Until the mid-'70s, the 1000 km of Spa-Francorchamps was raced on a terrifying 14 km. The fastest lap of this circuit that only the bravest will appreciate will be forever held by Henri Pescarolo.

During the 1973 race marked by the fantastic Ferrari-Matra dual (and won by Gulf Mirage), Henri Pescarolo set a record lap in 3'13 "4. Since then, his average speed of 262 km/h has never again been achieved on any road course in the world. The four-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, who became boss of his own team, remembers:

Henri Pescarolo: "Given the length of the circuit, you can only do a few laps in testing. We did not have much time to understand the behaviour of the car and make the appropriate changes. I always loved the fast corners ... and Matra 670B too. In the Burnenville curve, we passed 300 km/h on a rough surface, we were kings ...but the chassis was incredible. After the rise of Les Combes, we arrived at the terrible sequence of turns Burnenville, Masta, Stavelot. You might think that with the long straights, you could rest a little between two bends. Wrong; we did not have time to catch our breath. At 300 km/h, we knew that the slightest mistake turned to disaster. "

Next Saturday, the competitors of the 1000 km of Spa-Francorchamps circuit will travel 7 km. Used since 1979, this route has retained some lovely set pieces like the famous Raidillon Eau Rouge and Blanchimont.
Julien Hergault - Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps

Photo: Francorchamps (Belgium), 1000 KM OF SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, May 9, 2010. Stavelot, Francorchamps, Malmedy ... These names are resounding for racing enthusiasts!