The bend of Stavelot

In 2024, the City of Stavelot and Stavelot Tourism have decided to reconstruct part of the bend as it existed in the 19Reconstruction and evocation of a legendary place in Belgian motor sport!

The Francorchamps circuit was created in 1920. From the following year, racing cars and motorbikes took to the track, which was around 14km long and linked Francorchamps, Malmedy and Stavelot. The course was in the shape of a triangle, with one of the vertices at this point. It became known as the Virage de Stavelot.

In 1950, to accommodate the first Belgian Formula 1 Grand Prix, the bend was given a wide curve and an incline similar to those of the fast ‘bankings’ on American oval circuits.

A signal station and advertising panels were installed on the outside of the bend. The public used a tunnel dug under the track to get inside the curve, behind a protective wall built in 1956.

Designated as a National Circuit, Francorchamps had become the fastest circuit in Europe and, in the early 1970s, as cars reached ever higher speeds, it was deemed too dangerous by F1 drivers. The Belgian Grand Prix abandoned it, but other competitions, such as the 24 Hours of Francorchamps and the motorbike GP, continued to be held there until 1978. The following year, a new 7-kilometre course was inaugurated and F1 returned to Francorchamps in 1983. However, the Stavelot Bend was no longer part of the new layout and fell into oblivion.

In 2024, the City of Stavelot and Stavelot Tourism decided to reconstruct part of the layout of the bend as it existed in the 1960s and 1970s, as a reminder that this place still belongs to the world history of motor sports.

The bend in the 50s and 60s (Photos PUBLIRACING Agency).