By Marcel Hundscheid / Speed-O-Graphica
Enjoy our extensive coverage by Motorsport Retro’s European correspondent Marcel Hundscheid as he takes us on a ride through time during the 27th edition of the epic Spa Six Hours held at Spa-Francorchamps.
The 27th edition of the Spa Six Hours entered the history books as a very wet one. Despite the fact that the event was marred by climatic conditions, the grandstands were packed and over 650 historic racing cars could be seen during the three-day event.
Besides the six hours endurance race on Saturday afternoon and evening, the Le Mans ’69 Revival was an unique highlight, thanks to the presence of Jacky Ickx. The Belgian legend came to the event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his legendary victory at the 1969 24 Hours of Le Mans. He gave the start and celebrated the arrival of 80 Ford GT40s and Ford GTs from all generations.
Over 100 cars entered the Spa Six Hours Endurance, featuring 15 Ford GT40s, of which ten monopolised the front rows of the grid. Local hero Eric van de Poele and American Jim Farley drove their #98 GT40 to pole position.
Bad luck struck as both had to retire during the race due to a broken gearbox. Last year’s winners Nico Verdonck and Markus Count von Oeynhausen suffered from a battery issue so they could not extend with a second victory. Sadly there were numerous incidents such as Dutchman David Hart who lost control of the #8 GT40 in Blanchimont. Hart crashed violently in the tyre wall but was luckily unhurt.
Finally it was the #2 GT40 of Philip Walker, Miles Griffith and BTCC and FIA WTCR-driver Gordon Shedden who claimed victory with a three lap lead. Surprisingly the second place went to the beautiful Aston Martin DB4 GT DP214 of Wolfgang Friedrichs, Simon Hadfield and Michael Mallock. The #93 Ford GT40 of Nikolaus Ditting and Sam Hancock completed the podium.
Besides the Spa Six Endurance nine other grids were present, including the FIA Masters Historic Formula One Championship, FIA Masters Historic Sports Car Championship, the Masters Pre-66 Touring Car Championship and the Masters Gentlemen Drivers Pre-66 GT, Aston Martin Endurance Racing Legends, U2TC & Historic Touring Car Challenge with Tony Dron Trophy, the combined Woodcote Trophy and Stirling Moss Trophy, Historic Sports Car Club and last but not least the Pre-War Sports Cars.
Steve Hartley grabbed the honours during the first race of the FIA Masters Historic F1 Championship, driving a former John Watson McLaren MP4/1 to victory in the pouring rain.
The second race held on Sunday saw even more water coming down at the track, resulting in a series of incidents. One of the victims was Alain Crefcoeur, driving a former Jackie Stewart March 701 as he came off at the high-speed Blanchimont section. Kyle Tilley managed to overcome the downpour in a Ensign MN177 claiming his second podium of the weekend.
The single 61-minute race for the FIA Masters Historic Sports Cars became a battle between a Lola T70 double and a CanAm McLaren M6B. In the end it was the very experienced Oliver Bryant who drove his splendid T70 Mk.IIIB to a crushing victory, crossing the finish line more than 1 minute earlier than the second T70.
Nearly 40 cars filled the grid for the single 61-minute race of the Masters Pre-66 Touring Cars, with 20 (!) Minis battling it out against Ford Mustangs, a couple of Ford Falcons, a lonely BMW 1800, and two Alfa Romeos. Despite great efforts, young Oliver Hart couldn’t match the power of Craig Davies’ 1965 Ford Mustang.
Fans of touring cars from the ’70s and ’80s could eat their heart’s with the U2TC Historic Touring Car Challenge with Tony Don Trophy. Over 40 cars entered the Spa-Francorchamps race track for two 30-minute races on Saturday and Sunday.
It turned out in a interesting battle with mighty Ford Capris living it up against the more modern Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworths and BMW M3 E30s. Briton Steve Dance was the man to beat during the first race in his Ford Capri 3100RS as Nick and Harry Whale claimed victory during the second race in a BMW M3 E30.
Always welcome to see are the former sports cars and prototypes from the ’50s and ’60s, which gathered into the combined Woodcote Trophy and Stirling Moss Trophy. A vast field of nearly 50 cars saw action in their single 61-minute race. No one could answer the speed of father David and his son Oliver Hart in their Lister Costin. The two Dutchmen claimed a crushing victory with 47 seconds of clean air behind them.
Other not to be missed races included the oldest cars during the weekend, the Pre-War Sports Cars, former Grand Prix cars from the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association, the mix grid of the Historic Sports Car Club, GTs from the pre-66 era gathered into the Masters Gentlemen Drivers Pre-66 GT and last but surely not least were the rather young prototypes and GTs from the Aston Martin Masters Endurance Racing Legends. Bookmark your calendars for the 28th edition of this unique event in September 2020!
Results Spa Six Hours 2019
Spa Six Hours Endurance
1) Walker/Griffiths/Shedden, Ford GT40
2) Friedrichs/Hadfield/Mallock, Aston Martin DB4 GT DP214, + 3 laps
3) Ditting/Hancock, Ford GT40, + 3 laps
FIA Masters Historic F1 Championship
Race 1
1) S. Hartley, McLaren MP4/1
2) M. Cantillon, Williams FW07C, + 3.829
3) K. Tilley, Ensign MN177, + 4.236
Race 2
1) K. Tilley, Ensign MN177
2) J. Wright, Shadow DN8, + 16.383
3) J. Folch-Rusinol, Brabham BT49C, + 20.390
FIA Masters Historic Sports Car Championship
1) O. Bryant, Lola T70 Mk.IIIB
2) J. Wright/A. Wolfe, Lola T70 Mk.IIIB, + 1:00.544
3) A. Banks/M. Banks, McLaren M6B, + 1:10.726
Masters Gentlemen Pre-66 GT Cars
1) J. Thomas/C. Lockie, Shelby Daytona Cobra
2) A. Wolfe/J. Hanson, AC Cobra, + 12.668
3) J. Pearson/G. Pearson, Jaguar E-Type, + 1:00.206
Masters Pre-66 Touring Cars
1) C. Davies, Ford Mustang
2) J. Thomas/C. Lockie, Ford Falcon, + 8.197
3) O. Hart, Alfa Romeo Julia GTA, + 11.791
Aston Martin Masters Endurance Legends
Race 1
1) S. Tandy, Lola B12/60
2) C. D’Ansembourg, Lola-Aston Martin DBR1-2, + 39.032
3) K. Lendoudis, Peugeot 90X, + 39.082
Race 2
1) N. Pastorelli/D. Hart, Maserati MC12 GT1
2) C. D’Ansembourg, Lola-Aston Martin DBR1-2, + 22.965
3) M. Count von Oeynhausen, Audi R8 GT3 Ultra, + 45.060
Historic Grand Prix Car Association
Race 1
1) P. Horsman, Lotus 18/21
2) A. Middlehurst, Lotus 25 R4, + 37.218
3) B. Cannell, Brabham BT11A, + 45.100
Race 2
1) R. Jolley, Lister Jaguar
2) A. Middlehurst, Lotus 25 R4, + 13.859
3) G. Fierro, Maserati 250F 2523, + 18.598
Woodcote Trophy & Stirling Moss Trophy
1) D. Hart/O. Hart, Lister Costin
2) T. Wood/W. Nuthall, Lister Knobbly, + 47.532
3) R. Wills, Lotus 15, + 50.085
Pre-War Sports Cars
1) R. Tuluie, Menasco Pirate
2) G. Burnett, Alta Sports, + 19.148
3) S. Darbyshire/E. Cameron, Morgan Super Aero, + 53.171
Historic Sports Car Club
Race 1
1) G. Hallau, Lola T310
2) R. Beebee/J. Beebee, Lola T70 Mk.IIIB, + 16.676
3) T. Stoten, Lola T492, + 1:09.086
Race 2
1) T. Taylor/A. Taylor, Mazda RX7
2) G. Hallau, Lola T310, + 1:21.052
3) T. Stoten, Lola T492, + 1:39.061
Jaguar Classic Challenge
1) R. Farrell/D. Coyne, Jaguar E-Type
2) M. Count von Oeynhausen, Jaguar E-Type, + 12.651
3) J. Pearson/G. Pearson, Jaguar E-Type, + 21.838
U2TC Historic Touring Car Challenge with Tony Dron Trophy
Race 1
1) S. Dance, Ford Capri
2) J. Thomas/C. Lockie, Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500, + 1.482
3) I. Goff/M. Goff, Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500, + 5.277
Race 2
1) N. Whale/H. Whale, BMW M3 E30
2) S. Dance, Ford Capri, + 1.855
3) . Goff/M. Goff, Ford Sierra Cosworth RS500, + 28.118
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