Faster than the F1!

Spa-Francorchamps 1970. This 1000 km race, counting for the world championship of makes, was one of the best examples of the great sports-car battles of the 1970’s.

Many of the top drivers in the world (Ickx, Rodriguez, Surtees, Redman, Siffert…), all of them also racing in Formula One, were fighting it out at the most fearsomely fast circuit in Europe, and the cars were awesome.

Ferrari had brought its 512S, while Porsche came up with its mighty 917, and these cars raced this very fast track at fantastic speeds. For example, Pedro Rodriguez (Porsche 917K) lapped Spa in 3m 16s 5, averaging 160.513 mph (258.322 km/h)!

Three weeks later, the Formula One cars were at Spa, and the fastest cars were 12 seconds a lap slower (!) than these mighty sports-prototypes… and Rodriguez won the Grand Prix in a BRM!

At the end, and after an homeric battle with the sister car, the Siffert-Redman Gulf Porsche 917K won the 1970 1000 km of Spa, and the Ickx-Surtees Ferrari 512S finished second (picture below), in the same lap. In third position came the Salzburg Porsche 917K of Vic Elford and Kurt Ahrens, one lap behind.