SPA - British GT - June 2025

We bring you the excitement of the British GT from our recent trip to sunny Belgium. All access with One Design across the full weekend is shared - Giving you an insight into the intense set up, pressures of racing and the troubles that come with it.

THE INVITATION:

We were thrilled when we received the call with the invitation in April to schedule into our diary the long weekend to SPA! We were kindly invited along with Ryan Smith of Mercedes Benz Chelmsford, who I have been close friends with for over 20 years now. Ryan has a keen interested alongside myself in all things Motorsport and actually supports several of the teams with their Mercedes GT3 and GT4 Cars during the season of the British GT series.

Alongside Ryan, we attended with several members from the Chapel Wealth Management team who sponsor Ian from Dugganite Racing, part of the Mahiki Racing team.

It was pencilled in the diary, flights to London where booked and the countdown began... read on below to find out how the weekend unfolded.

DAY 1: Friday

Day one began with a 4am alarm clock to get myself to Aberdeen Airport for the first part of the journey. The Flight: Aberdeen to London Gatwick.

Upon arrival to Gatwick and through the chaos of a huge airport, compared to little old Aberdeen, we set out to wait for Ryan and the rest of the team we were travelling with. Myself, Ryan, James (Ryan's little brother who flew down with me) alongside Tim & Ben of Chapel Wealth Management. The road trip... begins!

We now set the navigation, hit the AC (giving London was a toasty 27 degrees when we arrived at 9am) and headed for Dover.

Of course, you know what comes next, we boarded the ferry, set sail, ate some average ferry lunch and waited for the ship doors to open to let us loose into France. Now on a mission to head to Estruex to our Air BnB we got going. Enjoying the scenery and getting to know more about the weekend we had ahead of ourselves at Circuit De Franchorchamps SPA.

A Late one saw us arrive to our rental house and straight onto the maps for dinner and somewhere to get some essentials... which ended up being quite a lot of Gin and a 5am bedtime that night... not our wisest of moves so far!

DAY 2: Saturday | Qualifying

We made our way to the track for an early start on Saturday ready for what turned out to be a full on day exploring the track, amazing scenery and getting all access behind the scenes to some amazing pit garages. (All while trying to shake a slight hangover)

On arrival we pulled into the VIP Parking, hidden on a hill behind the grandstand, not exposing much action, noise or surroundings. Once we made our way to the entrance passage and turned around... you could see the track, the world famous SPA in all of its red and yellow glory! I must admit, at this point, from a motorsport enthusiast, it truly sent a chill around your body and actually made the hairs on my arms stand up. I'm sure you will agree, from the images posted throughout this blog you can get a sense of the twisting turns, swooping hills of Eau Rouge and the beautiful forests its buried deep into.

The action started! We walked straight into the main stand and pit area surrounded by a sea of Motorsport trailers wearing some of the biggest brand names in the world - Lamborghini, Mclaren, Mercedes Benz, Formula 4, Ginetta and more. Behind each of these monster trailers you could hear the sound of engines, torque guns and of course, the hum of the pit lane and starting line up.

I was privileged during the weekend to get to know Ian from Dugganite Racing / Mahiki Racing and also the father and son racing duo behind ABBA Racing - Richard & Sam.

They gave us great insights into the prep that goes into a full season, as well as one weekend event like SPA. The travel, staff, parts, checklists... the list goes on.

Of course, they got us up close with their cars and spoke in great detail regarding weight saving solutions, safety measures now in place, the lack of Air Conditioning for a weekend like SPA at 34 degrees and their histories of racing personally.

For me, it was all about the branding... the signage, branded merchandise, workwear, logos, sponsors and most of all.. the cars. Every car has their own race livery but some of them were truly works of art. To be able to get into applying race graphics at this level would be a dream. And hopefully one we can pursue thanks to our new contacts within the British GT.

A truly enjoyable first day was had at SPA, watching the scenery of the track from height in the rooftop terrace bar, walking up the 90+ metre incline of Eau Rouge and sitting in the stand at the top of the hill enjoying the passing of cars at well over 100mph. We spent the full day at the track, setting off around 6pm to head back to our Air BnB. Getting ourselves ready for what was to come on day 2 - Race Day.

DAY 3: Sunday | Race Day

Race Day was upon us and we made our way back to the track. The British GT Race for that weekend was a 3 hour long endurance. Packing in as many laps as possible and setting the fastest lap times, with only one winner - whoever crosses the line at the end in first place!

Prior to the race we gave our best wishes to the teams and watched them prepare for a long battle. A total highlight of the weekend was the surprise from Ryan to myself and James with VIP Grid Walk passes. Allowing us to get up even closer to the cars and teams on the track, right before it was go time! You will see some of the amazing close up shots we took during the next image gallery.

Abba Racing was off to a flying start, however it sadly came to an end when a car in front clipped the side of the track, throwing stones and dust so bad that Richard could not see, he hit the brakes and almost spun out, nearly loosing control of the car. At this point, it was safer for them to retire the car and call it a day.

Mahiki racing was flying, making wise pit stops, driver changes and going on to becoming one of the top 3 podium teams of the weekend. A job well done to the boys and girls all involved within the team and of course, the drivers for their hard work and concentration. SPA is a complex track and racing in 34 degree heat for 3 hours is no easy task!

We wrapped our day up and began the journey north to Calais to catch the late ferry for our crossing back into the UK. Our return flight was booked for Monday morning and a memorable few days were had.

LIGHTS OUT: What A Trip!

To round off the trip and an experience, one that will be forever thought about is to say a massive shoutout to all involved.

ABBA Racing | Dugganite Racing | Mahiki Racing - Thank you for the hospitality and time to speak with us all on such as a chaotic weekend. Was a great experience and one made even more so thanks to you all.

The rest of the group - Thank you for the great company and sharing this weekend with you all. Many of laughs were had and was great to get to know you all. Really do appreciate the experience.

Ryan Smith - Thank you for the invite and allowing One Design to tag along with a brand such as Mercedes Benz. A great opportunity to network with the teams and get the brand exposure out there in a wider format. One I am truly grateful for. Thank you!

All in all, a very tiring weekend - lots of steps counted that's for sure - but one to remember and a track I had always wanted to see. I would highly recommend if you are a motorsport enthusiast, is visiting a British GT race and even more so, the wonders of Circuit De Franchorchamps SPA - Belgium.

Thanks for taking the time to read, another Blog and News post will be coming soon - Ryan