one of the last 24hr EWC rounds: great weather on Saturday, great photos. Sunday? rain, rain, rain, rain and more rain. Tin-top pilots get an easy life ;-)
boxedin said:
The Spa regeneration continues apace. The new control tower is up ( 1st time I recall seeing it ) and there's 4-5 new, again to my eyes, tribunes which are mostly covered in good viewing locations. Nice.
I was bemoaning the loss of the old control tower at the WEC, but now it’s done I actually quite like the new one, very art deco.Fair play to the circuit, they’re doing what they can with the heat, putting up extra marquees for shade and dishing out free water, the display on the new tower reckoned it hit 44c yesterday, which might be a bit of an exaggeration, it was more pleasant yesterday than Thursday or today with a bit of a breeze
FredericRobinson said:
I was bemoaning the loss of the old control tower at the WEC, but now it s done I actually quite like the new one, very art deco.
Fair play to the circuit, they re doing what they can with the heat, putting up extra marquees for shade and dishing out free water, the display on the new tower reckoned it hit 44c yesterday, which might be a bit of an exaggeration, it was more pleasant yesterday than Thursday or today with a bit of a breeze
It is a nicely styled tower; if Brands Hatch had the space and money!Fair play to the circuit, they re doing what they can with the heat, putting up extra marquees for shade and dishing out free water, the display on the new tower reckoned it hit 44c yesterday, which might be a bit of an exaggeration, it was more pleasant yesterday than Thursday or today with a bit of a breeze
The added bonus of the new tower means all photos of the old tower are more 'valuable'. My pics of the old advertising hoardings at Eau Rouge with people sat on cannot be repeated.
I'm thinking of watching GT races 30-60 minutes after the start, by then the 1st lap crashes will have been cleared up.
15 mins in and 3 cars out, so an improvement from Monza.
Enjoy the race, the water and the weather!
Am I the only one e who finds these safety car ‘procedures’ completely baffling?
A McLaren went off in the gravel at La Source, and that triggers a 30 minute period of full course yellow, safety car and ‘wave around a’ before racing restarted (including a very sketchy idea of backing the field up right at the top of Eau Rouge!).
Why on earth is this stuff not dealt with under local yellows anymore??
I suppose it’s one thing in a 24h where there is still plenty of racing to be done, but they do the same thing in British GT and most of the race is lost behind a safety car.
A McLaren went off in the gravel at La Source, and that triggers a 30 minute period of full course yellow, safety car and ‘wave around a’ before racing restarted (including a very sketchy idea of backing the field up right at the top of Eau Rouge!).
Why on earth is this stuff not dealt with under local yellows anymore??
I suppose it’s one thing in a 24h where there is still plenty of racing to be done, but they do the same thing in British GT and most of the race is lost behind a safety car.
bltamil1 said:
Am I the only one e who finds these safety car procedures completely baffling?
A McLaren went off in the gravel at La Source, and that triggers a 30 minute period of full course yellow, safety car and wave around a before racing restarted (including a very sketchy idea of backing the field up right at the top of Eau Rouge!).
Why on earth is this stuff not dealt with under local yellows anymore??
I suppose it s one thing in a 24h where there is still plenty of racing to be done, but they do the same thing in British GT and most of the race is lost behind a safety car.
The best way I’ve seen of dealing with this sort of thing is the “Slow Zones” seen at Le Mans and the ‘Ring. Drivers all run through the zone at the pit lane speed limit. It’s easy to enforce with the electronic marshalling system in use. A McLaren went off in the gravel at La Source, and that triggers a 30 minute period of full course yellow, safety car and wave around a before racing restarted (including a very sketchy idea of backing the field up right at the top of Eau Rouge!).
Why on earth is this stuff not dealt with under local yellows anymore??
I suppose it s one thing in a 24h where there is still plenty of racing to be done, but they do the same thing in British GT and most of the race is lost behind a safety car.
The safety car makes sense when there’s a serious crash or severe weather, but it comes across as overkill do half half an hour of rigmarole for one dead car in a gravel trap.
bltamil1 said:
Am I the only one e who finds these safety car procedures completely baffling?
A McLaren went off in the gravel at La Source, and that triggers a 30 minute period of full course yellow, safety car and wave around a before racing restarted (including a very sketchy idea of backing the field up right at the top of Eau Rouge!).
Why on earth is this stuff not dealt with under local yellows anymore??
I suppose it s one thing in a 24h where there is still plenty of racing to be done, but they do the same thing in British GT and most of the race is lost behind a safety car.
It’s the great frustrating of modern sportscar racing, and SRO events are particularly bad. The car was stopped right by a cut out in the barriers with a tow vehicle sat there, a minute under FCY and job done, instead, half an hour of nonsense A McLaren went off in the gravel at La Source, and that triggers a 30 minute period of full course yellow, safety car and wave around a before racing restarted (including a very sketchy idea of backing the field up right at the top of Eau Rouge!).
Why on earth is this stuff not dealt with under local yellows anymore??
I suppose it s one thing in a 24h where there is still plenty of racing to be done, but they do the same thing in British GT and most of the race is lost behind a safety car.
FredericRobinson said:
bltamil1 said:
Am I the only one e who finds these safety car procedures completely baffling?
A McLaren went off in the gravel at La Source, and that triggers a 30 minute period of full course yellow, safety car and wave around a before racing restarted (including a very sketchy idea of backing the field up right at the top of Eau Rouge!).
Why on earth is this stuff not dealt with under local yellows anymore??
I suppose it s one thing in a 24h where there is still plenty of racing to be done, but they do the same thing in British GT and most of the race is lost behind a safety car.
It s the great frustrating of modern sportscar racing, and SRO events are particularly bad. The car was stopped right by a cut out in the barriers with a tow vehicle sat there, a minute under FCY and job done, instead, half an hour of nonsense A McLaren went off in the gravel at La Source, and that triggers a 30 minute period of full course yellow, safety car and wave around a before racing restarted (including a very sketchy idea of backing the field up right at the top of Eau Rouge!).
Why on earth is this stuff not dealt with under local yellows anymore??
I suppose it s one thing in a 24h where there is still plenty of racing to be done, but they do the same thing in British GT and most of the race is lost behind a safety car.
It nearly caused a pile up at the top of Eau Rouge when the Safety Car slowed them up and the guys coming up Eau Rouge didn’t get the memo…
It’s slowly killing GT racing, especially shorter duration races.
boxedin said:
Glad I'm not attending this year. I've been there when it's pushing 30 and it's bit too much.
Ha, lightweight! We saw this on Friday:Although by midnight last night it was down to 25 degC on the tower, which felt sooooooo nice.
Then of course the obligatory thunder and lightning and strong winds in the night, so a few battered tents in Les Combes campsite this morning.
Mandatory sunset shot:
The beauty of this place is just astounding.
FredericRobinson said:
I wake up to find the McClarens have disappeared, what happened there?
The 58 ran in to the back of the #2 Porsche overnight, currently p46, 2 laps down.The 59 retired yesterday evening, was seen cornering with sparks coming from underneath, not clear exactly what the problem is.
What I can't quite put together is how the '51 was nearly 2 laps down and was leading until a few minutes ago, also the #80 that was (I think) a lap down at one point, now leading while both the 48 and 46 haven't had any problems and are (roughly) on the same stop schedule.
Crafty_ said:
The 58 ran in to the back of the #2 Porsche overnight, currently p46, 2 laps down.
The 59 retired yesterday evening, was seen cornering with sparks coming from underneath, not clear exactly what the problem is.
What I can't quite put together is how the '51 was nearly 2 laps down and was leading until a few minutes ago, also the #80 that was (I think) a lap down at one point, now leading while both the 48 and 46 haven't had any problems and are (roughly) on the same stop schedule.
TaThe 59 retired yesterday evening, was seen cornering with sparks coming from underneath, not clear exactly what the problem is.
What I can't quite put together is how the '51 was nearly 2 laps down and was leading until a few minutes ago, also the #80 that was (I think) a lap down at one point, now leading while both the 48 and 46 haven't had any problems and are (roughly) on the same stop schedule.
One sensible quick FCY for a stopped Ford, now the full half hour routine for a piece of bodywork
bergclimber34 said:
Its pretty much why I stopped watching GTWC, this race needs multiclass, 69 cars is far too many, the early stages are nearly always a joke, and Ratels safety car policy is poor, plus the BOP here is very good so passing is pretty limited
It's why I don't have the same level of enthusiasm for the Spa 24 as the N24, or Le Mans 24. You know there are countless Safety cars, FCY for seemingly innocuous reasons........similar to IMSA......And bunches up the field artificially.......HmmmEdited by ArnageWRC on Sunday 28th June 11:55
boxedin said:
Guven, on an in-lap <shakes head>
Deserves a penalty imho, Mosca (rightly) got a penalty for pushing the #2 off track, what Guven did was the same, just lower speed due to it being the hairpin.Between him and Mosca the #2 has been proper beaten up, they've had bad luck this year with that car, so good to see them survive.
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