45 race cars took to the public roads around Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, as well as the town centre of Malmedy, to celebrate the return this weekend of the Hankook 12H SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS.
Words – James Gent
Images – Petr Frýba
CREVENTIC celebrated its return to Spa-Francorchamps in sensational fashion on Thursday 21 April as 45 race cars – GT and TCE divisions alike – took to the streets of Stavelot in a parade to the neighbouring town of Malmedy.
A revival of the road-going parade of racecars that also opened the CREVENTIC-organised TCR SPA 500 in 2019, the 10km demonstration from the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps pitlane to Malmedy’s town centre, every inch of which was done on public roads, gave motorsport fans, both new and established, the chance to get up close and personal with the Porsche 991 GT3 Rs, Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeos, 992-gen Porsche Cups, and TCR Audis and Volkswagens, among many other models, that will compete at this weekend’s Hankook 12H SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS.
The celebratory prelude to this weekend’s 12-hour endurance race also offered fans autograph and photography opportunities with more than 150 drivers registered to compete this weekend.
“The Malmedy parade was something we were very keen to revive for our first event at Spa-Francorchamps in three years,” CREVENTIC sporting coordinator Ole Dörlemann explained. “This region positively bursts with motorsport heritage, and while we’re confident fans will enjoy a close race this weekend, we also wanted to offer a little something extra. Something that fans and our competitors will talk about for years to come.
“We obviously couldn’t have managed this without the support of all our teams, so I’d like to take this opportunity to thank each of them sincerely.”
“Trying to arrange a parade like this and ensure everything runs smoothly is obviously not an easy task!” continues CREVENTIC event manager David Vink, who spearheaded the parade. “These are amazing machines to watch on-track, and to see them on public roads is not something motor racing fans can experience all that often. It really brings the 24H SERIES to the fans!”
All cars that took part in the Spa-Malmedy on-road parade will also compete on-track at the Hankook 12H SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS this weekend.
Free Practice begins at 13.50 hrs local time on Friday 22 April, and is set to be followed by a one-hour Qualifying session later that afternoon at 15.50 hrs. The green flag for the race proper will fly at 12.25 hrs on Saturday 23 April, and, following CREVENTIC’s traditional overnight intervention, the remaining 6.5 hours will be concluded from 11.20 hrs onwards on Sunday 24 April.
