Work aimed at securing the Spa Francorchamps circuit in Belgium has begun and a page in the history of the Belgian track has turned with the demolition of the legendary chalet which has stood above the Raidillon since 1985. Thus, it is in the objective of obtaining the double FIA/FIM homologation which will be necessary to accommodate motorcycle endurance at Spa-Francorchamps at the beginning of June that work began on November 15.
After revealing the numerous works undertaken on several bends of the route, to arrange the clearance areas with the return of the gravel traps, photos of the Raidillon under construction have surfaced. The circuit announces that the summit of Raidillon will see its asphalt clearance widened on the right side of the track. The left portion of Raidillon will make way for a larger asphalt clearing.
As for the foot of Raidillon, Eau rouge, the rails will be moved to allow clearance to be widened. A covered stand will finally be erected at the top of Raidillon by the end of April, including 4 seats and boxes.
But this is not the only bend in the works. As part of this project, the vast majority of the circuit's runoff areas are being reworked, with gravel traps being installed at five key corners (la Source, le Raidillon, Les Combes, Stavelot and Blanchimont) , although more or less significant modifications will also affect all the turns of the route. If the images suggest that the track has been modified, this is not the case. The adjustments concern only the clearances of the circuit and not the route itself.
Lovers of the Spa-Francorchamps circuit will have been sad to see the photos of the chalet in complete destruction, so that the work can move forward, including the construction of the grandstand, and the removal of the barriers.
A step back which should avoid, if all goes well, the cars bouncing on the track during accidents which take place. These are the incidents which caused the death of Anthoine Hubert in 2019, but also the injuries of Jack Aitken this year in GT and a terrible accident in the W Series in August 2021.
