Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

MOTORING

Track day taster

Fancy yourself as the new Lewis Hamilton? Put the pedal to the metal with Renault’s customer track day at Spa-Francorchamps’ F1 track

With an eye for fast, safe fun, Renault is taking over the Spa Francorchamps Grand Prix circuit for a customer track day.

On Sunday 23 September, one week after the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix on the legendary Ardennes track, motorists will be given 20-minute sessions to put their cars through their paces. A team of Renaultsport experts, engineers and advisers, with full safety back-up, will be on hand to show drivers how to get the best out of their cars. For €190, plus €30 for passengers and €30 for lunch, drivers will be shown the right lines to take. Then, from
9.30am to 6pm, they’ll be able to go it alone.

Renault’s hot-shot Sport 197 Clio F1 Team R27 will be there for a run-out. The car is packed with so much energy and punch it has already hit wow-factor levels across Europe, and is an eye-opener for any lover of speed allied with cheeky panache. Figures of standstill to a little under 100kph in under seven seconds from its lively 2.0-litre V6 engine give the yellow-painted car – a celebration of Renault’s successive F1 titles – serious performance.

The feedback from taking your own car to its limits and finding out how it behaves when it’s stressed is crucial to any driver’s capability levels. “That’s the real value of track days,” says Renault director Tim Jackson, “people learn things about their cars they wouldn’t otherwise get the chance to do.”

Belgian Grand Prix

Spa-Francorchamps is the drivers’ favourite course. Now, after government investment, the F1 track is revamped, rejuvenated and ready to race Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone’s soft-spot for Spa, the scene of the Belgian Grand Prix, has meant a reprieve for the under-threat circuit.

Ecclestone, who has a house nearby in the Ardennes, has an affection for the old place that matches the drivers’ enthusiasm. But it was beginning to look care-worn compared with the state-of-the-art circuits being built elsewhere and Ecclestone struck it off. Now, after massive local government investment, Ecclestone’s encouragement and, no doubt, assurances that its date would remain a fixture, Spa has been revamped and rejuvenated. The new-look circuit hosted an F1 test session in July ahead of this month’s race, and the consensus of opinion was one of near total satisfaction. ‘Near’ because drivers, while appreciating the updating and the extra opportunities for overtaking, were critical of the narrow and tight pit lane entry and they advised changes to make it safer. The teams appreciate the spacious new garages and truck/transporter space in what was a cramped upper-paddock. Ecclestone said: “They have done a good job. Just what I like to see.”

Silverstone under siege

Former F1 champion Damon Hill, now president of the British Racing Drivers’ Club, is hoping Lewis Hamilton’s success will improve the chances of Silverstone holding on to its Grand Prix date. The Midlands circuit needs improvements to match the facilities of state-of-the-art tracks in Malaysia and Bahrain. Hill: “We have a British title contender and I hope it helps our case for holding on to the British Grand Prix.”

Know your road rage

A survey designed to keep drivers safe has advised motorists journeying across Europe to familiarise themselves with the behavioural habits of road users in other countries. The risk of accidents could be reduced with a little bit of homework. According to the survey:

■ British drivers are the most uptight in Europe, with 87% of those quizzed admitting they get irritated and upset by other drivers

■ The Belgians are the coolest. The survey found only 55% get angry

■ France tops the road rage chart with 60% admitting they behave aggressively towards other drivers

■ In Germany, road ragers are more likely to flash their headlights and tailgate when they’re upset

■ Not so in Greece; they vocalise their wrath

■ In the UK, angry drivers offer rude gestures and hand signs

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