Masta Kink (old Spa corners)

Belgium / Luttich / Stavelot /
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The Masta Kink was one of the most fearsome sections on any race track in the world, requiring skill and bravery in equal measure to get it right. After a long run from Malmédy, the cars would reach top speed before having to negotiate Masta, a high speed left-right chicane, and a good exit speed was vital as it is followed by another long, straight run to Stavelot. By the time of the old Spa's last race, cars were negotiating Masta at up to and beyond 190mph (305kph).

That Masta was lost to F1 racing after the 1970 race was partly its own fault. Jackie Stewart's crusade to improve safety in motor racing was to a large extent set in motion by his crash here in 1966, when his BRM ended up upside-down in the cellar of the farmhouse on the outside of the corner, with fuel gushing out of the tank directly on to Stewart, who had broken ribs to add to his misery. Thankfully the petrol did not ignite.
Another particularly gruesome story comes from the 1973 24-hour sportscar race during which three drivers were killed. During one of his pitstops during the night, Hans-Joachim Stuck shouted to his co-driver Jochen Mass over the noise that he should "look out for body parts at the Masta Kink". Mass arrived there expecting to see bits of car all over the road but was appalled to discover it was in fact bits of an unfortunate marshal...
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Coordinates:   50°24'37"N   5°58'21"E

Comments

  • I remember David Hobbs being interviewed once about this place. One time in the late 1960s he was racing here in one of John Wyer's GT-40s. The doorstep to one of these houses opened up literally right by the side of the road. During the race a little guy comes out and was sitting there with a bottle of wine with racecars whizzing past practically at his feet. This portion of the track can be seen in play during the "Spa" sequence of the James Garner flick "Grand Prix."
This article was last modified 16 years ago