Spa-Francorchamps – A slower version of the Raidillon was tested

Last Wednesday, a first test took place during a track day. White lines drawn on the climb marked the new trajectories to accentuate the curvature of the right turn and force the drivers to brake more before tackling the difficulty. Among these, Pierre-Yves Rosoux. The Liégeois was able to make comparisons between the two versions at the wheel of his BMW M2 CS Racing. Equipped with a 3.0 L biturbo engine with 450 horsepower and equipped with Slick tires, the Bavarian set times close to those of the GT4 on the Ardennes slide.

« The new version, more angular, forces me to brake twenty meters earlier, says Rosoux. In this case, I arrive at 226 km/h and I use 58% of the brakes. In the classic Raidillon, I'm at the bottom of the hill at 229 and using 39% brakes. When the braking phase is finished, I am at 160 km/h in the new Raidillon compared to 180 in the old version. At the top of the hill, I'm at 170 km/h in the new-look Raidillon and 182 in the long-known bend. »

Pierre-Yves Rosoux goes further in his reasoning. “ It was, above all, about testing an ephemeral route (the painted lines have since been erased. Editor’s note) which we do not know, for the moment, if it will have a future. With a race car like the M2 CS Racing, the speed differences aren't huge. The more we approach the Raidillon with high-performance cars, the more the gap will narrow. I imagine that with good aerodynamic downforce, the speed difference will become tiny. To significantly reduce performance in the Raidillon, the bottom bend would probably have to be transformed into a hairpin. It would also be important to know some will be the intentions of the circuit (from the FIA ​​and the FIM as well. Editor’s note) in terms of vibrators. Will those placed on the right be flat or aggressive? Finally, this transformation risks also generating other mass transfers at the top. » It is likely that further trials will take place in the coming weeks.