Guus Docen

Guus Docen

Thursday, 21 October 2021 19:44
Published in European Desk

28th Spa Six Hours - Francorchamps 30 September-3 October 2021

Covid-19 made it quiet at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the Belgian Ardennes for a long time. Finally the organizers of the Spa Six Hours, Roadbook (Alain Defalle and Vincent Collard) got the green light from the government for their traditional long distance race-weekend. Not only the drivers but also the spectators were eager to travel to the 7 kilometre long track. The organizers had chosen a subtitle for the event as well. The motto for the entire weekend was “Spa Six Hours - “The Sound of History”. There were 87 entries for the most important race of this event, the Six Hours race. Some grids of the other races were not as full as in previous years but that’s understandable as the majority of the teams come from the UK and travelling from the UK and back again is still an issue in the light of Covid-19.
Saturday, 07 August 2021 08:17
Published in European Desk

Zandvoort Race Classics 16-18 July 2021

Like last year the programme of the Zandvoort Historic Grand Prix had to be changed completely. Traditionally, over sixty percent of the drivers and teams at the Historic Grand Prix are from the UK. The reason was obvious, Covid-19 and the strict rules relating to travel to and from the UK with a mandatory 10-day quarantine. In consultation with Masters Historic Racing and the FIA, it was decided that the classes Masters Historic Formula One, Masters Endurance Legends and the FIA Historic Formula 3 European Cup, amongst others, would not be present at the originally scheduled Historic Grand Prix 2021.
Tuesday, 20 October 2020 19:51
Published in European Desk

Historic Grand Prix Zandvoort 4-6 September 2020

After four months of renovation and improvement, the legendary Zandvoort track was ready for the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix but due to the COVID-19 pandemic the return of the FIA Formula 1 race was cancelled. For the same reason the Historic Grand Prix couldn’t be held in the usual way. Initially, the 9th HGP was announced as primarily a drivers event, but fortunately a few thousand spectators were also admitted, ensuring a much more pleasant atmosphere.
Monday, 06 April 2020 18:16
Published in European Desk

Spa-Francorchamps Circuit Museum

The Spa-Francorchamps circuit was created in the early 20’s using the streets of the three villages Malmedy, Stavelot and Francorchamps. The Spa-Francorchamps Circuit Museum was opened to the public in 1984. Since 2002, it has been part of the ETC (Espace-Tourisme-Culture) museum complex located in the Abbey of Stavelot, which also houses the Museum of the Principality and the Guillaume Apollinaire Museum.
Wednesday, 16 October 2019 09:51
Published in European Desk

27th Spa Six Hours - Francorchamps 27-29 September 2019

Located at the heart of the Belgian Ardennes forest lies one of the most beautiful circuits in the world, the circuit of Spa Francorchamps. Similar to the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the Spa circuit was built into a hilly landscape in the 1920s. Although it has been adapted to modern requirements over the past decades, it has lost nothing of its appeal. For motorsport with classic vehicles, Spa-Francorchamps is also an ideal venue. The most interesting European event for nostalgic petrol heads is the Spa Six Hours weekend. This year the 27th Spa Six Hours weekend, organised by the Road Book Organisation, took place from the 25th to the 29th of September 2019. More than 650 historic racing cars are competing again in various race classes. The absolute highlight of the weekend is the long distance race - the Spa Six Hours.
Friday, 20 September 2019 13:04
Published in European Desk

Historic Grand Prix Zandvoort 6-8 September 2019

The eighth edition of the Historic Grand Prix Zandvoort was again a great historic racing event for all classic car enthusiasts. During three days, races were held for twelve different race series and four demonstration runs were organised. Touring cars, GTs, sports cars and formula cars from several decades drove the 4.3 kilometre circuit in the dunes. The visitors enjoyed the rich history of motorsport in all its facets, both on the track, behind the track and in the parking areas. During the previous seven years we were a bid spoiled with lovely late summer weather and Friday was indeed a sunny day but Saturday and Sunday there were some heavy rain showers.
Saturday, 07 September 2019 18:52
Published in European Desk

AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix 9-11 August 2019

The 47th AvD Oldtimer Grand Prix, attracted more than 53,000 spectators. Approximately 500 historic racing cars were present at the Nürburgring, showing their muscles on the tarmac with an immense roar of the well tuned engines. The weather conditions were constantly changing with a heavy shower during Friday’s qualifying sessions in the afternoon. The weather during the races on Saturday increasingly took a turn towards the sunny side, so adding some more spice to the competition because on the wet track in qualifying the lighter and more agile classic cars frequently had an advantage, while during racing under dry conditions the more powerful vehicles were able to leverage their strengths. Hence the spectators saw gripping races with many position battles.
Friday, 21 June 2019 13:14
Published in European Desk

Nürburgring Classic 2019

25 races and more than 800 starters provided a large and varied program of the third edition of the "Nürburgring Classic". The event’s main sponsor of the Nürburgring Classic was the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer Richard Mille. The weather turned out much better than the predictions on the various media. Friday and Saturday were even very sunny. Despite the weather conditions, the event was not so well-attended as the grandstands were almost empty on Sunday. For visitors Saturday was the best day to drive to the Nürburgring as the most interesting races could be watched that day. Included in the entry fee was access to the paddock area which gave the visitors the opportunity to view the racecars even better.
Friday, 12 April 2019 10:22
Published in European Desk

Citroën 2CV Museum in Andijk, the Netherlands

In the top ten of cult cars are the Ford model T, VW Beetle, Mini, Fiat 500 but without doubt also the Citroën 2CV or Deux Chevaux.  The name Deux Chevaux (2 horses) refers to the taxation class of the 2CV. This car was designed to be a ‘two tax horsepower’ car. Nicknamed the ‘Duck’, the car still has a huge number of admirers and owners. There are even collectors of this cult car and most probably the largest collection of Citroën 2CVs can be admired in a museum located in a small village in the Netherlands called Andijk.
Tuesday, 22 January 2019 19:43
Published in European Desk

The BMW Museum in Munich

The BMW factories are situated not far from the center of Munich, At the opposite side of the factories are the museum, brand experience centre and head offices. The museum was built at the same time as the new headquarters (the striking four vertical cylinders), in 1973. Since May 1973 the BMW Museum has welcomed visitors from all over the world with a fascinating collection of the motorcycles and cars produced from 1929 until now. From 2004 to 2008 the museum was renovated in connection with the construction of the BMW Welt, a multi-use exhibition center located directly opposite, which is used for meetings and promotional events, and where buyers take delivery of BMW vehicles. Since it was re-opened in June 2008, the BMW Museum has posted record visitor numbers year after year and is proud to be one of the most visited museums in Germany. From the entrance it starts with the earliest products, which were aeroplane motors and motorcycles. Surprisingly, the iconic blue and white logo and lettering hasn’t been changed much since the first World War. The 4,000 m² permanent exhibition space houses a neatly-arranged assortment of the brand’s most significant cars and motorcycles. The BMW Museum also regularly stages temporary exhibitions featuring special vehicles, design exhibits and prototypes from the long and illustrious history of the BMW Group. An absolute must for all car enthusiasts.