Our Prodigal crash at Spa’s notorious Eau Rouge
By Straight-Six, published on 26 October 2011
When things go wrong we somehow manage to string together a few words to form a pithy sentence or two, just to show our powers of observation and analysis are still switched on and functioning. But when things go very wrong indeed the most anyone can usually muster is this: “Shit.” Turns out we’re no exception to the rule.
Let’s take it from the top, boys and girls.
You’re now no doubt aware of our love of cars, fantastic roads and seminal race tracks. The ebb and flow of driving a fabulous car on a challenging piece of asphalt, pushing the limits of what can be done, ranks up there with Ashtanga yoga in terms of being “in the zone”. Truly it does.
And so it was that we returned to the magnificent Belgian race track of Spa for a last track day of 2011 after a delicious outing there earlier this year. Our trusty M3 stood at the ready with children’s seats well anchored in the rear and brand new brake discs and pads all round to ensure its stopping power was what it should be. And our rotund Australian mate joined the fun in his Lotus Exige Cup 260. With very worn semi-slick tires.
And the weather? It was raining and heavily overcast. Oh dear.
Neither of us had ever driven at Spa in the rain before and our Lotus-driving mate was firm that he would not and could not drive with the standing pools of water on the track. Just too risky, he concluded. But Straight-Six had suitable road tires on his M3, a portly 1,570 kg of Munich Metal with which to press the car down on the track and a very itchy right foot. And the combination of excellent organisation by the UK’s Gold Track and the number of cars actually out on the track in the single digits, well, it would have been churlish to resist much longer.
Most folk fear driving their cars on the track in anything less than perfect conditions. The logic and reasoning is sound: why create further risk when enough exists by merely driving your car at high speed through sets of challenging corners? While dozens of other lunatics around you seek to do exactly the same thing.
But driving in unpleasant driving conditions not only heightens the challenge, placing more emphasis on your car control abilities, but changes the nature of it.
It took only a lap or two for Six to discover that going fast in the rain demands even greater refinement of the links between eye, hand, arse and foot. Smooth, precise inputs are the order of the day, ensuring you avoid anything that may unbalance the car. This lead to a rather unexpected series of overtaking maneuvers, as Six passed some very well driven Caterhams and a 997 GT2 while managing to not let the insane Radicals get too far ahead. Not bad for an eight year-old car. Not bad at all.
By mid-afternoon, Six was positively beaming. It had been a fabulous day precisely because of the rain and the sweet handling M3, with its MOV’IT brakes back up to their neck-snapping best. And despite a series of one-car crashes which you can see more of on the right, Six took Mr. Exige, who had not driven his car once, out for the hurrah of the day.
The first lap out was an absolute peach, with both driver and passenger in agreement about the M3s predictable nature being greatly welcome in these kind of weather conditions. And then it happened.
There are many reasons Eau Rouge is widely considered one of the greatest corners of any circuit. this is a section of which you approach from a long, downhill straight going as fast as your little car will take you. Just before you reach the dip at the bottom of the Eau Rouge “valley”, the track twists left left and then right before you’re sling-shot up an incredibly steep hill whose exit you cannot see given it lies over a crest and veers left. The moment of truth is when you decide whether you’re going to brake, or lift off the accelerator. Or go flat-out. And you haven’t driven properly on a track until you take Eau Rouge flat. This also explains its rather lethal nature should things go tits-up.
On the last lap of the day, Six took Eau Rouge as fast as he could under the conditions. His mistake was to clip the left kerb just at the top of the crest, when the car is at its lightest and you’re steering left at the same time. A kerb in the wet is like ice, folks. No joke. Which is why it took less than a second before Six was sideways over the crest on full opposite lock, with both feet jammed against the brakes and clutch in an attempt to regain some control.
Seconds slow down to minutes when you’re going sideways in the wet, your front tires on the grass facing a rather hefty green wall while your rears are still on the asphalt. And for a brief moment, both Six and his mate thought they were going to be able to recover and carry on with the lap unharmed; Six already worrying about being able to pick up his kids from school as promised.
When Six and Exige realised they were, in fact, not going to make it out of this mess intact, they both said exactly the same thing: “SHIT!”
They hit the green wall at somewhere around 100 kph, hard enough to set off the passenger side air-bags, before being spun around again for another hit before finding themselves with the car facing the wall, mostly on the grass, thank God. The cabin was filled with the acrid stench of the air-bags while smoke was coming out of the engine too. Six and his mate very quickly got out of the car and over the protective wall to await help as other drivers sliced by in the rain.
The M3 looked very poorly indeed, having taken a massive blow to the right front and rear. The collapsed suspension only reinforcing the impression of total defeat. While sickening and wrenching to behold, a healthy dose of adrenaline provided some lucidity to the painful proceedings that followed: the emergency crew arrived to ask if everything was alright; the tow truck pulled up to load the M3 and shaken driver/passenger; from inside the tow truck, both see Eau Rouge in reverse, as they drive down the slip-road to the paddocks where the devastated M3 is unloaded. It is the scraping noise of the front spoiler on the asphalt that strikes the most painful aural chord of the day, eclipsing all memories of the straight-six engine that had sung so loudly and proudly until Eau Rouge.
Six then sat down and drunk an entire Leffe Blonde very rapidly before embarking on the tedious task of informing BMW, the insurance company and his wife. We’ll spare you the details, but the tow truck driver from the circuit was delightful and empathetic where BMW and the insurance company were decidedly not. Mrs. Six was somewhere in between.
With no comprehensive insurance on the M3, Six was already dreading the repair invoice that was to follow. And the ride home in the Exige was as painful as it was uncomfortable. But what’s the point of something happening if it isn’t being filmed, right? So, you can see the whole thing for yourself in the video below, with the action starting around 3:43…
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Shit.
Come back on Friday when we’ll share what happens when Six asks BMW to provide a damage repair estimate and whether this whole sad tale actually ends…or not.
Our Prodigal crash at Spa’s notorious Eau Rouge
We love cars. We relish driving quickly and well. We adore circuits. But driving Spa-Francorchamps in the wet can represent a serious challenge, as Straight-Six finds out. The hard way.
10 Responses to “Our Prodigal crash at Spa’s notorious Eau Rouge”
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Nice and chavvy, just for you sweetheart…:)
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Could have been worse, Six.
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Wise words, my friend. And true. I got off lightly all things considered.
Have seen cars roll at Eau Rouge before. Not pretty…
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You crashed the Prodigalmobile!
How the Hell are we going to get to Baselworld next year!?
God, I’m going to miss raping Europe’s roads in that car.
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You and I both. Particularly amusing was hearing the breath knocked out of you as we hit bumps on the kW racing suspension at 270 kph, or so…
But don’t you have something with a bit of shovel? A V8 and quattro….?
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A.R.
26 October 2011
Oh well, it is just a car, material things are replaceable, a broken arm, leg, skull or finding a new suiting contributor to the Prodigal Guide would have been much more of a hassle to replace
. BUT, if I’m not mistaken, that does look like a broken front and/or rear axis, and pray to the petrol gods that your chassis-plate is not bent from the impact, or you can kiss your M3 bye bye, and off it goes to the scrap-yard. (starts praying for Straight Six)-
Bless you for your concern and remarks.
Tune in tomorrow to find out whether this story goes on. Or ends…
Pray hard, my friend. Please.
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Sam
24 November 2011
So sorry to see this, have crashed a few cars myself. Z4 coupes are a good price these days. Just picked one up for not a huge amount.
I think this video will make you realise everyone has a bad day at Spa sometimes.Eau (bollocks) rouge indeed….
http://axisofoversteer.blogspot.com/2011/10/eau-rouge-does-not-discriminate.html
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Sam,
That video not only made me feel a little better (thanks!), but it clearly shows what can happen in the wet.
Eau Rouge indeed doesn’t discriminate. They all can get it in the end.
Thanks for stopping by and posting the link.
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FHKJ
26 October 2011
Nice hoodie!