GRR

ps_spa_saturday_6.jpg
endurance_racing_legends_spa_classic_2019_190518_05.jpg
endurance_racing_legends_spa_classic_2019_190518_09.jpg
endurance_racing_legends_spa_classic_2019_190518_10.jpg
endurance_racing_legends_spa_classic_2019_190518_02-saleen.jpg
endurance_racing_legends_spa_classic_2019_190518_15.jpg
endurance_racing_legends_spa_classic_2019_190518_22.jpg
endurance_racing_legends_spa_classic_2019_190518_24.jpg
endurance_racing_legends_spa_classic_2019_190518_35.jpg
endurance_racing_legends_spa_classic_2019_190518_38.jpg
endurance_racing_legends_spa_classic_2019_190518_50.jpg
endurance_racing_legends_spa_classic_2019_190518_39.jpg
endurance_racing_legends_spa_classic_2019_190518_40.jpg
endurance_racing_legends_spa_classic_2019_190518_42.jpg
ps_spa_friday_1.jpg
ps_spa_friday_11.jpg
ps_spa_friday_13.jpg
ps_spa_friday_15.jpg
ps_spa_friday_16.jpg
ps_spa_friday_17.jpg
ps_spa_friday_18.jpg
ps_spa_friday_20.jpg
ps_spa_friday_2.jpg
ps_spa_friday_24.jpg
ps_spa_friday_4.jpg
ps_spa_friday_23.jpg
ps_spa_friday_6.jpg
ps_spa_friday_5.jpg
ps_spa_saturday_1.jpg
ps_spa_saturday_12.jpg
ps_spa_saturday_14.jpg
ps_spa_saturday_20.jpg
ps_spa_saturday_7.jpg
ps_spa_saturday_21.jpg
ps_spa_saturday_9.jpg
ps_spa_saturday_8.jpg

Gallery: Recently-retired endurance racers blast through the Ardennes

18th May 2019
Ben Miles

When do cars cease to become modern and join the ranks of those eligible for historic motorsport?

There's no laid down definition of when cars pass from one to the other, which leaves the question down to event organisers. In the States our friends at Historic Sportscar Racing are very happy to allow recently retired racing cars into their ranks rather than letting them fall silent. But until recently similar cars found themselves absent of purpose over here in Europe.

That was until in the last couple of years Peter Auto and the FIA's Masters series both, within a short space of time of each other, founded new series for sportscars which lived their racing lives within the last few decades.

Here at the Spa Classic that means an incredibly varied grid has lined up as part of Endurance Racing Legends, a series which made its debut a few years back as a group of high-speed demos and has now morphed into its very own racing calendar.

For those who grew up in the 1990s and 2000s this is a heady mix – you'll find everything from prototype racers from the IMSA years to big-engined GT cars which have only just come out of the modern rotation. 

Finding standouts is at first pretty obvious, but more difficult the longer you watch. Ferrari 333SP wails, Panoz Esperante growls and Aston DBR9 howls are immediately recognised. But the more you look the more you see, and suddenly the barmy Marcos LM500 is catching your pupils, two Venturis, with turbos whistling, fly past and there's even a Toyota Supra GT2 car in there.

We can't quite catch our breath.

Photography by Pete Summers and Ben Miles.

  • Motorsport

  • Historic

  • Spa Francorchamps

  • Spa Classic

  • Spa Classic 2019

  • 2019

  • Aston Martin

  • Ferrari

  • Dallara

  • Corvette

  • Chevrolet

  • Panoz

  • Saleen

  • S7

Shop the latest layers essentials in the Motor Circuit Collection

Shop Now