Mazda Rotary Club

Hi everyone. I'm part of the team on the RX8OC organising the following trip over to Belgium in October. We have a few spare places, so if anyone on here is interested in joing us on the epic trip, then please PM me, or post up in this thread.

SPA FRANCORCHAMPS (BELGIUM) TRIP: 15-18 October 2015 â€" BRIEFING (Draft 1)

OVERVIEW
This briefing is currently a first draft which will be honed over the coming weeks to contain all the information needed to undertake this awesome trip to an iconic venue, steeped in motorsport history and legend. Definiteley a trip that should feature on any petrolhead's bucket list  8) 

Spa Francorchamps is the circuit where Michael Scumacher won his first F1 race in 1992, driving the Benetton B192 in a very wet race. In 2003, Michael described this circuit as "by far and away my favourite track".

(http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/michaelschumacher_benetton-ford_spa-francorchamps_199211.jpg)

The actual trackday at Spa is on Friday 16 October, with an option to do an additional trackday at Mettet in France on the following day  (Saturday). Some people may, alternatively, wish to travel to Nurburgring on the Saturday. Both the Spa and Mettet Trackdays are being run by “Circuit Days”, a great bunch of people who are very experienced at running Continental (and UK) trackdays.

Note: European time is one hour ahead of UK time, all times quoted in this briefing are LOCAL times.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v145/StreetDragster/RX8_DO_NOT_DELETE/012.jpg)
(Spa, Eau Rouge, with acknowledgement  to StreetDragster)

GETTING THERE
It is currently expected that there will be two departure points from the UK to get to mainland Europe. (any other ports required by anyone?). Ensure you top up your tank in the UK before boarding the Shuttle/Ferry to minimise stops on the journey to the hotel.

Likely routes are;

1.   Eurotunnel (le shuttle) from Folkestone to Calais, Thursday 15 Oct, leaving Folkestone at 11.20am (check-in 30-90 minutes beforehand). The journey time is 35 minutes and cost ~£58 each way (but we are looking at a possible “Group” discounts, available if we have 15 cars or more). Note that Eurotunnel also accept Tesco Tokens, so if you have some spare Tesco Points you might want to pay with them.

2.   Overnight ferry from Hull to Rotterdam, departing Hull 20.30 on Wednesday 14 October, arriving Rotterdam 08:15 on Thursday 15 October. Check-in closes 90 minutes prior to departure. Price from ~£115 each way

We will aim to rendezvous and board the Shuttle/Ferry together and convoy from the destination ports to the Hotel near the Spa circuit.

SHUTTLERS: The distance from Calais to our Hotel is ~200 miles, around 4 hours with one scheduled stop along the way. Shuttlers should arrive at the hotel ~17.00.

FERRIERS: The distance from Rotterdam to our Hotel is ~150 miles, around 3 hours with one scheduled stop.  Ferriers should arrive at the hotel ~Midday

ACCOMMODATION
We have “block booked” a bunch of rooms at the Radisson Blu Balmoral Hotel, Spa. Room costs ~265 Euros for the Thursday and Friday nights, breakfast included. Final booking/payment arrangements TBC.

It is expected we will eat at the Balmoral on the Thursday and Friday nights.


SPA- FRANCORCHAMPS TRACKDAY: FRIDAY 16 OCT
We will convoy from the hotel car park to the circuit in time for registration and the safety briefing. It’s about 9 miles, 20 minutes.
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/73704714/Spa/spafrancorchamps_map_2007.jpg)

At about 4 miles in length, Spa-Francorchamps is one of the greatest circuits on the Formula One calendar, featuring the legendary Eau Rouge corner, and is a truly magical venue. It is considered to be one of the most challenging race tracks in the world, mainly due to its fast and hilly nature. Fact: the difference in height between the lowest and highest point of Eau Rouge is a whopping 35 metres! A full lap will take around 3 minutes or so.

Trackday Format: Open Pitlane (go out on track as and when you wish, subject to Marshal’s instructions).
Noise Level: 105dBA static test
Garages: we plan to have a few garages available for sharing amongst our group
Timetable for the day:
07:30 Registration starts
08:30 Drivers’ Briefing
09:00 Driving starts
12:00 Lunch (buffet available on site for fixed price pf ~17 Euros)
13:00 Driving resumes
18:00 Driving ends

This give you some impression of what the Spa looks like to drive in an RX-8;


SATURDAY (17 OCT) OPTIONS TO CONSIDER

OPTION 1: (Supported by the RX8OC Events Team) Mettet Trackday, about 75 miles, 1.5 hours from our Spa hotel (only £150 for the day, including extra drivers and passengers).

The Mettet circuit (officially the  “Jules Tacheny Circuit du Mettet”) is located off the E42 between Namur and Charleroi in Belgium. This 3.4 mile long circuit was opened in April 2010 offering a modern, ultra smooth track layout with a challenging downhill left-right corner known as ’Le Corkscrew’. This day will also be run by “Circuit Days” (the same guys who are running the Spa day).

Tackday Format: Open Pitlane (go out on track as and when you wish, subject to Marshal’s instructions).
Noise Level: 101dBA static test
Garages: TBC
Timetable for the day:
07:30 Registration starts
08:30 Drivers’ Briefing
09:00 Driving starts
13:00 Lunch (on site catering will be available in the paddock)
14:00 Driving resumes
18:00 Driving ends
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/73704714/Spa/Mettet%20Circuit.jpg)

This gives you an idea of what this really excellent track is like to drive;


NOTE: although this is an option for those on the full Spa experience, Mettet is very close to Calais, so there is an option for others to simply drive over to Belgium to drive on the Mettet track with us on the Saturday (or simply to come for some passenger rides and a day out in Belgium!). This could be an ideal alternative for people located in the South East, but operating on a smaller budget

OPTION 2: (A requested option â€" volunteer needed to plan and organise this option please)
Nurburgring, about 75 miles, 1.5hours from our Spa Hotel. This is a public/tourist day, not a closed event.

It is expected, if either OPTION 1 or 2 is taken, that people will stay at hotels near Mettet/’Ring on Saturday night and depart for the UK the following day (Sunday).

OPTION 3: Depart Balmoral Hotel on Saturday and return to UK.

GETTING BACK
Options;

1.   Eurotunnel from Calais to Folkestone, Saturday or Sunday, leaving Calais at ~Midday. The journey time is 35 minutes and cost £56. Check-in time 30-90 minutes prior.
2.   Overnight ferry from Rotterdam to Hull, departing Rotterdam 20.30 on Saturday or Sunday, arriving Hull 08:00 on the following morning. Check-in closes 90 minutes prior to departure. Price from ~£135

NOTE: Mettet to Calais ~150miles, 2.5hrs. Possible Hypermarket stop on the way  :-D

BOOKING YOUR TRACKDAY PLACE
Tickets to secure your Spa and Mettet trackday places are will be available shortly to purchase in the RX8OC shop; £280 for Spa (includes garage share) and £155 for Mettet.

NOTE: If you want to save a few pounds, avoiding the Paypal Fees involved by using the club shop, you can paypal DIRECT to as a GIFT to  shopkeeper@rx8ownersclub.co.uk and the costs will then be reduced to £270 Spa and £150 for Mettet. Please state your forum name on any payments so we can keep track.

Circuit-Days are holding a block of places at both venues for RX8OC drivers, BUT THEY CANNOT HOLD THEM INDEFINITELY.
PLEASE PURCHASE YOUR TRACKDAY PLACE(S) ASAP TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT.

LINK TO PURCHASE TICKETS FOR SPA (http://shop.rx8oc.co.uk/Spa_Trackday_2015_-_Friday_16th_October/p664353_14422598.aspx)

LINK TO PURCHASE TICKETS FOR METTET (http://shop.rx8oc.co.uk/Mettet_Trackday_2015_-_Saturday_17th_October/p664353_14422600.aspx)

THINGS TO DO/ORGANISE
Ensure your Passport is up to date!
We will publish a separate guide containing recommendations on what to organise and take with you when travelling on the continent.

LIKELY COSTS
(To be added later, but ~£1000 would be a good estimate to include Spa+Mettet; all costs, ex fuel to ports, which is variable).

The good news at the moment is the £/Euro exchange rate is the best it’s been for a long time, so the cost of this trip will be lower than it would have been last year. You might want to think about getting some Euro currency now, but then again, the rate COULD get better still  :D

Well, here is my report back on our and memorable trip  :) For anyone who thought about doing this trip, and didn't, kick yourself now, as this was a brilliant outing on so many levels; the tracks, the company, the food, the journey itself - just amazing.

The outbound Dover rendezvous didn’t start well when I received a call on the way from someone ahead of me to say the car park no longer existed, it was a construction site   :-[. Lesson learned, do not rely on the internet for up to date info on car parking   ::)  It actually didn’t cause an issue as the road by the construction site had enough space for us all to park up before making our way to the port. Check-in at the port was dead easy and our concern over entry ramps onto the ferry turned out to be unfounded. We had registered our cars as “low” and were directed to a special line to board and the ramps were no issue at all. Everybody made it on schedule to meet the ferry.
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/73704714/Spa/2015-10-15%2008.59.32_1024.jpg)
Ray up front in line for ferry.

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/73704714/Spa/2015-10-15%2009.47.59_1024.jpg)
All safely on board

A pleasant and calm crossing, with an opportunity to relax on the 2 hour voyage and get some food and drink. Getting off the ship was efficient, again with no ramp issues and we all managed to hook up to start our journey to Spa. The trip down was pretty uneventful, with a three brief stops for fuel and food. We main group arrived at the Balmoral at ~6.10pm, with Matt and his crew, plus Kelvin and Ross heading for their separate accommodations nearby.

Pete had organised a private room for us all to enjoy a delicious (well, I thought so anyway) buffet which the hotel laid out nearby.
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/73704714/Spa/2015-10-15%2019.51.47_1024.jpg)

We agreed to meet to leave the hotel at 7.30am, but Ian, Simon and I went ahead a little earlier to set up the refreshment tables. We had three garages, which were huge, accommodating 6-7 cars each, plus a loo per garage. The kettle had boiled by the time the main party arrived. Signing on was a bit chaotic, with a large queue, but once that and the safety briefing was done, it was out for the sighting laps. WOW, nothing I had watched prepared me for the entry onto the track, an incredibly steep downhill section then up into Eau Rouge. Truly, nothing you see on camera can prepare you for this vision with your own eyes. The sighting laps were a blur of corners which my brain couldn’t retain all at once, but I did register a magnificent, beautiful, flowing circuit.
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/73704714/Spa/2015-10-16%2008.59.32_1024.jpg)
Our garages
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/73704714/Spa/2015-10-16%2008.58.00_1024.jpg)
Eau Rouge
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/73704714/Spa/2015-10-16%2010.23.49-1_1024.jpg)
La Source
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/73704714/Spa/2015-10-16%2013.06.45_1024.jpg)
Hustling the Elises
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/73704714/Spa/2015-10-16%2013.13.35_1024.jpg)
Chasing Kelly!
It was slightly damp to start with, but as the day progressed, the track got better and better and I got to learn which corner came next and where to position the car. Eau Rouge presented the most daunting challenge all day. The downhill entry allowed for crazy entry speeds and immense courage was required to keep from lifting/braking mid-section up-hill. I’m not afraid to admit I only managed it a couple of times without a dab of brake, but it required using all the kerbs and more, with the car getting very light and “unplanted” part way up.


The RX-8’s would get left behind on the long straights by the more powerful Porsches and BMW’s, but the gaps closed on many of them in the more complex, twisty parts of the circuit. I only managed 121mph at the end of the long straight, but I know others did a lot better.
The lunchbreak provided an opportunity for the RX-8’s to gather on the S/F line for some photos, then refuel the cars at an onsite, automated filling station and grab some food.
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/73704714/Spa/2015-10-16%2012.05.26_1024.jpg)
Lunchtime on the grid

We then had an incredibly long afternoon session from 1pm to 6pm to enjoy the track as the grip got improved.
During the afternoon, Sam and Soph’s car spat out a load (5L) of coolant and had to recovered back to the paddock. We refilled the lost coolant (thanks to Rob), but the car seemed to still be slightly overheating, putting paid to Sam’s fun behind the wheel. I’m glad to say that Sam and Soph managed to continue with their touring plans and reported that the car seemed to be working fine again. There were some scrape to 2 cars in our group (none were RX-8's, oddly), but I'll let the owners decide if they want to post any pics or tell their stories.

So, back to our hotel in Spa, to find a whole heap of cars with trailers blocking most of the car parking spaces. We tucked our cars in as best as possible, not easy as it was well dark by now. Then a quick shower and another buffet meal in our familiar private room. Decision then taken to leave at around 8.30am, for a 10am arrival at the Mettet circuit. We bade farewell to those not joining us at Mettet â€" Matt and his crew, Sam and Soph, Ross and Ricky. By this stage, Phil and Rob had decided they’d like to change their plans and join us at Mettet, returning on Sunday instead of Saturday.

Saturday - the hotel allowed us to use our private room for breakfast before we set off for Mettet. A slightly disorganised start, due to low fuel levels in some cars, but we all made it to Mettet to sign on and receive our briefing. We spotted whole load of temporary “tented garages” and asked if we could use them to store our gear, only to be told yes, fine, but 50 euros per “garage”. We shared the cost between us (3 euros each) and dumped our gear. Then it was out onto track, without having had any sighting practice! Luckily, the day was very quiet and the track was very easy to learn, plus it suited the RX-8 well, being a very tight and technical circuit in the main. Quite a contrast to Spa, this track felt like a very large go-kart circuit and huge fun to drive. There was also a very pleasant café on the top floor of a building alongside the circuit, for where the whole track could be observed whilst enjoying a coffee. Kelly had joined us for the morning to get in some passenger rides before she left for her Saturday ferry. During the day, Ian.M suffered a minor brake problem â€" massive cracks had appeared on both front disks! One was so bad that, having taken off the disk and placed the “(hot) disk on the cool/damp tarmac, there was a “ping” and the crack permeated completely across the radius of the disk! Thankfully, Ian had some spare disks and it was a straightforward task to replace them with multiple crews in action. Ian then continued to enjoy his time on track.
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/73704714/Spa/2015-10-17%2010.18.02_1024.jpg)
The main straight

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/73704714/Spa/2015-10-17%2010.28.29_1024.jpg)
Corner at end of main straight

Again, we had a long day, with the track closing at 6pm, before our 40 minute drive to our next hotel at La Louviere. We got there at about 7.15 to check in, to find that the some of the rooms we required to be twins, were, in fact, doubles. I just wish I had a camera to take a picture of Matt when he realised he was down to share a double bed with Nigel  :lol:  However, things were sorted out as best we could and we (18 people by this stage) arrived a little late for our meal at restaurant “La Planche” adjacent to our hotel. We were welcomed and shown to a private area upstairs where 3 tables of 6 had been set up for us. I have to say the food was magnificent, as was the wine, and got louder and louder as the evening wore on. Then back to the hotel, where we decided to camp out in the very cosy little bar. I think I decided to call it a night around midnight, but I believe others were there until 3am, I’m sure they’ll give their stories later….

Sunday â€" a day for people to do as they pleased along the way back to Dunkirk, only about 100 miles away. But before we set off it was time to change the complete set of brake pads all round on Martin’s car, as his fronts were down to the metal backing. With a pair of jacks and many willing hands available, it didn’t take long.
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/73704714/Spa/2015-10-18%2010.16.24_1024.jpg)
There's still some meat left on one of them Martin!

(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/73704714/Spa/2015-10-18%2010.16.48_1024.jpg)
Pit crew (in)action  :wink:  to change Martin's pads

I’ll let others say what they got up to on Sunday, but I had decided I wanted to track down a WW1 cemetery in which one of my mother’s uncles was buried, killed in May 1916 in Flanders, not far from our route back. By WW1 standards, it was a small cemetery, with 600 graves, one of many such cemeteries scattered all over the region.
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/73704714/Spa/2015-10-18%2012.58.42_1024.jpg)
Rue du  Bacquerot No.1

My research on Goole Earth paid off and I found the cemetery as expected, tucked behind a very muddy farmyard. It was very moving to touch the headstone of a relative who gave his life for us, and tragically leaving a wife and 5 young children behind. The cemetery was a beautifully calm, tidy and peaceful place, surrounded on three side by crop fields. The weather was dry and there were a few bits of blue sky visible on the mostly grey sky. Having paid my respects I checked on the internet to discover a WW1 museum in the nearby village of Fromelles, which only opened in 2014. Seeing as I had about 2 hours still to spare before I needed to leave for my ferry, I set off to visit. It turned out to be an incredibly interesting place, with excavations of a mass grave of mostly Australian servicemen still ongoing. There was a fascinating multimedia exhibition of the main battle in the area in 1916 and cemented my idea to re-visit France again to explore the battlefields and find a few other relatives from WW1 who died at the battle of the Somme.
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/73704714/Spa/2015-10-18%2015.15.05_1024.jpg)
Fromelles Museum

The drive back to the port was enjoyable on quiet French motorways, the quality of which put our UK motorways to shame. I arrived at Dunkirk at about 4.30pm, in plenty of time for the ferry at 6pm, to find the other RX-8 group arrive just a few minutes later. Don't ask how I ended up behind them all in the queue  :)
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/73704714/Spa/2015-10-18%2017.05.10_1024.jpg)
The 6pm ferry group

The ferry left on schedule, with us all parked up right at the front of the ship. Time for a drink and a curry in the ship’s café, sat at the front of the ship with a great view as we navigated out of the port and as the sun started to set.

Another very calm crossing and we were off the ship by about 7.20pm and off on our journeys home. I rolled up at about 9.30pm, still with some fuel left in the tank, the last fill-up being on the other side of Mons in Belgium.

I have to say that, at 11 years old, 75k miles and 50+ hard trackdays, I expected some issue to arise with my car but, apart from using around 2 litres of oil on track (as expected), my car performed flawlessly throughout the whole trip. Some minor overheating issues that I had been suffering at recent trackdays failed to materialise, with peak temps of only 105 over both days.

My sincere thanks to Aston at Essex Rotary for doing a full service on my car the week before, plus fixing an issue by loaning me his own BHR ignition kit AND discovering a faulty spark plug (with only 8k miles of use).

So, Just over 1000 miles total, about 300 litres of fuel and 3 litres of oil in all.

OK, there is no doubt that this trip was expensive, but it has created countless memories that I shall treasure, so priceless in my eyes.

Brilliant write up Malcolm, really captures the event and thanks for sharing your personal tribute to the fallen of WW1.

I am one of those who is kicking themselves for not joining this epic trip, however I think my fuel bill alone would have been in excess of the full cost of the trip  :D

Chris

Good to meet you briefly. Looks like you've just caught my FD chasing you up Eau Rouge. Was a great day. We headed to the Ring for the Sunday session. Were blessed with good weather and they combined the GP circuit with the Nordshleife for the same lap price.

@C J R - you have to get to Spa someday, you would just love driving on that track, where you can fully exploit your engine's power. It would be interesting to see what sort of speed your FD could achieve at the end of the Kemmel straight (Ray got to 131mph in his bridgeported RX-8!)

@4packet, great to see you at Spa. Your car seemed to be going well, despite the implant  ;) Do you know what max speed you achieved at Spa, out of interest?

Good report. Thanks :)

Just so people who didn't go can see a bit more detail on what we did, here is the briefing document that was prepared for the trip, which we pretty much followed  :) - for anyone who didn't see it on the RX8OC forum.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/73704714/Spa/Briefing%20Issue%201.pdf

Superbly put together Malcolm and a real credit to you. :bravo_2:

Tony is looking for a road trip next year as Rotarystock in Holland will not be until 2017.

Perhaps you should start a thread to see if there is any interest?.

Quote from: Casey on October 23, 2015, 11:27:29 PM
@C J R - you have to get to Spa someday, you would just love driving on that track, where you can fully exploit your engine's power. It would be interesting to see what sort of speed your FD could achieve at the end of the Kemmel straight (Ray got to 131mph in his bridgeported RX-8!)

@4packet, great to see you at Spa. Your car seemed to be going well, despite the implant  ;) Do you know what max speed you achieved at Spa, out of interest?

Not had a chance to watch all the footage back, but I glanced down at it around 155mph (speedo is fairly accurate). Most of the time I just leave it in 5th through eau rouge, so miss out on a bit of speed. I'll pop some vids up when I get a chance.

Video - yes please  :)

Here's a single lap video from my RX-8; not my best lap as my camera power played up mid-afternoon, when the track had dried out and there was less traffic.

Select 1080p when running to get best quality...

Finally got round to sorting this. Just a single lap following a GT3 that nearly used my rear bumper as brakes coming into the bus stop, then failed to keep up with the 458 I'd been chasing. I've put a couple of vids up from the Ring on the Sunday.

Clearly I'm incapable of linking to youtube, again....

https://youtu.be/rt8V4nDKCYE

Nice bit of giant killing!

Thanks for posting that up - nice driving, but I still can't get used to seeing an FD cockpit and hearing that engine soundtrack  :) The package seems to work well though!

Wow, what a plonker in the Porsche - didn't seem to know how to drive it and that late decision to exit the track was amazing!!