Remember when they changed the legendary Hockenheim track with its long straights and draft battles, shortcutted it to look like any other Race track. Now its Spa's turn:

The very fast left Pouhon, Fagnes combination Stavelot and the great very fast Blanchimont are out.


Spa today:




Spa in the future:



http://www.motorsport-total.co ... ps_gekuerzt_08083107.html

http://f1-club.be/nieuws/verslag.php?id=2099

excuse me while I vomit.

i doubt it, if its too long they can just change to the shorter layout, not to mention its probably the most legendary track on the calander and changing it would be suicide.

Excuse me, I have to puke :vomit:

Is this another one of Tilke's ideas?

Wasn't this suggested as a national circuit a few years back? Maybe it's appropriate for touring cars but Spa isn't really too long. That would be stupid for F1.

I think that would actually make the track too short for F1 wouldn't it?

Having driven on this track, I really don't care about corner 15 and 16, but leaving out Pouhon would be pure blasphemy! That's why I don't believe anything like that is going to happen...
Although they did swap the last chicane which compared to the older bus stop is crap in my opinion, at least in road cars...

...I'm going to be sick.

This people should go to the Valencia Street Circuit instead, there are a lot of things they have to change there. Leave Spa as it is please..

The Track is big, it's just the long curves and straights that make the laptimes so short. If a FIA GT car can get around it in 2:20, then it isn't long.

Quote from George Kuyumji :

http://www.motorsport-total.co ... ps_gekuerzt_08083107.html

http://f1-club.be/nieuws/verslag.php?id=2099

Quick translated summaries, please?

As you say, wait until the better known F1 sites or newspapers start to cover the story, then see if it's in F1 magazines, and then if it's on the F1 TV shows. Until then I won't believe it for an instant with respect to F1. It could be useful for slower catagories though.

Quote from ATC Quicksilver :

I think that would actually make the track too short for F1 wouldn't it?

The minimum is 3.5 kilometres (200 metres longer than Blackwood). Spa is now 6.976. There was a similar circuit proposal of around 5.8 km, I'd suggest that that one would be around 5 km. Not too long. But woeful.

Spa itself is fine for F1 cars and the big machinery, however a little car circuit option that cuts off after Eau Rouge might not be such a bad idea.

I reckon that someone has just had a few bottles of Grimbergen triple too many and suggested it, not any real risk of it happening. If it is real, well, I'm going to be angry.

First link talks about how tracks had to be changed because Bernie said so (like Hockenheim) or it would be removed from the calendar (like Silverstone). It then mentions that fans will like the shortcut as they'll be able to see the cars more often because it'll take more laps to complete the 305 km distance of every GP. It then goes on that the changes will take place until the GP next year, but not later than 2010. The then free land could be sold, and the money could be spent on improving safety. It closes with the remark that Bernie now is the promoter and already demanded changes in the past like modernizing the track, changing Bus Stop and La Source and this recent one will be the most drastic...

what the hell are they thinking!?

The track would be too short for F1, I think.

Anyway, I won't believe it until confirmed by more reputable reports.

If it did get changed, F1 fans (and probably fans of other motorsports too) would go bonkers. It's one of the few "real" tracks left on the calendar.

Quote from DevilDare :

what the hell are they thinking!?

Something similar to what they were thinking when they decided to interrupt Mulsanne, abolish Hockenheim and Spa's whole bus stop saga.

Just wait few years and Monza will be converted into quarter-mile oval.

Quote from Crommi :

Just wait few years and Monza will be converted into quarter-mile oval.

Thus creating Euro-Nascar where DTM style cars are driven by people who idol Jeff Gordon

Quote from Sueycide_FD :

Thus creating Euro-Nascar where DTM style cars are driven by people who idol Jeff Gordon

It will be Eurocar, where people drive front-wheel-drive hatchbacks around ovals.

Back on topic:

I just found out Spa used to be a 14km track.

Bad idea, very bad idea.

Remove the section fron Fanges to turn 17 and it might be okay but taking out the Pouhon section would be a bit stupid

FFS wasn't the track good in previous seasons? Why change it now... Ugh..

Quote from deggis :

Something similar to what they were thinking when they decided to interrupt Mulsanne

how do you interrupt a corner?

Smack'em with their stupidity! Incredible, what they want to do...
I was always telling (only kidding) that once they gonna do flat straight instead of Eau Rouge, but this is too much. Hope it'll not happen.