SPA

[markgq4]

A week today should be whizzing round Spa GP circuit. :)

I saw a couple of Q4`s on the list for spaitalia.
one french and one dutch i think, Is it anyone from here?

[Steve Webb]

Raph from the old forum is going I'm sure (a French Q4) but not sure who the Dutch one is. Can you try and get some photos of the trip, love to get some details from you and write up an article on it.

Steve

[Brul(tm)]

Is it anyone from here?

Not yet ;)
That is the Q4 from Jochem, he has a wide body Q4 (nordic blue) from 1996 i believe.

Greetings,
Marc

[markgq4]

Hi,

Have got to go in the P4, my baby is still off the road :(
But will definately be looking for the Q4 cars, so its Raph and Jochem, cool.

Steve, will certainly get some pics....
(and can attempt to write a few lines to go with them for you.)


Eau rouge here we come :D

[markgq4]

Hi people,
just to finish up the thread.

Spaitalia, my trip report... (not what i had hoped for)

I had just got the car ready the day before we were due to catch the ferry to France. And so we travelled down to Thurrock nr London on thursday so i could watch the England match, my partner went out to get some money and fuel and on filling the car up she discovered petrol was pouring out of the filler neck, i went to meet her to see what was wrong and when i arrived the fire brigade were in attendance... :? :roll:
Anyway we agreed with fire brigade there was a problem and it could be resolved without too much danger so they left and i drained tank to half full and the leak stopped. We took the ferry next day and drove to Leige to stay overnight friday, at a very nice hotel right on the riverbank in the centre of town.
Saturday was the big day and we left for Spa, around 30km away, we needed some money so chose to find an ATM on the way.. assuming Belgium would be similiar to France and there would be atm everywhere. Er no! actually, in case you didnt know, they are almost non existant in belgium! Unless you know a local secret passcode or something.
So we arrived at Spa after this fuitless search with yes, no money.

We were let in the circuit and sent towards the alfa area, then somehow ended up getting directed up to the track with the crowd going out for the first "parade" session despite NOT having the required entry number stuck to the front of the car. fortunately we realised what they were doing and veered off at the last second before taking the whole family round the circuit!
Well we found the organisers office and collected my pass to the circuit for the scuderia session and made our way back down to the alfa area, where i met the only other UK car owner attending from the 33 forum, who was buzzing from his run round the circuit in the parade session which despite its name was more of a fast-driving session than any kind of parade with people waving!
So despite some nervousness as most of the cars going out for the scuderia session were actually race cars, i put on my helmet and went out on track... from the pits up to Eau rouge, superb at last, what a circuit! i was chasing an old race prepped gtv around just to find the cars speed all the way round and thro to the bus stop and down to la source into second and round onto straight %$^&! :shock: i have only got second gear !! the gearstick is stuck! nooo! i cant belive it one lap and the p4 is finished now i know the 33 g/box is the weak point but thats a bit ridiculous, talk about fragile!
i managed to get to the service road at the beginning of eau rouge and parked and waited for some help. A very nice man in a tow truck turned up some 15 minutes later and towed me round a full lap back to the pits and alfa area. so i did 2 laps in all :D
i poked around under car couldnt see the problem and we decided we ought to leave as it may take a while to get back to hotel with only 2nd gear, so we left, and that was all i saw of spaitalia 2006.
Spaitalia and the circuit itself are very good and i will definately go again next year, but in the Q4 this time.
I would say if you want it fairly quiet and plenty of track room go on the saturday as there really were not many people or cars about but i was told the sunday is the better day to go.
It is also very easy to get to from the ferries from dover as the motorway across belguim to spa is almost a straight road for the whole distance and i saw not one police car! Spa is well signposted and spaitalia itself is too. So i`ll see all of you there next year then :)

Just to finish the nightmare weekend i got the car back to the hotel and poked around in g/box to discover the selector rod had jumped out of the fork hence being stuck in 2nd but of course i had no oil in g/box now thinking i can get some more oil from a service station we set of for the ferry sunday morning only to find of course Nowhere sells g/box oil in belguim service stations and about 10km from ferry the g/box seized and the diff exploded. So car was pushed into dunkirk and abandoned and we went back for it the following weekend.
In the end my 1 lap of spa has cost in the region of 750GBP!

my advice is go and enjoy it, but be sure your car is up to it.
Mark, (still going next year. :)

[FletchQ4]

wow dude sounds like a proper adventure, good on you.

[Juan AR155Q4]

Wow, that´s really bad luck. Hopefully didn´t frightened you, cause you´re planning for next year. And with more power under the foot :twisted:

[cuore_sportivo_155]

Next time someone goes there, warn a local (like me)... could save a lot of hassle, and definitely a gearbox from running dry, or a throat, I live right next to the E40 to Spa.

Regards
Cuore_Sportivo_155 (who hates to see an Alfa blown to bits)

[RaphQ4]

saw a couple of Q4`s on the list for spaitalia.
one french and one dutch i think, Is it anyone from here?

hie all!

yes it was me probably. I was at SPA ITALIA the 2 last years!

It's so great to drive on this circuit with a Q4!


http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/9749/cimg0874lk1.jpg


on the redillon's curve just behind a 155 2.0 TS :


http://img464.imageshack.us/img464/8840/cimg2473fe9.jpg


http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/8905/cimg2455fx2.jpg


bye! Raph

[Steve Webb]

Hi Cuore_sportivo_155,

nice to know we have a member close to the circuit, I am trying to arrange an organised trip to SpaItalia in 2007. It would be very useful to have some local knowledge to help out with places to stay or places to drink. Let me know if you would like to help me out, but be careful, you might end up with 6 or so Q4's arriving at your house in June. But you would probably end up will all the passenger rides around the circuit you can handle.

Steve

[Brul(tm)]

but be careful, you might end up with 6 or so Q4's arriving at your house in June.

Don't worry, I only have one Q4 :mrgreen:

:lol:

Greetings,
Marc

[cuore_sportivo_155]

I'm preparing a 2.0 for race use, so would love to go myself also. But that being said, I usually go straight for the ring.

Anyway, got plenty of parking space here... When is SPA-Italia going down exactly? My wife demanded I'd take her on a vacation neext year so we're going to Italy 17-25/06/2007. Might be tempted to bring home a Q4 from there if there's any cheap ones on Ebay...

EDIT: saw the sticky now so nevermind...