One of the best things about joining a PCGB Region is the people you meet at events, but no-one made more of an impression on us last year than the fellow R12 member who shared the story of his visit to the Porsche Club Francorchamps Days in April 2024. When he related how hospitable everyone was, despite him being pretty much the only Brit attending and having no French, we knew it just had to be done.
My co-pilot Julian and I alternate between Le Mans and the Festival of Speed each year and had previously discussed visiting Spa, so he was immediately game when I proposed the trip. We made the journey in my Paint to Sample Olympic Blue Boxster 981. It’s by far the least powerful of the assortment of Boxsters and 911s, six Corvettes, a Maserati GT and several fast Audis I’ve owned, but it’s a smile-inducing car that unfailingly inspires road users to let ‘Mr Blue’ in at junctions.
START AS YOU MEAN TO GO ON
The Eurotunnel was as easy as ever, the roads were clear through Belgium and we arrived at the Hotel de la Source in Francorchamps on the Friday night to collect our circuit access tickets and wristbands in a sea of European owners, all of whom were friendly. Book the hotel if you can; it’s right by the south-western circuit entrance at (you guessed it) La Source and, if not cheap, it isn’t silly expensive and is modern and comfortable, with lots of parking. There is plenty more accommodation locally – we booked an apartment just up the road which was fine – so there’s plenty of budgetary choice. The hotel restaurant is good too, if a little busy on the Friday night, and the Côté Montagne Francorchamps nearby is a friendly restaurant that serves great food.
Early (as in, 8am early) the next day, we headed to the circuit and that’s another tip: you’d do well to beat the rush because it gets somewhat congested later on. The signage isn’t great – I’m happy to give advance guidance if anyone contacts me – but then it’s all run by club volunteers and you have to make allowances because the event comes together on the Saturday. That early arrival helped in finding the paddock for the circuit run later that day and we were soon parked alongside a Mint Green Boxster Spider and a stunning Pastel Orange GT3. One of the most impressive features of the event is that 3,500 or so Porsches converge on the track from all over Europe, filling both the hilly paddock and a large overflow car park, and you’ll see every model you could ever imagine. There was even a line-up of the famous Porsche tractors that did a Le Mans start late on Saturday just for laughs.
THIS IS THE LIFE
This plethora of impressive cars brings with it 10,000 people from all over the continent (although disappointingly few are from the UK) to the track. Some come to relax and car-spot with full access to the pits, some to drive the track behind a pace car (ours did one more lap than he was supposed to when the time came and the wryly smiling organisers literally blocked the track at the Bus Stop chicane to make him go into the pits) and some take the chance to do full-on track laps.
In the case of the latter, there are a number of classes for beginner, intermediate or semi-pro drivers and, if you’re keen to drive Spa, then this is a great chance to do so at whatever level you qualify for. The briefings are professional and very clear, but we suggest you do your homework in advance to know the track and the rules. Failing that, you can just book a GT3 or GT3 RS track taxi for the passenger ride of a lifetime for €3-400 – not cheap, but highly recommended.
There’s plenty to eat and drink inside the paddock, ranging from the usual fast food to some quite nice restaurant fare in the bar above the pits, but we wouldn’t advise buying the hospitality because it’s the same food as the restaurant but without alcohol. It was a quiet haven from the packed paddock with a cool main straight view, but it lacked what we were hoping for in terms of the chance to have a drink with a view of the track cars coming and going.
For dinner on the Saturday night, we booked the club barbecue in the Spa Racing Drivers Club and were lucky enough to fall in with a French party from Grenoble who were utterly charming to us clueless Brits. Madame, having recently sold her business, was driving a gorgeous Paint to Sample Aubergine 992 Targa that she bought to celebrate, while her husband was tracking a GT3 around the circuit in the day – talk about living the dream. If enough of you go to fill a table, then happy days. If not, our experience is that, as ever, the locals will go a long way to bridge the language gap if you make the effort.
START YOUR ENGINES
So, why should you go in 2026? We loved the freedom to wander around a historic F1 track paddock and the seemingly never-ending selection of both modern and vintage Porsches, from the everyday to the stunningly rare. The chance to drive the Spa track in our own car was a joy and, if you’re minded to drive track laps or just to be scared silly by a professional hot shoe and get to fully understand just what a rollercoaster Spa is, the weekend is not to be missed. Oh, and to be completely transparent, you’ll also get the chance to get properly wet if typical Ardennes weather intervenes. We had one day of blistering sun and one day of heavy rain, so take that umbrella, but the rain is all part of Spa’s charm as a grand old European circuit and of this hidden gem of an event. See you next year?
This feature was written by Anthony Riches and first appeared in the July 2025 issue of our monthly Club magazine, Porsche Post. Join today to receive your copy, as well as enjoying a host of exclusive member benefits and savings.
Anthony Riches is the author of the Empire series of Roman historical fiction books and the Protector thrillers. He is something of a petrolhead who’s owned more cars than he can remember, but is now in a long-term relationship with a 981 Boxster and a Macan S EV.