McLaren Hits a Legendary Circuit 50 Years After Its First F1 Victory

A lot has changed since 1968, but McLaren are still some of the fastest cars around for daring drivers.

Long before McLaren ever made road cars, it manufactured race cars. In 1968, it entered the Belgian Grand Prix at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Stavelot, Belgium. Despite the treacherous track’s dangers and difficulties, the McLaren team emerged alive and with its first F1 victory.

In the video above, McLaren goes back to where its history of F1 success began. Once a nine-mile triangle of public roads, the circuit is much different now, but the memories of it haven’t changed in the minds of team McLaren drivers Alastair Caldwell (1967-1978) and Jackie Oliver (1971).

Caldwell recalls how demanding Spa-Francorchamps was, saying you had to go flat out all the way for 200 miles. It was not only a test of nerves, but also of Caldwell’s and his teammates’ engineering and craftsmanship. They came up with hardware, such as the fuel and water systems, for their cars and race-tested them at 180 mph. Bruce McLaren himself brought new driveshafts from America and had one of them fitted to his team’s car for the 1968 Belgian Grand Prix. It failed when the team was within reach of 1st place and refused to come out. Despite falling behind, McLaren and Caldwell and company resolved the issue and went on to take 1st place.

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Oliver hasn’t forgotten the deadly thrills of racing what was basically an aluminum box on the difficult course. The weather could be wildly different at various spots on the track. A driver could fly through a bone-dry section at 170 or 180 mph, then crest a hill only to discover it had rained at the bottom earlier. Camber changes altered the way the tires contacted the tarmac, causing the cars to dart and jink across the surface of the track.

Oliver shares his knowledge of McLaren racing history from behind the wheel of the 710-horsepower 720S, a machine seemingly far-removed from the McLaren racing team’s early days. It may be decades ahead of the old Macs in terms of technology and speed (and safety), but its origins lie in those primitive, battle-honed open-wheel race cars and their gutsy drivers.

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Derek Shiekhi

Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.

After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.

While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.

Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.

In addition to writing for a variety of Internet Brands sites, including JK Forum, H-D Forums, The Mustang Source, Mustang Forums, LS1Tech, HondaTech, Jaguar Forums, YotaTech, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts. Derek also started There Will Be Cars on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

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