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Tell us about your experiences of visiting Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.
You may wish to include:
- When you visited the track
- Where you watched from
- How easy it was to get to
- How much of the track you could see
- What support races there were
- What you liked and didn’t like
- How much it cost and whether it was good value
Please use the reply box below to leave your comments.
Are you going to the 2011 Grand Prix? Chat with other F1 fans who are going to the race here: 2011 Belgian Grand Prix discussion
Rob Sinfield
6th September 2006, 7:58
Spa 2005 – Wet and wonderful!
For the first time in a good few years, I was finally tempted to abandon the comfort of watching the Grand Prix in the pub for a trip to that thing called Europe, for a race visit. Actually, it was the current wife who decided to do this. Thinking, that as I had reached the milestone of the 40th birthday, and that my biological clock was now beginning to wind down, it was thought appropriate that should go back again to the heaven and hell that is Spa before I die. I hadn’t been to the Belgian Grand Prix since 1994 so maybe it was time for a return visit.
She, who must be obeyed, also decided that if we were going to go to a Grand Prix, (in a country who’s average daily rainfall would put a rainforest to shame), that it should be done with a more than a hint of luxury. All I had to do was arrange the ferry crossing and she would take care of the rest. Booking the ferry, was really a mistake to leave to me. I always confuse the word ‘luxury’ with the word ‘economy’ so my choice of Norfolk Lines (‘the truckers ferry’) did not go down very well. She could not complain about the price (£44 return) but stepping out of the Porsche in all her finery, onto something that resembled a cargo ship with lots of randy Dutch truck drivers was not what she had hoped for.
After a few hours of relative silence on the drive from Dunkirk to Belgium, we reached our hotel, the Hostellerie Lafarque, a haven of all that is exquisite (and expensive). This absolutely beautiful hotel is only seven miles from Spa, it could happily look after the Ecclestone’s of this world, it even has its own helicopter pad, but the fact that Belgiums premier (for that, read ‘one and only’), sporting event was happening on its doorstep appeared to have escaped them. The place is almost empty. As we check into our room, it is a case of, do we explore the vast expanse of living space allocated to us or do we hit the bar. No prizes for guessing which option we chose.
On Saturday, while my wife went into Liege for a bit of personal time with her credit card, I went to the circuit for qualifying. I stopped on the way to indulge in that most pleasant aspects of Belgian life – Frites and Mayonnaise, at a roadside café. It should be written in law that anybody visiting Belgium does this but for me it is essential. Last nights dinner at our hotel was mouth-wateringingly georgous but the portions were not enough to feed a supermodel and the meal took forever to arrive – I’ve seen quicker glaciers than our two waiters, so my 1 euro chip stop was a welcome one.
Arriving at the Francorchamps circuit immediately reminds me why I love this stupid sport. I’m a bit late, and as I walk through the woods to my grandstand, the warm up has already started. First, I hear the totally, way over the top noise, of an F1 car obliterate the leafy silence and then I catch a quick glimpse of a Toyota as it exits La Source and rockets at a truly mental speed down the hill towards Eau Rouge. Hairs standing up on the back of the neck don’t come into it. I’ve been to Monaco, Silverstone, Barcelona and others, but nothing, just nothing beats watching an F1 car is the morning mist at Spa.
Watching the ‘one by one’ qualifying format on TV is dull enough, but at the circuit it is obviously a bit better, but the race is what we are here for and when we arrive on Sunday the atmosphere is electric. It is also absolutely throwing it down with rain. The wife is not at all impressed. Thankfully, we have a pre-booked lunch at a fantastic restaurant near the circuit gates called ‘Le Roannay’. The meal is by no means cheap at about £100 per head but it is truly superb. Our host, Michel, is well into the spirit of the day and despite the frightening cost, the meal beats a Silverstone hamburger any day. This is our alternative of doing the ‘Paddock Club’ and it works a treat. We did consider selling both of our children for medical research to fund a couple of ‘PC’ passes but lunch at Le Roannay and a couple of Gold 3 grandstand tickets at a third of the cost was the preferred option – and we got to keep the kids.
The race – well you know what happened, Kimi won, somebody else came second, Montoya crashed again – whatever, the result was almost secondary to the whole experience. It may have been wet, cold, expensive and full of drunk Germans but if you do nothing else before you shuffle off this mortal coil then you must visit Spa – and just don’t forget to try the frites and mayonnaise..
Rob Sinfield also writes for http://www.GrandPrixDiary.com and http://www.itv-f1.com
Obster
14th September 2007, 18:39
The return of the “modified” Spa-Francorchamps to the F1 calendar in the mid-1980’s meant I could finally visit the track that had captured my imagination years earlier in the film Grand Prix. I decided to make it my very first race off the North American continent. I was not disappointed. My flight over cost only $99 US on People Express-they were like Sir Freddy Laker’s airline-and a general admission ticket worked out to about $27 US-and looked just like a bus ticket!
By the time I made it to the track Friday from Brussels, Lauda had already injured himself in a crash and was out for the weekend. This left only Prost to represent McLaren. But the man to watch this weekend would be Senna in the black and Gold Lotus-especially if the weather was tricky.
There seemed to be plenty of time on Saturday to watch the cars from different corners, compare driving styles, and just take in the breathtaking and historic views from around the track. Naturally the La Source hairpin is the first view you get of the track on arrival. But there is also the dramatic vista from the top of the hill at Rivage, looking down the mountain to the pits complex at the bottom-one of the best scenes in all of racing, in my view.(You are actually looking down on the helicopters ferrying the drivers to and from the track!)
Great to watch the turbos, especially Piquet in the BMW, come down the hill to Pouhon and blast thru the turn, right in front of you. Also unforgettable is standing at the base of the Eau Rouge/Radillon complex-which looks like a towering tidal wave of asphalt looming up over you.
During the break in one of the days, I took my hire car around the old original track-which at that time still featured tiny white guardrails and imposing telephone towers right at the edge of the fairly narrow roadway. You could get a true sense of how imposing Spa was-Stavelot-the town and famous turn-seems very far away from Start/Finish. All of this is outstanding motor racing history and not to be missed.
To my delight, it was pouring rain race morning. Had a tasty coffee, bought an umbrella, and headed for the top of the hill to Rivage, where there was a small bar with a big, lively crowd. Watched DeAngelis slide straight off the wet turn during warm up. Naturally the star of the show turned out to be Senna, who managed the wet/dry conditions in an exceptional manner to win. A Lotus winning at Spa was fine by me.
At that time, the atmosphere was great, the crowd friendly, and the scenery beyond compare. You can keep your Tilke tracks-this one is an original.
val Whitelock
22nd September 2007, 12:38
Giggling as i read Robs account of Spa above. We on the other hand did it on a budget. Booked the tickets & ferry in January, 3 day race tkts 105 euro’s, return ferry £100 for 6 of us -bargain. Left Dover at 7am and arrived at Spa (via beer & cig shops) just in time for 2nd practice on Friday. Sat in the same spot all weekend, on straight at top of Eau Rouge, blindin view of 2/3 of track, and smack bang in middle of giant tv screen. Had to get up at 6am Sunday morning to get our spot but was well worth it. You know the result, not as we’d hoped but the atmosphere is electic and the track itself awesome. Support races were Mini challenge, Porche’s and GP2.
Couple of tips – camping at track was 80 euros for 2 nights, no water & no loos!! And extraordinarily noisy (germans partying all night long). Don’t book a ferry home any earlier than 11pm, motorway grid locked for 2 hours on return journey.
Came home happy & tired and managed to do the full weekend, each for the price of a Silverstone ticket!!!
Dank
18th March 2008, 10:07
After years of watching F1 on the telly I finally made the effort to actually go see my favourite past-time in ‘the flesh’ in 2007 – and what better place to do it than at Spa-Francorchamps! I went for a package deal via Motor Racing International which included coach, ferry crossing and one nights stay in the Dutch town of Heerleen which was right next to the border of Belgium/Germany/Holland. Including the price for a bronze ticket (£125) the total amount was about £400 which I thought was quite reasonable. Getting there and back was a breeze. I was there for both qualifying and race and each time sat at Pouhon turn which gives you a brilliant view on proceedings and lots of track time when the cars go past. It is quite a steep embankment so I would recommend investing in a mat or similar to get yourself comfortable. I would also advise getting there as early as possible as by 8am the place was packed. Thankfully the weather held out for all of the weekend so I didn’t get to see the ‘micro-climate’ I was pre-warned about! Unfortunately the race was a bit of a procession but that didn’t detract from what was an excellent weekend and one that I would thoroughly recommend people to visit. It’s worth the asking price just to watch the cars go from La Source up the gigantic Eau Rogue corner.
Belugas
9th September 2008, 10:55
Having booked our tickets some 11 months in advance with http://www.spafrancorchamps.be, it was well and truly worth the wait. What an exciting Grand Prix! Commisserations to Kimi indeed…
Tips for future punters going to Spa:
– Ticketing: Book in advance as there are good savings available (pre 31 October, 20%). We purchased tickets in the Gold 1 area and were very pleased with the view – ie. directly opposite Ferrari’s garage and the winners’ presentation area.
– Seating: if you purchased tickets in the Gold 1 area, note that in some cases, you may not be seated next to each other as we found out when we arrived. In particular, Section E has their seats numbered, for example, E176 – E195, next row E196 – E215 and so on. However, seat E215 is behind seat E195 (and not seat E196 as one might reasonably expect). I’m not sure what can be done given the area was sold out, however, spafrancorchamps.be (through whome we bought our tickets) have been relatively good with emails. We have lodged a complaint.
– Accommodation: we stayed in Liege and it was a good 35min drive to the circuit. This suited us fine – Liege is a reasonably sized town with good restaurants.
– Driving to Spa: On qualifying and race day, you would be well advised to ARRIVE at the turnoff from the motorway to the circuit by 7.30-8am at the latest if you want to park in your preferred carpark. The Belgian police make no concessions – you go where you are directed. End of story. In some cases, you may have to walk a long way to get to your seats so if possible, get there in good time.
– Parking: getting to the various carparks were relatively simple. However, exiting the carpark on race day was absolutely atrocious. It took us 1hr 45mins to make our way from the carpark to the motorway. This drive took no more than 10mins on the Friday (slightly longer on qualifying day).
– F1 village: a great buzz there and fairly close to the circuit (although on the opposite side to the Grandstands).
– Toilets cost 60cents this year – but facilities were very clean and well maintained. Well done to those working at the facilities!
– Information on the circuit was quite difficult to find pre-race. However, the following website was useful: http://www.spa-francorchamps.be. You can also pre-book parking on this website (we did not).
– Food: only very basic food options available – sausages, burgers, frites, waffles, drinks. Frites cost €5…as were sausages and burgers.
All in all, a great experience and we hope this helps future F1 fans heading out to Spa! The live experience is priceless…
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
11th September 2008, 14:42
I went to Spa to watch the Belgian Grand Prix in 2000 and stayed at a nearby camp site.
The circuit is magnificent. My advice is to get a three-day ticket and spend Friday slowly walking around the track, watching the action from a variety of locations. Eau Rouge is obviously great but there’s a particularly spectacular vantage point above turn nine (“the corner with no name”). Pouhon and Fagnes are also great places to watch. Stavelot (which is now called Curva Paul Frere) is a bit hard to get to. When I went you could get to the inside of Blanchimont, but I’m not sure if that’s possible now.
The weather is infamously inclement so take waterproofs with you (an umbrella won’t do if you want to stay dry all day).
The local frites are fabulous and there’s loads of decent restaurants nearby. If you’re there a day or two early make sure you drive around the roads where the race was held when they used the long circuit which you can see here:
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2008/01/05/f1-circuits-history-part-1-1950/
tony
16th April 2010, 22:59
hello.. could you tell me which campsite you stayed at and would you recommend it.. tony.
Andy Kelly
23rd October 2008, 1:06
Spa 2008 was my long awaited first Grand Prix & was definitely worth the wait!! Like many others we booked our weekend Bronze tickets through http://www.spa-francorchamps.be. giving us access to any Bronze section on the circuit for £150 so we had chance to sample several viewing areas before settling for our pre-planned option at the end of Blanchimont overlooking the Bus Stop Chicane, what a brilliant decision that turned out to be!!
We had a fantastic view for Qualifying on the Saturday & with no viewing obstructions at all had a fantastic day, made extra special when we lit our portable barbecue & had a selection of Bacon & Sausage sandwiches to compliment our Belgian Beer bought from the local Supermarket in Stavelot. We are all big Mclaren Mercedes fans (especially Lewis) & the extra Sausages we had left over went some way to establishing cordial relations with the large number of Ferrari & BMW fans sharing our hill.
Race day was equally exciting, the BBQ providing both breakfast & lunch this time but our view wasn’t as good as we got there quite late (08:00) to find the hill almost full, so we were relegated to further up in the trees. We still saw all the action at Bus Stop however, including THE incident of the race between Lewis & Kimi!!
As for the accommodation I towed my caravan from the UK via the Hull/ Zeebrugge ferry & stayed on a British organised campsite about 2 miles outside of Stavelot at Somagne . This was basically just a farm field but had a marquee (with bar & live band “Performance” who were brilliant) & portable toilet/ shower facilities. We paid around £90 each for 3 nights & this included coach transfer to & from the circuit on the Saturday & Sunday. I have to say that the organisers http://www.campingf1.com/index.html did a fantastic job with all facilities being excellent & we will definitely be using the same site again next year.
All in all we had a memorable weekend, the travelling was fun, the F1 experience unbeatable, the campsite enjoyable, all for a total cost of around £600 including spending money. We are upgrading to Gold 8 seats for next year which will cost twice the money but will definitely be worth every penny for the guaranteed view, CAN’T WAIT!!
Johnny
13th January 2009, 15:42
Hi,
Great info on Grand Prix – thanks, I intend to take my caravan over for this year on 26th – 31st August. Do you have any tips on campsites ?
Thanks
Andy Kelly
13th January 2009, 18:44
In response to Jonny’s question.
As already mentioned, we stayed at a temporary site outside Stavelot last year. It was really good & I would probably go there again if I can’t find better (the website for this company is in my previous comment). It is quite lively & there were admittedly a couple of small scuffles during the evening entertainment, one because some French guys arrived late & had missed dinner & another because some young Aussies upset an English guy but it I suppose it could be put down to all of that testosterone flying round!!
The site is a sloping farm field too so with the rain over the weekend (which is almost certain) it became a quagmire so if (like a lot of others) you don’t have a good quality 4X4 it will be a struggle to leave the site after the event.
I have to admit that another problem is that it is about 7 miles from the site to the circuit, there are coach transfers to & from but you have to get up really early (especially on Sunday) & no matter where you are there is a fair to long walk to the viewing areas. I wouldn’t reccomend driving as the traffic is quite busy.
I am looking to stay in Francorchamps this time & think I have found a site right in the town itself (http://www.francorchamps-camping.com/) but the website is not brilliant & mostly in German. I am going to try ringing them soon to see if I can get more details.
As for travelling, I live in Yorkshire so travelled via Hull which is very expensive (£150 per person)& is quite time consuming. This time we are going to go via Dover to Calais as it’s a lot cheaper, less time at sea & the actual distance travelled is quite similar.
Hope this helps & if you need any further info please ask. Maybe we could meet up during the weekend (we are a group of mid 40’s male’s by the way).
Andy
Tung Nguyen
26th August 2010, 11:29
Thanks for the tip and information. I will sit right at the end of Blanchimont where I can see the Chicane. And I will be there at 7am to get a good seat!!!
Go Lewis!!
August 2010
jayb
19th December 2008, 20:17
went in 2007 and got a seat in Gold 3 which is at the top of eau rouge. unfortunately the stands seating is too shallow and unless you are in the 1st 2 or three rows you tend to lose sight of the cars as the reach the bottoms of the hill and you can only catch a glimpse of the cars as they race up past the stand. so i would give this stand a miss and try gold 4 which had a much better view plus it is cheaper.
Lewis
9th February 2009, 16:31
JAYB,
I will go for the Gold 3 this year (2009), do you think the upper part of the tribune should be great too? No fence in sight, more wide view?
Best regards,
Lewis, from Portugal
Andy Kelly
22nd December 2008, 14:54
Interseting comments from jayb with regard to the poor views in Gold 3, has anyone been in Gold 8 as I’m a bit worried now?
Thomas
17th January 2009, 18:12
Hey,
I just would ask one question, is the “official” F1 Gp Camping (just next to the track) a good place to stay during the 3 days ? (I’m young so there’s no mistake about German fests and so on :) , but I mean in terms of infrastructures, localisation, track access, etc.)
Thanks very much ;)
Thomas
Andy Kelly
18th January 2009, 20:53
Hi Thomas,
can’t comment specifically on the circuit campsite as we weren’t on it but we could see it when we walked up through Blanchimont each day as it is on the other side of the track set up on a hill. It looked ok but from talking to other people at the circuit who were on there, it seems that it gets VERY noisy with all night parties etc. I was told that the toilet & shower facilities were not that good either but remember that this only second hand information so may not be completely true as people do exaggerate.
There is a campsite called Eu Rouge which is situated half way along the road between Stavelot & the circuit entrance which looked ok from the outside & is half a mile walk if that to the entrance. They have a website but I can’t access it tonight to provide a link.
Hope this helps.
Andy
Hugo Bourgeois
20th February 2009, 11:56
I visited the 2008 ING Belgian Grand Prix as a co-invitee (my father was the one invited) from the CEO of ING. I watched the buildup to the Grand Prix from the pitlane and the race from just above that. I had some really nice views.
The accessibility for the circuit is not too good, as it is located in the heart of the Ardens, but the spectacle is unbelievable. If you like rain, that is.
I cannot compare it to other races, as this is the only one I’ve ever been to (in 12 years of being a F1 fan).
Greets
Hugo
oddball
22nd February 2009, 21:05
As to those wondering which grandstand to go for – I have been to a double digit number of GPs at Spa and as I have now moved down under and no longer in the running for the tickets I don’t mind telling :-) The by far best seats available on the whole calendar (unless you’re loaded and able to go for the Paddock club) is Spa’s Gold 1. Not only do you see the exit of La Source (1st corner), the exit of the pitlane, the long downhill (where the biggest F1 crash happened right in front my face in ’98) towards and through possibly the best corner on any race track, Eau Rouge but you alse see them through Raidillon and a bit of Kemmel. I can’t think of many other places you can see a car for around 20 seconds per lap – and certainly no place with such entertainment! Oh, and the races at Spa are frequently not just wet, but very wet – and Gold 1 is covered and has two giant TV screens opposite if you need a break from the live action…
Most years I found it most convenient to camp on a nearby camp-site (the commute from further afield can be quite bad and give you a lot of stress with queuing, finding parking, long walks etc.) and the local sports club had half decent facilities (on the N62 just north of Francorchamps) with only 10-15 minutes walk to the La Source entrance. Wish I could join you…
Andy Kelly
23rd February 2009, 9:24
Can you remember the name of the campsite you used near Francorchamps? We stayeed at Stavelot last year & it was quite difficult travelling each day so we want to get closer this year.
Andy
Ed Tucker
8th June 2009, 15:54
Hi, Are you sure you mean Gold 1 as according to my information this is the Pits Grandstand which does not seen to be in accord with your description of the views. Gold 2 (GP2) looks more likely.
Ed101
11th May 2011, 18:18
Hi,
Interested to know more of your review.
You mention of Gold 1 however I speculate whether you actually mean Gold 2 unless the seating names have changed. Your description indicates the latter and if what you report is objective then it will certainly be a fantastic vantage point.
I hope to hear from you particularly as I am planning on Spa later this year.
Regards
Ed101
Oddball
23rd February 2009, 21:35
Andy, The campsite I mentioned (like om sure just about all the other ones used by race goers) is not a permanent campsite (I doubt there are much demand for that kind of services the rest of the year) and thus probably don’t have a name per se. However, this particualr one was run one operated by the local football club (they even used the club-house as a bar/cafe) and was only a few hundred meters north of Francorchamps “center” (the N62 /N622 intersection) along the N62. The place is (or at least used to be) very popular so in order to get a space you’e better plan on getting there Thursday evening. Good luck and enjoy!
Andy Kelly
1st March 2009, 15:55
Thanks Oddball,
we arrive Wednesday evening so should be ok for finding somewhere but I really wanted to get something booked in advance, must be getting cautious in my old age!! Think I will try the Elephant (which has a website) & if it’s rubbish I will look for the footie club. Is Frnacorchamps lively during the weekend, we only went in to Stavelot on the Sunday night & it was dead? Mind you, the news that Lewis had been penalised for the Kimi incident had only just got to us so that put a bit of a downer on things & contributed to the atmosphere.
Andy
Elly Parker
27th February 2009, 13:26
We did a 3-week driving tour around Europe for our honeymoon in 2007, taking in a BMW ring-taxi at the Nordschleife and the Spa and Monza Grands Prix. Weather was gorgeous all that Sept, and we boiled in Monza and were sun-bathing in Spa.
In Spa we were based at the bus-stop chicane (first year it was there) opposite the pit entrance, which led to seeing a lot of people cut the corner and miss the chicane. DC also pulled off and stopped pretty much just in front of us.
We stayed in Maastricht, which is an easy 40 min drive away, on the Saturday anyway! Sunday had huge traffic jams approaching the circuit and we were stuck for 4 hours, barely making it in time for the warm-up lap. This was unexpected though, as something happened to cause it – even mechanics and pit crew seemed to be stuck in the traffic and scooters were being sent to collect them by the teams!
Advice if you are driving, leave early in the morning – aim to be there by 9/10 at the latest. There’s a large “pit-village” and plenty of things to amuse you. Parking can be strange – on Sat we were sent up to the fields on the opposite side of the track from our stands and had a long walk down through the trees, coming out at the stands behind Eau Rouge.
On the Sunday we were a lot later due to the traffic and the police directed us into Francorchamps village. We pulled into a parking lot about 1km from the track and legged it, as traffic was still pretty static. Getting away from the track wasn’t too bad at all – but we didn’t rush.
If you’re anywhere near the La Source end of the track, get prepared for the track invasion at the end of the race – it’s pretty easy to make it up in time to see the celebrations – we even got a lovely shot of Felipe spitting out his champagne!
Bus stop was a small, uncovered grandstand, you can see up towards the start line, and the braking zone as the cars approach bus stop – not a massive view of the track, but a decent big screen opposite. Hubbie kept getting distracted however, as Red Bull decided to put their Formula Unas in the row directly behind us!
We caught no support races on the Sun as we were so late in.
Overall, it’s a fun track to visit, no tilke-track will ever match up. It’s very central and accessible from most of Western Europe, and good motorway systems approach from all sides. Snack food was reasonable at around a fiver, we drank no beer due to driving. Toilets were free and well maintained for most of the weekend.
Beware, however – if you try to head into the middle of the track after the race (crossing from Bus-stop to Eau Rouge, there is quite a small tunnel that the large crowd has to pass through. If you’re claustrophobic, avoid this! We got that far and sat down to one side and rested for a while until the crowds lessened. The Belgian police take a dim view of people trying to cross the stream to avoid this, and arrested a few lads as we were watching.
It was more costly than Monza – Gold/Silver grandstands seem to be more expensive in Spa, we paid almost €1000 for a pair of tickets, if I remember correctly. Staying in Maastricht was a good idea, but leave early!!
Paul
28th February 2009, 17:22
Right – 40th Birthday and super wife has brought me and top mate Gold 7 tickets for Spa 2009 for whole 3 days. We went some years back and spent most of it very wet in a field near the pit village in a vague drunken haze – it was the weekend England beat Germany 5-1?. This time we’re looking for the same experience but with our pre-booked access. 1st thoughts are of getting there – Living in south of England seemed simple to get flight to Brussels on Thu pm and back on the Sunday however flight times are not favourable. Plan B is to National Express Coach from London Victoria overnight on the Thursday arriving in Liege early Fri AM allowing us to make 1st free practice in Spa. Getting back is good as coach leaves Liege 21:20 Sun PM giving us time to watch the teams pull out, have a beer and casually make our way back overnight to London.
Next thoughts are of accommodation. With birthday being this month I jumped straight on the website looking for somewhere with a bed and shower – not a chance!! Now resigned to buying cheap (but waterproof) tent which we could leave behind if it gets wrecked and slumming back in muddy field near the circuit – memory from last visit was that once you’re there it’s best to try and stay put as the traffic’s horrendous and you end up missing the support races.
Still haven’t found camp site but will keep searching and update later. Some good tips provided by the other contributors to this site. Can’t wait – august seems an age away
Paul
13th May 2009, 21:04
Update on progress for anyone interested.
Struck a bargain. Me and mate getting National Express coach out of Victoria on the Thu at 8:00 pm travelling overnight to arrive in Liege on the Fri at around 7am. Going to jump on train to Spa and get cab to circuit. Have then booked 3 nights camping at the Francorchamps Racing Hotel for 250 Euros – which is right next to the pit entrance – Winner. We leave Sunday night at 9pm local from Liege and arrive back in Victoria about 6am on the Monday. For 2 of us the coach trip cost about £120 return.
Andy Kelly
17th April 2009, 5:28
I have finally managed to get my campsite booked. As mentioned above, on advice from other threads on this site I have been trying to get booked in to the Elephant camp site in Francorchamps but was finiding it impossible to make contact with them via their website, even though there is a booking form on there at http://www.francorchamps-camping.com/. Despite my best efforts I could not get it to send once completed so I rang the number supplied, spoke to the proprieter, Michael & eventually got a usable email address from him – all@the-elephant.de – via which he sent me price details etc & I paid by Paypal, all very civilised!!
So I am now all paid up & ready to go, can’t wait!!
And hot off the press, despite the terrible start to his season Lewis has just posted fastest time in the 1st practise session at Shanghai, life gets better & better!!
Carol Treurnicht
26th April 2009, 21:28
Hi Andy
pleased to see you managed to book at elephant campsite-Michael is a nutter but I can recommend the site. The toilets etc are very clean and being small they do everything possible to help if you need something and the walk is about 15 minutes to the entrance. They also now have a shuttle service (godsend if the weather is bad or if your partner has a broken foot like mine did last year!)I have stayed there every time since 2005 and will also be back 2009!
We go GA as well and its a great track to walk around.
Andy Kelly
28th April 2009, 10:18
Hi Carol,
thanks for that, I can’t wait to go now!! Hopefully we can meet up & sink a few beers (even more hopefully celebrating a Lewis win this time ha ha).
Andy
Carol Treurnicht
27th April 2009, 21:52
PS to those who tried to book camping recently- the website was down for some reason recently and now works- mega apologies from Michael- he is trying to change providers- any other probs then mail me if I can help as i know the people pretty well!
If not see you guys there in Aug 09!
tony loveland
7th May 2009, 19:16
Hi Carol, I’ve been trying to e-mail elephant but have had no luck so far, I know it’s a pain but do you have another e-mail address for michael as we’re getting desperate to book(and slightly over excited!)any help would be appreciated. thanx, tony.
Andy Kelly
7th May 2009, 22:07
Tony,
have you tried this address mailto:all@the-elephant.de? As discussed, I also had problems contacting Michael but this one does work.
Good luck
Andy
Janine
8th April 2010, 6:58
Hello Carol,
My partner and I have tickets to Spa this year in Gold 2. We are coming from Australia so would like to have everything booked before we get there as it is a long trip. I have been trying to find some info on accommodation but am finding it quite difficult. We would prefer not to spend an enormous amount of money on a hotel but coming from Australia, we will not be able to bring a tent etc with us. Can you supply us with any camping info – we are trying to hire a campervan but even finding that hard to secure a one way hire. I have tried to email The Elephant but have not received any reply as yet. Do you know if they rent out motorhomes or have any contact with someone who does – we really only need it for the spa part of the trip but understand if it has a minimum 7 day hire. Is this the campsite you would recommend or do you have other suggestions? Thanks for any help you can provide. Janine
Johnny
28th April 2009, 13:40
Guys,
I know my comments are not about Spa, and it is a bit late in the day, however a mate has now decided he wants to go to Silverstone. Does anyone know where the current cheapest tickets for GA 3 days could be purchased ?
Thanks
Andy Kelly
28th April 2009, 13:56
Johnny,
this is the link to the official F1 ticket site & they are showing Bronze Terrace 3 day passes as available. http://uk.wwte4.com/pub/agent.dll?qscr=tsdt&stat=5&flgc=0&loid=178279&ofid=9915&sdat=19/06/2009&edat=21/06/2009&wtid=28&rfrr=&eapid=300-30004
Andy
Johnny
28th April 2009, 16:02
Andy,
Thanks mate, I shall give this a try.
Johnny.
Carol Treurnicht
28th April 2009, 20:12
Hi Andy
great site- keep it up! Now all set for Spa- yeah great to sink a few beers or whatever- the local pub is quite something there too- its been in the same hands for over 50 years and great- 2005 all drinks were one € (put up the prices in 2008 to €1,20 but a huge laugh!)Belgium is also known for its beers- try the Val-Dieu- its great!
As for Lewis- ok for you to support him but I am a Renault gal and partner staunch tifosi- but who the hell cares in Spa!
Andy Kelly
1st May 2009, 16:19
Hi Carol,
hopefully our 3 teams will be fighting for podiums with this seasons big boys by the time Spa comes round!! One things for sure, this year is so much more exciting than previous years so we are guaranteed a brilliant weekends racing, which will be made even better by meeting up with you guys in the local hostelry (especially at those prices). We are bringing an F1 virgin with us this year so he is in for a real treat.
Keep in touch, hope Michael’s website problems are resolved & see you in August
Andy
tony loveland
5th May 2009, 23:19
Hiya, my girlfriend (unfortunately a vettel fan!) and I are coming to spa this year, yeah! and are grateful for andy’s advice. We are coming in our small camper,which is about the size of a combi van, do they allow this type of van on sites near to the track? we don’t need to plug in so no extra facilities required, any experiences would be good.It’ll be good to see alonso win close up ! With grojean who’ll be his team mate by then! bring it on…. thanx
Carol Treurnicht
8th May 2009, 22:12
Tony
your girlfriend is fine if she supports Vettel- he is certainly one to watch!
Yeah bring your camper- no problem. You can decide if you need power or other extras or not.
Showers cost €3 and toilet usage €2 per day- but young Marcel does his stuff mopping and cleaning the whole time! (Last year it was a mudbath!) so don’t forget waterproofs or Spa can be miserable because rain and fog are guaranteed at some stage of the weekend!
And yeah- I also hope Grosjean is in the car by then……..enough to see Flavio shaking his head at Piquet in the gravel again today…..(funny at Spa on the loudspeakers they call him Piquette……)
Andy Kelly
5th May 2009, 23:40
Hi Tony,
the site we stopped at last year http://www.campingf1.com/index.html definetely accept camper vans as there were loads there, this is about 10 miles from the circuit plus a 2 mile walk to Blanchimont. I would also think that the Elephant do too http://www.francorchamps-camping.com/ as they appear to be very accomodating (see comments from Carol above)which is 15 minutes walk from the main entrance. Have you been to Spa before? If not your in for a treat!!
Andy
tony loveland
6th May 2009, 23:24
Thanx andy, I,ve e-mailed the elephant and i’ll let you know how I get on. we’re keen on not walking too far! Will probably go over on the wednesday and relax and see if we can see first practice on thursday.Bronze tickets don’t cover this, is it still possible to get in? Been to f1 before (guests at silverstone) and have raced mercedes v8’s, and super rods (cosworth) in europe, but always wanted to go to spa. Thanx again,tony.
Andy Kelly
7th May 2009, 1:05
Hi Tony,
we are going on the Wednesday too & doing the same as you. Our tickets in Gold 8 are for Friday onwards so am guessing it’s free entry on the Thursday. Apparently we can get access to the pitlane & see the cars in the garages etc. Also a good time to see the drivers surveying the track.
Andy
tony loveland
7th May 2009, 23:35
Hi andy,
yes, i’ve tried that address, i’ll re-send tomorrow for luck, if not I’ll go with one further away (groan).Sounds good for thursday, it’ll give me a chance to check out your vantage points and put my towel down! Getting excited now, been trying to get those nice Renault jackets into the conversation whenever possible…..(might be able to hide in the pit garage!) I’ll let you know how I get on with booking,
Tony
Andy Kelly
7th May 2009, 23:41
Tony,
good luck mate. That address does work, maybe Michael is away? He does answer his mobile (number is on the web)& speaks good English. From last years experience the walking from other places is bad news!! Must admit the Renualt gear is top notch even though I’m a Mclaren fan & the Renault shop etc in F1 village was brilliant with simulators etc & the test driver doing talks & stuff. Mind you, that was when ING had some money so it may be downscaled this year ha ha!!
Andy
Ann G
8th May 2009, 8:43
Hi all,
it’s been v useful reading all this as I’m taking my two sons this year, aged 15 and 12 so I became alarmed at thoughts of camping with the possibility (probability) of hordes of drunken revellers all around – have booked into a simple hotel about 30 mins away. So, now for the tickets – help! Do I go completely mad and shell out over £1,000 for Gold 1 (as my son wants) and even then maybe find we’re not seated together – or do we just go for it, have Bronze and get there really early…. I see that some people take BBQs, how about say a small pop up beach tent in case of rain, would that seriously p people off? Otherwise I guess a picnic mat and a big sheet of plastic…
Any advice guys? Ta :-)
Carol Treurnicht
8th May 2009, 22:00
Hi peeps
sorry had a probelm with bats in my home so not been around a while……..
Try this email
f1_reservation@francorchamps-camping.com
If it does nto work then let me know and I’ll call Micahel directly as they seem to be having problems with their provider and the site keeps failing!
My email
carol.treurnicht@arcor.de
(Told Michael I am starting a booking agency here and expect a free croissant next visit!)
I got my confirmation couple of weeks back.
As for campers- no problem they take tenst, parking campers- whatever- but its nice because there is little or no crime and easy to get to the track.
At Ann G
my recommendation to you is go bronze- if we meet up before race day we can bag you some space as we get there latest 7am! If you do that then don’t order tickets- you can get them anytime at the gate without the service charges and worrying if they get to you in time- my heart attacks last year as they got to me Tuesday when i was leaving Weddesday.
If you have weekend tickets you can get in from Thursday onwards- worth it for the pitlane walk on Thrusday afternoon.
I also hope to see some of the big guys up there by then! And good luck to Vettel!
Carol Treurnicht
8th May 2009, 22:04
Ps- please excuse my spelling- eek- apologies for that- typing quicker than my poor old brain was thinking…….
Andy Kelly
10th May 2009, 20:19
Hi Carol,
you are doing a sterling job drumming up business for the Elephant, Michael definetly needs to provide you with croissants & Val-Dieu for the whole weekend & give you the best pitch!! Sounds like it’s going to be a great weekend & we have what is fast growing into a great bunch!!
Keep up the good work,
make sure Michael reads this page,
can’t wait for August!!
Andy
Catherine H
10th May 2009, 15:19
Hi Carol
This will be our first visit to Spa as well and we’re trying to decide where to camp. You make the Elephant sound great and the fact you can walk to the track sounds great. I was just wondering a couple of things – how lively is the campsite? We like a good atmosphere, but as ultimately we’re there for the racing I’m quite keen on a good nights sleep as well, and worry about a campsite so close to the track being quite rowdy? At Silverstone we tend to camp at the sites a slightly longer walk from the track as it is a little quieter.
Also, we have quite a big tent – do you get a reasonable amount of space around your tent, or are everyone very close together?
Any advice would be great! Thanks
tony loveland
10th May 2009, 22:27
andy and carol,
thank you both for your help in getting us sorted for the campsite, we’ve booked and are ready to go. We’ll be the ones in the orange and ivory toyota camper with us looking over excited! come and look us up if you’d like,we can debate who’s the best driver in f1- Alonso obviously…. see you there Tony and Deb
Carol Treurnicht
10th May 2009, 22:48
Tony and Debbie
great news- look forward to seeing you there.
We are the mixed camper with the huge Ferrari and Renault flags – and I am the idiot running around in an asturian flag ………
We will be arriving Wednesday.Let’s just hope the weather is a bit kinder to us this year—–last year it p’d down the whole time!
Carol Treurnicht
10th May 2009, 22:31
Hi Catherine
we all have enough space and we make our own fun on the site- ie you can be rowdy or not or get a good night’s sleep. They specifially don’t allow all night loud disco types- there’s the two huge sites at the other end of the track for that!
To everyone- if you go there then (sugggestion from my partner!) we have a camp meet in the village pub on Thursday after the pit walk- we all need to try a Val Dieu…….to get us in the mood for a hopefully great weekend!
Walk to the track about 20 minutes- or they have a shuttle service if you had a bad day and can’t face the walk home after being in the pouring rain all day…….
The site is also only really full on raceday.
Hope you join us there.
Catherine H
10th May 2009, 22:45
Hi Carol
Thanks for the info! I think we will probably book there too. I wondered if you had any photos from any of your previous years there?
Carol Treurnicht
10th May 2009, 22:52
Hi Catherine
got a couple and will gladly send- look up above and send me a mail and I’ll send a couple on to you. The setting is actually quite beautiful.
Andy Kelly
10th May 2009, 23:03
Carol,
I would love to see your photo’s of the site too. My email address is andrew.kelly@saltend.co.uk
Andy
Michael
11th May 2009, 1:02
Hi to all,
as I can see here, there must be sometimes problems with my web site. I don’t find any errors. Within 3 or 4 weeks I will make a new site, hope with more informations in enlish too. By then you can make your reservation also by simple eMail with the informations from the reservation form.
BTW – big thanks to Carol!
cu
Michael
tony loveland
11th May 2009, 18:15
hi,
that sounds great, we’ll be there on wednesday too, so we’re up for some laughs,I was wondering about tickets at the track, and we may hold back if you can get them there, did you do that last time you went? I thought there wouldn’t be too much of a problem for bronze tickets. When can you get in on thursday? By the way, andy shouldn’t worry, Hamilton should do much better at Monaco,(top 5) but I think that Rosberg could win it with the shorter wheelbase on his car… regards, Tony and Deb.
Andy Kelly
11th May 2009, 18:55
Tony,
here’s hoping but the word from Mclaren was that Barcelona would be the turning point & we end up with no points!!
Oh well, what happens, happens. It sounds like we are going to have a great weekend no matter what occurs on the track & just being there to be a part of the atmosphere is fantastic, so I’m happy!!
Andy
Carol Treurnicht
11th May 2009, 19:57
Wow- great news- a word from the man himself (Michael)- sent him the link here and told him he needs to get his website sorted! ice to see he responded by posting here!
I’ll send on a couple of pics- not fantastic but gives a bit of an impression of the place. The one thing that they really take pride in is that the toilets and showers are always clean.
Great to see a few are also arriving Wednesday- if you got weekend tickets you can get in Thursday onwards.
@ Tony and Debbie- if you go bronze then just buy at the gate- saves hassle and you also save on the booking fees.
@ Andy- I am sure that McLaren will be back at the front by then and Brawn will have some competition! And that my Renault tractor also has something to show for itself by then!
Andy Kelly
11th May 2009, 20:18
Hi Carol,
we can live in hope!!
Here’s a suggestion everyone, as well as trying the Val-Dieu as Carol has suggested, how about if we all bring along something from our own areas for Carol & the rest to try? We live in Yorkshire so could bring some Yorkshire Puddings (home made of course) & obviously some good, strong Yorkshire Beer.
Andy
Carol Treurnicht
11th May 2009, 20:52
Go for it Andy- I can send you a mega list of all I miss here…….bit of black pudding maybe?
Aha- you from Yorkshire- I orignally from Costa del Darlington……..
Great idea- we all bring something along……sounds great!
Andy Kelly
11th May 2009, 20:59
Carol,
you won’t believe this but I’m from Newton Aycliffe, I moved to Yorkshire 10 years ago for work!! Small world isn’t it? My brother lives on West Auckland Road near Cockerton.
Andy
Carol Treurnicht
11th May 2009, 21:13
What? I don’t believe it! Although I have been here for centuries all my folks still live in either Darlingotn or Heighington- just round the corner from Newton Aycliffe………small world!
tony loveland
11th May 2009, 22:56
I might creep under the wire, i’ve been to yorkshire, ha ha! I was bought up in Australia, i’ll think of something to bring- probably something to cook on the barbeque.
Tony and deb.
Andy Kelly
11th May 2009, 22:59
This is going to be such a special weekend!!
Carol Treurnicht
12th May 2009, 18:49
I am so excited already- and today is my 50th birthday to boot (yeah I know I don’t look it……haha)- so if the typing deteriorates this evening I have a good excuse! Can’t wait to meet all you peeps- Spa is really a special event!
Andy Kelly