FRANCORCHAMPS FLIPPANCIES

When it was all over many people wondered when the real race was going to start, feeling that 1 hr. 37 min. could not have seen the running of the Grand Prix of Europe. If the F.I.A. go on encouraging this sort of thing we shall soon have to go to Silverstone Club meetings to watch really arduous racing.

In case anyone missed the “carnival atmosphere” at the start, the programmes were all printed with lap charts giving the race length as 30 laps instead of 24. Many spectators round the circuit thought the race had been stopped prematurely.

Grand Prix racing seems to be coming popular; there were as many visitors from Britain at Francorchamps as one normally sees at Le Mans.

After the broken wishbone at Rouen the Lotus team did not go so far as to redesign the front end on the single-seaters, lout at least they scratched the paint off some vital parts to make sure there were no cracks developing.

As a specially-built high-speed racing track; as distinct from a road-racing circuit. Francorchamps is now undoubtedly the finest in Europe. The lap record of over 213 k.p.h. will surely make Raymond Roche file off some of the corners of the Reims circuit, which used to be the fastest.

For the race Moss had wire-spoke wheels on the front and alloy wheels on the rear, while the other two cars had alloy wheels all round.

Many people were surprised at the speed of the Dino Ferraris, but it is the first time they have. had a chance to get really wound up in top gear. On the question of roadholding; the case is similar to the Super-Squalo Ferrari of 1955.