RACE REPORT: RACES 11&12 (classic) : SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS - 18&19 October 2008 by Chris Butler

I started competing in the Club's Hillclimb Championship in 2003 and still do and this season decided to have a go in formula classic. This was my first circuit racing experience and with it came the chance to do something that all racers dream of - to race at Spa.

It was awesome! Not just Eau Rouge but the Kemal Straight that follows and then all the fast downhill section through Pouhon then flat out into Blanchimont, simply the best thing I have ever done in a car.

I had mixed fortunes in the two races. My qualifying was a total write off after I had to abandon my only clear flying lap after Didier hit the wall at Blanchimont. I was only a few seconds behind him on track at Stavelot when the red flags came out which meant I had to use the previous (say) 9/10 tenths warm up lap as my quali time.

Of course in Race 1 Nicky Paul-Barron didn’t make the start and whilst initially I felt bad for Nicky, I then immediately thought this maybe as good a chance as I may ever get of winning at Spa! Unfortunately my race ended with a big tyre blowout at the end of the Kemel straight at around 130mph on the first lap. I was devastated. I think I may have caught some debris on the exit of the first corner at La Source. Pirelli analysed the tyre and said it looked like it punctured from La Source, deflated through Eau Rouge and then simply went bang as I loaded the car under braking for Les Coombes. I was just a pretty petrified passenger but amazingly I didn’t hit anything and nor did anyone hit me - thanks chaps.

Two brand new rear tyres later and Race 2 was a different story. From row 3 I passed everyone off the grid apart from Nicky and followed him in 2nd place up through Eau Rouge and for the rest of that first lap. I settled into a quite conservative pattern, as after my disastrous race 1, I just wanted to ensure I finished the race and so I did not defend particularly aggressively when Richard Mosely in his Group 3 car sailed past me into the Bus Stop. As the race went on I started to push a bit more, set the 2nd fastest lap behind Nicky, and started to catch Richard back up but as the flag came out I was delighted to finish 3rd and on the podium.

We had the National Anthem and presentation and you can only imagine the size of my grin……..It was exactly what a boy from up north had always dreamed of!


Click here to return to the Ferrari formula classic page.