REPORT: Spa-Francorchamps circuit nearly has racing revoked license until 2026
Seems like every day brings something new in Formula 1, and lately none of it's been good. Now we hear that our absolute favorite track on the calendar, Belgium's Spa-Francorchamps circuit, is on the brink of having its license stripped for – get this – 17 years.
Why? Because residents didn't appreciate that high-octane wailing brought on by the F1 circus, so the local Council of State instructed the circuit to conduct an environmental impact study. From the sounds of it, someone tried to get the study done the night before it was due, because the Council found it "seriously inadequate and incomplete." Instead of issuing a simple detention, the Council said "No race for you!" until, *gulp,* 2026.
Thankfully, Spa's director, Pierre-Alain Thibault, now says that "the situation has changed" since the original noise complaint was filed, that the circuit has worked with residents and lowered the decibels. Next year's race is provisionally scheduled for August 29, which gives Thibault a fair bit of time to talk to residents and challenge the Council's actions. A day's wrangling has given the circuit some breathing room to address all of the legal issues before it is officially closed, but it looks like they gotta lotta 'splainin' to do before they can guarantee a 2010 race. For the sake of F1 race fans everywhere, we hope Eau Rouge isn't taken from us. Hat tip to Ryan.
[Source: Crash.net | Image: nmajoros via CC 2.0]
Get a WordPress.com Blog
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
ack154 9:33AM (9/24/2009)
"REPORT: Spa-Francorchamps circuit nearly has racing revoked license until 2026"
Wait... it has what?
Reply
HotRodzNKustoms 9:50AM (9/24/2009)
You've never gotten your racing revoked license??? Then how do you race revokedes?
JSams4131 10:41AM (9/24/2009)
haha that just made my day
TigerMil 11:29AM (9/24/2009)
Stupidity does hurt. However, democracy being what it is, people are free to exercise their vote.
So muffle the freakin' F1 circus. HP/weight/etc. limits are already there...put a decible limit on the screamin' machines. Say 110Db at 110ft (symmetrical, that) at all rpm/torque/throttle.
HotRodzNKustoms 11:56AM (9/24/2009)
@TigerMil My father has a car that blows 118Dbs measured from half a mile away. I'm not sure what a F1 car blows but I imagine in is in the same neighborhood. With the kind of exhaust pressures being exerted to create that much noise it would take extremely creative and heavy exhaust systems to be able to effectively quiet them down without sending pieces of mufflers shooting down the track at the other drivers.
Paul 3:57PM (9/24/2009)
Why do people move near world-famous racing tracks and then complain about a weekend's noise? Spa has been there -- one form or another -- for over 80 YEARS! And F1 is running engines for a total of three days. C'mon...
It's the same thing with Laguna Seca. People build houses next to a *race track* and then proclaim shock "shock I say!" that it gets noisy. For these fools, I hope the noise doubles.
Ray 4:15PM (9/24/2009)
Maybe they'll put glasspacks on them to really annoy the neighbors. That's what we did at least.
Mike K 9:40AM (9/24/2009)
So people who live next to a race track that was apparently built in the 1920's are complaining about the noise?
Its like people who buy a house near an airport and then call up when low planes fly by. (Yes I own a house near and airport)
Reply
HotRodzNKustoms 9:51AM (9/24/2009)
It happened to Laguna Seca. People built houses near the track and were somehow surprised that the race track was there the whole time.
Mike K 9:54AM (9/24/2009)
HotRodzNKustoms:
"It happened to Laguna Seca. People built houses near the track and were somehow surprised that the race track was there the whole time."
Stupidity should hurt
StickShift 1:02PM (9/24/2009)
It should, but it doesn't
The same thing has happened at Raceway Park in Englishtown NJ. The place has been there since the mid 60s, but all the idiots who moved there over the past 10 years can't handle the noise or the traffic when events are held there. Infuriating.
Paul 9:49AM (9/24/2009)
I don't the understand headline
Reply
Sean Flanagan 10:40AM (9/24/2009)
What there to understand is?
Ray 4:16PM (9/24/2009)
What....wait?
Jsingleton17 9:56AM (9/24/2009)
The season would be so much less interesting without Spa. That town would be shooting itself in the foot. I'm sure that race brings in a lot of money.
Reply
jonnybimmer 10:00AM (9/24/2009)
Oh WTF people. Unless you're in your 100's and have fighting it your whole life, no one has grounds to be upset at Spa. It's like complaining that planes fly too low if you lived next to an airport. Go figure if you move next to a racetrack that it might get a little loud.
Reply
Ian 10:03AM (9/24/2009)
I don't know the entire situation in Belgium, but here in the States we have problems all the time with people moving next to a track thats been in place for 40 years, and then they want to complain and shut the place down.
They try constantly in Englishtown NJ, and luckily here in Reading PA, the residents realize that A) Maple Grove pays ALL the property taxes for the township its in, and B) they bring in MILLIONS of dollars in revenue to the county and city.
People need to realize that these tracks have been here for DECADES, so stfu and deal with it or MOVE. No one forced you to move here, or you did move because there are little to no taxes THANKS TO THE RACETRACK. Jackasses.
Reply
Andrewlcox1 10:11AM (9/24/2009)
I don't see that many residents living so close to the track to be complaing. Spa should offer these complaining residents free tickets for their inconvenience and that's it.
I work for a railroad and we get residents who live close to the tracks complaining of the noise all the time. Are you kidding me? Haven't they heard the phrase "it sounded like a freight train running through here".
Besides, who doesn't like the sound of 18,000 RPM's?
Reply
speedball3 12:22PM (9/24/2009)
Well I'm sure they don't appreciate it when they're trying to watch the race and can't hear their TVs over the noise of those danged cars at the track.
Kyle D 10:20AM (9/24/2009)
Hey, if those people don't want to live near Spa-Francorchamps, I will GLADLY buy their property. I'll also take houses near the Nurburgring or La Sarthe (Le Mans). The wail of a Formula 1 car would be a better alarm clock than anything you could buy at walmart, that's for sure.
Reply