Say the word “Spa” to a motorsports fan, and the first thing they’ll probably think of is the legendary Spa-Francorchamps racing circuit in Belgium. At the end of 2021, crews began the extensive work of modernizing this legendary complex ahead of the planned return of motorcycle racing in 2022. The Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme Endurance World Championship (or FIM EWC) is currently scheduled to make its triumphant return to Spa from June 2 through 5, 2022 for the 24 Heur Spa Motos.
Different series have different safety requirements for track certification, and of course even casual observers likely know that motorcycle racing is significantly different from four-wheeled racing. As racing history nerds will very quickly tell you, the first race ever held at Spa back in 1921 was, in fact, a motorcycle race. Technology and speed have advanced considerably since that time, though—and safety changes were overdue, as the death of Formula Two racer Anthoine Hubert during a race in 2019, as well as a number of non-fatal-but-still-serious crashes, can attest.
