After a long summer break, we’re finally ready to start the 2nd season of the SBMRL! The victors’ time for boasting has come and gone as the also-rans are once again on level ground. Everyone heads to Belgium in exactly the same state.
The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps was originally designed in 1920 using public roads and boasted a length of 9.3 miles. It hosted its first Grand Prix in 1925 and was one of the fastest tracks in the world. Concerns about length and dangerous high speed turns led to it being shorted to about 4.3 miles. It was fully closed to street traffic in the year 2000, something Conan never predicted.
The track opens with a very short trip into the La Source hairpin. The cars at the back of the grid will take a bit longer to get through, but they’ll be able to carry more speed down the hill into Eau Rouge and Raidillon. The down-up nature of this extremely quick corner leads on to the Kemmel straight. Drivers who hit it right will be able to fly through this section, but they’ll be faced with some extreme downshifting at Les Combes.
Les Combes signals the start of the second sector of the track, which is the most technical part of the track. A series of challenging corners in quick succession will slow the field down dramatically. The one real shot at some speed is Pouhon, but that speed will need to be curtailed on approach to Campus. Sector three is then a straight shot to the final Bus Stop chicane. Once again, the approach will be at high speed and drivers will have to slam on the brakes to stay on course.
Spa is an extremely challenging track that will require drivers to tune their car to their driving style. Those that elect a more cautious approach may opt for tyres over brakes and gearbox if they don’t plan to approach the end of the straights at high speed. Those with heavy soles in their shoes will need to account for the massive slowdowns present.
Starting Grid
As it’s the first race of the season, the starting grid will be determined just prior to the start of the race. Of note is that Spa will be Jaap Snellrijder’s home race, giving him a slight edge over the rest of the field.
Season Outlook
The 2016-17 SBMRL season sees an additional, as yet unnamed, team join the grid to bring the field to a total of 10 cars. Last year’s champion, Regency Motors, returns both of their drivers and will have their work cut out for them to repeat those efforts. Jaap kickstarted his driver’s championship with an opening race victory in Austin last year, and never once lost the points lead.
Two additional cars on track may not seem like much, but it’s a 25% increase and the end result will be significantly more congestion. Teams will likely have a strong desire and/or need to pit both cars, but with the revised pit rules for this season giving fewer opportunities for repairs, split strategies will come into play more often.