WEC : Spa ou Spa-Francorchamps ? / Spa? Or Spa-Francorchamps?

6 Heures de Spa, 6 Heures de Spa-Francorchamps, 6 Heures de Francorchamps ou 1000 km de Francorchamps ? Lequel est correct ? La ville de Spa peut apparemment remercier les Britanniques pour sa renommée internationale…

Le nom officiel du circuit belge est Spa-Francorchamps, même si la ville de Spa se trouve à 10 km du paddock. C’est un peu comme Magny-Cours en France ; le nom officiel du circuit est Nevers Magny Cours. La ville de Nevers est pourtant quatre fois plus grande que Spa (40 000 habitants), mais c’est le petit village de Magny-Cours qui est entré dans l’histoire.

Nous avons demandé à des collègues belges de nous éclairer. « Personnellement, je parle toujours de Francorchamps : les 24 Heures de Francorchamps, le Grand-Prix de Francorchamps », nous a dit un journaliste flamand. « Ma seule exception, c’est ce week-end. Pour moi, les 6 Heures de Spa-Francorchamps restent les 1000 km de Spa, et ça ne changera pas. »

L’appellation Spa est la préférée des fans britanniques et allemands car le mot est plus facile à prononcer que Francorchamps. « Non seulement les Anglais ont rebaptisé le circuit, mais ils ont aussi inventé des noms de virages. Par exemple, pour nous, l’épingle Rivage est Bruxelles, et les virages des combes sont Pif-Paf et Malmedy. »

De son côté, un journaliste francophone emploie systématiquement le mot Spa. Jamais Francorchamps. « Je pense que beaucoup parlent de Spa en raison des relations de la ville et des sports mécaniques qui remontent à très longtemps. »

Dans un pays aussi partagé que la Belgique, il n’est peut-être pas étonnant que l’on se divise aussi sur l’appellation du circuit !

Pour information, Francorchamps – qui accueille 80% du circuit – est un petit village qui dépend de Stavelot (nom du Turn 16). Le circuit passe également sur la commune de Malmedy, qui n’a aucune mention dans l’appellation officielle !

Le circuit traversant leur territoire, les gens de Stavelot sont un peu jaloux de la renommée internationale acquise par Spa grâce au circuit. En réponse, ils ont créé le Stavelot Motor Museum, un lieu à visiter pour les fans de sports mécaniques…

You can find this weekend’s round of the FIA World Endurance Championship described as the 6 Hours of Spa, the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the 6 Hours of Francorchamps, or even the 1,000km of Francorchamps. Which is correct? And why so many alternatives? The town of Spa can apparently thank the British nation’s notorious lack of language skills for its worldwide reputation!

Belgium’s legendary circuit is officially known as Spa-Francorchamps, even though the town of Spa is around 10km away from the paddock.

It’s a bit like Nevers Magny-Cours in France, except that Nevers (population: 40,000) is four times bigger than the Ardennes thermal resort.

Also, the French venue is nearly always referred to simply as ‘Magny-Cours’, the name of the neighbouring village, whereas the Belgian track is more frequently called just ‘Spa’, at least internationally.

We asked some Belgian colleagues to talk us through the political correctness of the situation: “Personally, I always talk about ‘Francorchamps’: the 24 Hours of Francorchamps, the Francorchamps Formula 1 Grand Prix,” said a Flemish reporter. “My only exception is this weekend’s race. For me, the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps will always be the 1,000km of Spa. That will never change.”

The appellation ‘Spa’, he suggests, is preferred by British and German racing fans because they find ‘Francorchamps’ too difficult to pronounce: “Not only did the English re-baptise the circuit but they also invented new names for many of the turns. For us, the 'Rivage' hairpin, for example, is known as ‘Bruxelles’, and the ‘Les Combes’ corners are ‘Zig-Zag’ plus ‘Malmedy’…”

Meanwhile, another journalist, from French-speaking Wallonia, says he systematically employs ‘Spa’. Never ‘Francorchamps’! “I think many people say ‘Spa’ because of its association with motor racing from the very early days of the sport,” he reasons.

In a country that is so distinctly divided into two parts, it’s perhaps no surprise that there is no common view, even on such an everyday subject!

For information, Francorchamps – home of 80% of the track – is actually a small village that is part of Stavelot (the name of Turn 16). However, part of the land on which it sits actually belongs to nearby Malmedy, which doesn’t even get a mention in the official name.

Because it is located on their territory, the people of Stavelot are understandably a little jealous of the international renown enjoyed by their neighbours in Spa thanks to the circuit. Their response was to found the Stavelot Motor Museum, a must for all motor racing fans visiting Spa, Francorchamps, or anywhere in Belgium, come to that!

The Lockheed Lounge by Marc Newson is the most expensive sofa in the world

Lockheed Lounge by Marc Newson is considered the world's most expensive contemporary design object. In 2009, the aircraft-wing-inspired couch was sold at auction for £1.1 million. Today, another example could yield more than twice that figure…

Uncomfortable, but expensive

There might be more comfortable seating than a sofa produced in the style of an aircraft wing - but when the Australian designer Marc Newson first unveiled his streamlined recliner in 1985, at an exhibition in Sydney, the design world loved it. Newson then developed a small series. The organically shaped Lockheed Lounge, named after the American aircraft manufacturer, consisted of glassfibre-reinforced plastic covered with thin, riveted sheets of aluminium. In 1998, the aeronautical furniture made headlines again when an example was sold by the Phillips de Pury auction house for £1.1 million, breaking all previous records. Among the listings of a London design sale by Phillips on 28 April 2015, a Lockheed Lounge is once again due to come under the hammer. The auction house expects the unusual sofa to fetch between £1.5 and £2.5 million.

24 HEURES MOTONAUTIQUES DE ROUEN 3 CHAMPIONNAT DU MONDE, 2 JOURS DE FÊTES ET D’EXPLOIT

Célébrées chaque année au 1^er mai, les 24 Heures Motonautiques de Rouen constituent le plus grand évènement d’endurance motonautique au monde. Les meilleurs compétiteurs de plus de 20 nations viennent s’affronter au cœur de la Ville de Rouen autour de l’île Lacroix qui devient le temps des 24HROUEN, la capitale du motonautisme.

Quelques 112 compétiteurs vont se disputer la victoire sur 3 catégories officielles de l’Union International Motonautique 

L’ESPRIT DES 24 HEURES DE ROUEN

Au-delà de la compétition sportive qui verra s'affronter les meilleurs compétiteurs du moment, cette épreuve normande proposera aux 250 000 visiteurs attendus une immersion dans l'univers du motonautisme, une rencontre avec un public. Exploits sportifs, spectacles, découvertes et émotions seront ainsi donc au rendez-vous du 30 Avril au 2 Mai 2015.

Afin d'organiser un évènement extraordinaire, les 24 Heures Motonautiques de Rouen 2015 s’articulent autour d’engagements forts : l'exploit, le respect,

L’EXPLOIT 

Celui des meilleurs compétiteurs qui repoussent toujours les limites du sport. Cette compétition qui montre l’excellence d’un savoir-faire et du motonautisme de haut niveau international. Un événement qui impose exigence et qualité organisationnelle. Une quête d’exploirt, une recherche de sensation, un spectacle en réponse aux attentes du public.

LE RESPECT 

Respect des hommes et de la mécanique, de l’environnement. Un moment de convivialité entre tous, visiteurs, compétiteurs, Normands et Rouennais. Une occasion de montrer la fierté rouennaise et de (re)découvrir une région de caractère.

‘06 Triumph Bonneville – MaccoMotors

Written by Martin Hodgson

When you live in the UK and want to customise your very English Triumph Bonneville to a high British standard you send it to… Spain? For owner Daniel, that is the path he took having seen the work of Spanish builders Macco Motors and the results speak for themselves. A classic Brit built in Spain with parts from around the world; it exemplifies the global community the custom culture has become and the result is one incredible 2006 Triumph Bonneville T100 named “Steadfast”.

Daniel had previously performed some modifications of his own to his T100 having fitted some M bars and pipes from Norman Hyde. But simple changes were never going to be enough to quench Daniel’s thirst for something truly unique and having seen their work he knew Jose and Tito from Macco Motors were just the men to build his machine. The Macco Motors boys got to work on a design that was based on their previous Triumph work but with a darker and more industrial look to better suit Daniel’s requirements. It was love at first site and with the bike now in Spain work commenced immediately. The tank is the centre piece, with classic double pin stripes separating the industrial matte black from the raw metal finish.

Wanting to use their signature leather seat Macco first needed to fabricate a custom subframe to suit the new setup and to give the bike a cleaner look. The leather seat is trimmed in Macco’s favourite colour leather that gives the Modern bike a vintage look and further enhances the T100s industrial credentials. The new subframe holds the Macco built rear mudguard supporting a classic look taillight out back. Nothing says custom Triumph like a Bates style headlight and new bullet indicators clean up the overall look. Completing the finish is a handmade fibreglass front guard and Macco side covers specially built for the T100 to show off some of the functional components while still hiding the electrics.

Wanting a bike that performed as well as it looked Daniel had Macco install a set of progressive rate springs in the front forks by Hagon working in unison with the adjustable Hagon Nitro’s out back. The final contact point with the road is left to the beefy front Metzeler Tourance tyre with a matching 140 section rear Metzeler Tourance laying down the power.

And while Daniels T100 hasn’t been given a full engine build there are a few more ponies thanks to the aforementioned pipes that are now heat wrapped and matched to the colour coded SuperTrapps.

Jumping aboard the Triumph Daniel now takes control thanks to a set of Biltwell Tracker handlebars with matching Biltwell grips to absorb the vibrations. The single speedo provides all the information needed to avoid a speeding ticket and the built in warning lights give the front end an ultra-clean look.

The race style levers not only look the business but make grabbing a handful of brake or clutch a much quicker prospect and the alloy footpegs keep riding boots in place in all sorts of climactic conditions. Keeping Daniel’s leg safe but finishing off the build in the black industrial theme is an LSL sprocket cover.

With the bike completed the gamble of sending a British motorcyle to a Spanish workshop has absolutely paid off. Jose and Tito have built just the bike Daniel desired, designed to his specifications and finished beyond expectation. It’s just another day at Macco Motors, taking popular bikes and turning out one-off creations that are built to be loved and enjoyed; we can all drink to that!

[Photos by Sergio Ibarra]

via PIPEBURN