The greatest Spa 24 Hours?
As the Spa 24 Hours celebrates its 90th anniversary this weekend, GARY WATKINS retells the story of the incredible 1992 finish with the help of protagonists Steve Soper and Eric van de Poele
Steve Soper wasn't best pleased. He was shaved, showered and ready to fly home to see his new-born daughter. But Bigazzi team owner Gabriele Rafanelli could smell victory and had other ideas.
Rafanelli reckoned Soper and team-mates Jean-Michel Martin and Christian Danner could still win the 1992 Spa 24 Hours touring car classic. That was why he wanted his star driver back behind the wheel of the second-placed BMW M3. The boss got his way and set up a thrilling dash to the flag that resulted in what remains the closest finish in the 90-year history of the Belgian enduro.
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Gary Watkins has, for reasons best known to himself, devoted all his working life to covering sportscar racing. This season is his 33rd as a motorsport journalist, during which time he has reported on major long-distance events on four continents and approaching 80 24-hour races. He reckons a degree in political philosophy makes him well qualified for covering the sometimes Machiavellian world of international sportscars.
Gary, who also writes for Motor Sport, Autocourse, RACER and others, lives in Surbiton close to the former workshops of the Cooper Formula 1 team but spends more time on the road than at home for most of the year.
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