For fans and competitors alike, the Belgian track is regarded as a university of motorsport. Beganovic, Camara and Taponen are ready for one of the highlights of the season.

Every possible combination of corner in the 19 turns, along with long straights and heavy braking points, all within the 7.004 kilometres that have truly played their part in the history of motorsport. Spa-Francorchamps engenders feelings of excitement with a need to respect its challenges and the drivers all look forward to what is always a special weekend. And with a longer than usual break before this round, expectations are heightened.

Formula 3. Spa-Francorchamps hosts the eighth of the ten rounds on the calendar. Rafael Camara comes to Belgium as the series leader, with 120 points, 27 more than the second placed driver, Tim Tramnitz. Last year in Belgium, Camara was impeccable, taking two wins in Formula Regional.

“I am really looking forward to this weekend,” commented Rafael, “because I love this track and in the past I’ve done well here. I can’t wait to get out on track, bearing in mind that at Spa one must always be ready for changeable weather, but we are well prepared for whatever the conditions might be.” Camara is looking to extend his lead, while Tuukka Taponen is hoping to fight back after something of a difficult time. “The last few weekends have been frustrating,” admitted the Finn. “We have strong potential, but for various reasons, we haven’t got the results we should have done, so I have high expectations for Belgium. The first goal is to do well in qualifying, so as to start from the front end of the grid. That was missing in previous rounds and it affected the rest of the weekend. I have a good feeling as Spa-Francorchamps is one of my favourite track, where overtaking is possible, but where good race management is also important.” Taponen is currently ninth in the championship on 51 points.”

Formula 2. Dino Beganovic is also raring to go. This is the ninth of 14 rounds on the Formula 2 calendar and there’s still a long way to go. So the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy driver has high hopes of a rapid return to being a front runner, just as he was in Silverstone, an important indication for the rest of the season. “At last, Spa!” commented Dino. “It’s great that we’re about to go racing at one of the nicest circuits in the world. I love tackling the high speed corners with relatively low downforce, which is the set-up you need for Spa-Francorchamps in order to favour high speed down the long straights. And I also like the unpredictable weather, as you can never be sure what you will get in Belgium and this adds to the thrill of driving here as you have to be ready for anything. Fourth place in the Silverstone Feature Race was an important marker and I can’t deny I have high hope for this weekend. I want to be fighting at the front agqain and I think that is achievable.” 

Programme. Formula 2 action starts on Friday at 10.10 CEST with free practice, followed by qualifying at 14.55. The Sprint Race is on Saturday at 13.45, with the Feature Race on Sunday at 10.00. It’s a similar scenario for Formula 3: Friday free practice at 09.00, followed by qualifying at 14.00. The Sprint Race starts at 09.15 on Saturday, while the Feature Race gets underway on Sunday at 08.30.