Eau Rouge is perhaps the most infamous corner of them all. It may not be the same as it used to be but it's still a blindingly fast left downhill, right uphill combination surrounded by armco and with little room for error. A corner that separates the men from the boys.
A lot of our customers renting a race car to drive Spa Francorchamps ask us: is Eau Rouge flat out? The answer to that is not straightforward, as you'll find out below.
To take Eau Rouge flat out, or not
To people who come and drive Spa Francorchamps in one of our race cars and ask if Eau Rouge is flat out, we'll generally tell them it is not and that they shouldn't try to. The reason being that although under certain circumstances it is possible to take it flat, you really have to know what you're doing before you attempt it. And if it goes wrong, it can go terribly wrong…
Type of car
Now let's suppose you know what you're doing, you know how to take the ideal line through Eau Rouge. In that case what will define if you can take Eau Rouge flat or not depends on the type of car you're driving and its setup.
In a modern-day high-downforce GT or sportscar you can manage to take it flat. But if you're driving a Porsche 991 GT3 Cup car, for instance, things get interesting. In such a car you'll still need a big lift off the throttle or even a quick dab of the brake.
In a slower low-downforce car you'll also manage. In a slightly faster low-downforce car it gets interesting again. Take for example one of our BMW E36 325i's or 328i's. In such a car it's doable to take Eau Rouge flat, but the window of possibility is extremely small. You really have to nail your line to make it flat without lifting off the throttle. If you're a little off the ideal line it could all end in tears…
In one of our E46 M3's it's simply not possible anymore to take it flat, due to the higher speeds they achieve by the end of the straight leading onto the Eau Rouge – Raidillon combination.
So is Eau Rouge flat or not?
Well, sometimes it is and sometimes it isn't. And if it is, you need the right circumstances, the right type of car and a set of big stones… That's why, when asked by our customers if it is possible to take it flat, we'll generally kindly ask them not to try.
Before you attempt it, it's wise to take driver training to gradually bring you up to speed.