Bojan Vrbnjak
Racecourse v They connect, located under Ardennes, is one of four tracks that have appeared on the calendar Formula 1 in her first season in 1950 - In addition Monaka, monze in Silverstone. Racers are big fans of this track, not only because of the beauty, but also because its curves require everything from the racer. This trail is especially interesting if it rains, thus getting into Belgium must always count. Whether it's summer or not.
The track has curves with very resonant names: Blanchimont, eau rouge, The Source. But hand on heart, there probably aren’t many of them who would know where these are coming from at all names of bends. So it is right that we also tell you this. Let's start with the first sharp turn immediately after the start, where the biggest crowd is usually created immediately after the start of the race - The Source.
The Source
Literally translated it means source. The name of the sharp bend right after the start - this is also the slowest place on the trail - comes from the many healing springs in the Spa region.
eau rouge
The explanations differ here. The name Red Water comes at the expense of water heavily enriched with iron, one says. Others refer to the partly bloody history of the Ardennes, dating back to Roman times, when the Ambelve River turned red during massacres due to blood.
Raidillion
A literal translation would read “steep path”. That would be quite an appropriate name, because after Eau Rouge it only goes up the hill. Many racers have said over time, "How steep the track is in this place is not seen on television at all."
Kemmel
Over the years, the importance of this section of the trail has been lost. It certainly has nothing to do with Kemmel Mountain in West Flanders, formerly with cumin.
Lec Combes
A “combe” is a small gorge or valley eroded by erosion. Here the flow of the trail turns to the right and drives downhill.
Malmedy
It is the name of a city with 12.500 inhabitants located near the racetrack. Malmedy comes from the Latin “a malo mandarum”, which means to cleanse evil. The Warche River flooded frequently at the time, and the church saw this as God’s punishment.
Rivage
It actually means coast. Named after the nearby city of Weiler, which was later renamed Brussels, the capital of Belgium. But everyone still says Rivage. The next left turn does not have a name, but it was christened the speaker’s bend because it was the only bend seen from the then speaker’s position on the racetrack.
Pouhon
A double left turn, which Renault racer Hülkenberg describes as as tense as Eau Rouge or Blanchimont. Pouhon is one of the springs, with a high iron content, which has helped the Spa region to a name and reputation. Historically, Pouhon means "place where water springs", and it comes from the Walloon word "poujhon".
Fagnes
Fagnes is a domed plateau that stretches between Belgium and Germany and is about 600 square kilometers in size. The village of Francorchamps is located in the Fagnes region. It means Fenn in German and Veen in Dutch.
Campus
A name that didn’t exactly work out for that left turn. It stands behind the “Campus Automobile”, which borders the track there and is a competence center for better car driving.
Stavelot
The name of the bend after the eponymous place, which in Roman times was called the Tree. Stavelot is considered one of the oldest places in Belgium. The Benedictine monastery Stablo was founded in 648. Today, among other things, we can find an admirable museum of racing cars in this wall.
Paul frere
In 2008, the legendary racer, journalist and book author died. The right turn pi Stavelot was named after him.
Blanchimont
Extremely fast left arc of the track, which racers drive at full speed, and got its name from the district.
Chicane
With this chicane, they wanted to slow down the race cars before turning back to the starting plane. Some also like to call it Busstop. When the track was still open to public traffic, there really was a bus stop at this location.
And what about Spa and Francorchamps?
Hot Tub today it is used almost all over the world for springs and places of well-being. The city of Spa has become famous for its origins, and the origin of the word is controversial. Some associate it with the Germanic word for spit. Perhaps the first users of these springs spat out water? Nobody knows that.
Origin Francorchamps so it is unclear. The place was first mentioned in first half of the 12th century and may relate to "Francorum campus“, The Frankish camp. There is also a memorial plaque on which the former owners of the monastery are inscribed Stavelot. And one of them was named Francorcamp.
