Spa 6 Hours

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Spa 6 Hours

Monday, 27 September 2010 09:00

$Grid for Spa 6 Hours - photo by Lara Platman <script language='JavaScript' type='text/javascript'> \n </script> <script language='JavaScript' type='text/javascript'>  </script>This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it <script language='JavaScript' type='text/javascript'>  </script>$ The Spa 6 Hour race is not only one of the last, if not the last for some, but one of the most important of the Historic races in the yearly calendar.

This year the Spa 6 Hours celebrates 50 years of motor racing; 19th June the Belgian Grand Prix (Stirling Moss Crashes violently off the track), 20th November The Australian Jack Brabham confirms his title of World Championship in the Cooper Climax and during 1960 both Ayrton Senna and Damon Hill were born. Most notably the origins of the Ford Mustang, The Shelby Cobra (based on the chassis of the AC Cobra) was just the beginning to Carol Shelby's desire to create the Great American Muscle Car, later in the '60's the Ford Shelby GT350 was created.

So it is apt that in the 6 Hours this year that a flurry of these petrol guzzling beasts paraded our views. Starting on pole position we find Simon Hadfield and Leo Voyazides in the Ford GT40, followed by Shaun Lynn/Andrew Haddon and Richard Meins/Chris Lillingstone-Price also in the GT40's. Other Historics in the line up we find Grahame and Oliver Bryant in an 1964 AC Cobra but to make up the variety of extraordinary cars on the grid we find MGB Roadster (James/Jeremy Cottingham), Aston Martin DB214 $Porsche 904 - photo by Lara Platman <script language='JavaScript' type='text/javascript'> \n </script> <script language='JavaScript' type='text/javascript'>  </script>This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it <script language='JavaScript' type='text/javascript'>  </script>$ (Gregor Fiskin/ Dave Clark/Wolfang Friedrichs) and Porsche 904 (Stanley Gold/Yves Junne/ Andy Prill).

The race is action packed with early retirements, blown engines, brakes on fire and simple petrol pump problems, the race trundles on through the rain and pole positions change finally to reveal winners; Class GT: The Jaguar E Type 1963 (Jon Minshaw/Martin Stretton/Jason Minshaw), class Tourism: Ford Falcon Sprint (Ludovic Lindsay/Bill Wykeham/Ben Shuckburgh) and Class Eau Rouge: Morgan Plus 8 (Keith Ahlers/James Bellinger/Christian Bock).

Spa 6 Hours 2010 is well worth marking in your diary for next year. Lara Platman

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