1966 Belgian Grand Prix

The second race in the 1966 series of Grandes Epreuves was the Belgian event, held on the traditional and splendid “Circuit Permanent of Francorchamps” in the hills above the town of Spa. This real Grand Prix circuit formed from the normal road system, but with permanent pits, paddock and grandstands, was obviously going to allow the new 3-litre Grand Prix cars to show their true worth. New 3-litre machinery dominated the pit area in practice, though much of it was unraced and some was even untried, but nevertheless the quantity and variety showed healthy progress for the new Grand Prix Formula, which is still in very early days.

Jack Brabham had his V8 Repco-engined car, as at Monaco, Ferrari had the two V12-engined cars already seen, all five Cooper-Maserati V12 cars were present, comprising the two works cars and the three privately-owned ones, BRM had two H16-cylinder cars, Team Lotus had their first new car with H16-cylinder BRM engine, McLaren had his Monaco car, but had fitted a V8 Serenissima engine in place of the Indianapolis-type Ford V8, which is undergoing some redesigning, and Gurney had the first of his All-American Racers Eagle cars, temporarily fitted with a 2.7-litre Coventry-Climax 4-cylinder engine until his V12 Weslake engine is ready.

To make up the numbers, or to be used if the new 3-litre cars proved un-raceworthy, were the stop-gap cars, Hulme’s 4-cylinder 2.5-litre. Coventry-Climax powered works Brabham, the Dino 2.4-litre V6 Ferrari for Bandini, the Team Lotus car R11, with 2-litre Coventry-Climax V8 engine, two works BRM 2-litre V8 Tasman cars, Parnell’s Lotus-BRM 2-litre V8 for Spence, and Team Chamaco-Collect’s ex-works BRM 2-litre V8 for Bondurant.