Weekend Pass: The racetracks…

Looking for some high-octane inspiration? Here’s an overview of the racetracks we visited on our Weekend Pass tour…

Reims-Gueux circuit – France

Nothing prepares you for the sudden appearance of the ghostly remnants of the Reims-Gueux circuit. Buried out in the rolling Champagne countryside of northeastern France, about 8km west of Reims, lies one of motorsport’s most atmospheric and significant tracks from yesteryear. Built from a triangle of everyday public roads linking the villages of Gueux, Thillois and Muizon, the track first roared into life in 1926 when the Grand Prix de la Marne moved there. What started as a simple loop of rural roads soon gained a reputation as one of the fastest circuits in Europe. And that reputation was well earned. Reims-Gueux was basically a high-speed blast between two monster straights, each stretching over two kilometres, linked by just a handful of corners and flat-out kinks. The result? Cars (…and later bikes) spent most of the lap pinned in top gear, slipstreaming rivals at ridiculous speeds. Engines were hammered, brakes cooked and races often turned into full-throttle drafting battles decided right on the line.

The circuit evolved through the 1930s and into the post-war era as organisers widened roads and tweaked corners to keep pace with ever-faster machines. By the 1950s it had grown into an 8.3km monster and became a regular stop for the Formula One World Championship. This was a place where racing was raw, fast and properly heroic… where guts often mattered more than how many ponies they were packing.

But like many road circuits of its time, Reims couldn’t keep up with the safety demands of modern racing. Formula One made its final visit in 1966, sports cars raced until 1969, and motorcycle racing carried on until 1972 before the circuit closed for good.

The brilliant thing is that Reims-Gueux never completely vanished. Much of the old layout still exists as normal public roads, and the faded pit buildings and grandstands still stand along the old start-finish straight. They’re now looked after by the preservation group Les Amis du Circuit de Gueux, who’ve helped turn the place into something of a motorsport landmark. Seeing the sights firsthand is truly something special, as well as surreal. From the concrete cast grandstands to eerie race control block, the pit garages to the historic hand-painted brands of the lost-era’s many sponsors… it’s like stepping back in a time-warp to the days of fast-fuelled frolics. The place has real presence and somehow manages to tap into any petrolhead’s soul. Without a doubt, this proved to be one of the most unexpected and most valued visits to any racetrack that I can remember… which is all the weirder considering there’s no actual racing taking place there. Nonetheless, it’s well worth a visit. It’s also super easy to access, and you can park right out front of the historic venue – but be mindful of the open roads and speeding traffic.  And once you’re done exploring the site and its many luring elements, you can hop on your bike and take a lap around the old circuit layout. We did, and riding past the grandstands was really something special. The sense of speed when absolutely pinned must have been something else. For bikers and motorsport fans alike, it’s basically a pilgrimage… a slice of racing history frozen in time.

Nürburgring racetrack – Germany

Few circuits in the world carry the same myth, fear and outright reputation as the Nürburgring. Hidden deep in the forested hills of the Eifel Mountains, near the town of Nürburg, the track has become a motorsport icon. It opened way back in 1927 as a huge complex of circuits built to showcase German engineering and boost tourism in the region. The most famous layout, the Nordschleife, quickly became the stuff of legend. At over 20km long and packed with more than 150 corners, it snakes its way through forests, over crests and through valleys in a relentless ribbon of tarmac that feels more like a rollercoaster than a racetrack.

Back in the early days, the place was brutally unforgiving. Narrow, bumpy and lined with grass banks, trees and barriers, the Nordschleife became known as the ultimate proving ground. It hosted rounds of the Formula One World Championship for decades, but even the best drivers in the world treated it with a mixture of respect and fear. Its reputation was summed up perfectly by F1’s Jackie Stewart, who famously dubbed it “The Green Hell” after battling through fog, rain and darkness during the 1968 German Grand Prix. The name stuck, and to this day it perfectly captures the track’s character.

By the mid-1970s the Nordschleife had simply become too dangerous for modern Formula One machinery. Following a serious accident during the 1976 German Grand Prix involving Niki Lauda, the sport abandoned the old circuit. A new, shorter and much safer Grand Prix track was later built alongside it… and it’s well worth riding if you’re in the area. But while the top tier of racing moved away, the Nordschleife never lost its appeal. In fact, if anything, its legend only grew. Today, the Nürburgring is one of the most unique motorsport venues on the planet because the Nordschleife still opens to the public during special sessions known as “Touristenfahrten”. Back in 2023 we headed over there for a special supernaked test and clocked several laps around the mesmerising track. Without a doubt, it proved to be one of the most terrifying and brilliant squiggles of tarmac I’ve ever ridden, being littered with over twenty kilometres of blind crests, endless corners and fast flowing forest roads. Throw in graffiti on apexes, awkward cambers and the madness of sharing the track with cars, vans and the occasional bus, and you’ll perhaps begin to appreciate why the owners made the heartbreaking decision to rule motorcycles out of sharing access to the course with cars, as of last year. That being the case, there are two motorcycle-only trackdays held at the venue. They’re not cheap, and spaces are limited, but the buzz of pulling the pin around Ring is of bucket list levels… so don’t miss this chance. Perhaps bikes will be granted conventional access again at some point in the future, or they could pull the plug completely?  What is for sure is there’s no place quite like it, and even standing on the sidelines watching prototype cars hammer around the track is really quite special. The atmosphere is electric… packed car parks full of wild machinery, fans from all over the world and the constant echo of engines screaming through the trees. In a world where most circuits are perfectly manicured and heavily sanitised, the Nürburgring still feels raw, intimidating and wonderfully old-school. It’s not just a racetrack… it’s a motorsport landmark.

Circuit de Spa‑Francorchamps – Belgium

Tucked away in the sleepy forests of the Ardennes lies one of the most iconic circuits in world motorsport. Located near the town of Spa in eastern Belgium, the track has built a reputation for fast, flowing corners, dramatic elevation changes and famously unpredictable weather. Spa first opened in 1921, originally using a terrifyingly quick triangle of public roads linking the villages of Spa, Malmedy and Stavelot. At nearly 15km long, the original circuit was breathtakingly fast. It quickly became a staple of early Grand Prix racing and eventually a regular stop on the Formula One World Championship calendar. Like many old road circuits, though, the original layout became too dangerous as speeds increased through the 1960s and 70s. In 1979 the circuit was dramatically shortened and rebuilt into the modern 7km track we know today. Crucially, while the new version was far safer, it kept the character that made Spa special.

At the heart of that reputation is the legendary Eau Rouge and the uphill blast through Raidillon. It’s one of the most famous corners in motorsport: a flat-out plunge downhill followed by a violent climb up through a blind left-right flick that fires you onto the Kemmel Straight. That combination of speed, elevation and commitment is exactly what makes Spa so revered among racers. Drivers and riders regularly call it one of the best circuits in the world because every corner seems to flow into the next, turning a lap into one long, high-speed rhythm through the trees. And then there’s the weather. Thanks to the track’s size and location in the Ardennes hills, it’s not uncommon for one part of the circuit to be soaking wet while another is bone dry. Sod’s law, when we descended on the place, thick fog and heavy rain was there to greet us. Strangely, it didn’t detract from our experience, which was of a static nature, watching GT3s fighting for traction over Raidillon. The sight and sound only whetted our appetites to return this year and tackle the track firsthand. As venues go, it’s the most accessible and conventional of the three that we visited, with good facilities, viewing areas and access to most corners of the circuit. All of that makes Spa a must-visit for motorsport fans, and plenty enough reason for us to plot a return trip.