Spa Classic Road Trip: Laugharne to Spa in a Convoy of Porsche 911s
- The Sticker Queen
- Jun 28
- 11 min read
Before Spa Classic: MOT Panic, Stickers and the Support Vehicle
Before we'd even set out, we joked that I could probably write something akin to the length of War and Peace when I was considering content for my blog - as it turned out, that wasn’t far off!
The pre-trip planning was already fairly intense: routes, hotels, paperwork, tunnel times, parade laps, insurance documents, Karl’s colour-coded poly pockets and, naturally, my Spa-themed nails.... because, even my manicure needs to be on brand!
What started as a fairly simple plan; take a group of Porsche 911s from Laugharne to Spa Classic, enjoy some historic racing, a few parade laps, some Belgian beer and a bit of driving afterwards, quickly became a masterclass in last-minute vehicle changes, panics, paperwork, MOT drama, and the colour-coded poly pocket system.
The plan was for our little Laugharne Sports & Classic convoy to head over to Belgium for Spa Classic, organised by Peter Auto, then carry on for a few days of exploring afterwards. All 911s, all different ages and temperaments, and all supposedly ready to go...
First, Crwys’ Turbo started having issues with the spoiler and parts weren’t going to arrive until after we got back, so after a bit of debate he decided to collect the car from Newport and just drive it anyway with the intermittent spoiler issue - a very Porsche-owner solution.
Then Andrew’s 911 went in for what should have been routine maintenance a couple of weeks before we left, and of course ended up needing more work than expected. The parts needed weren’t arriving until after we were due to leave either, so that car quietly removed from the line-up.
At the last minute, Karl decided to take the Targa for him and Andrew to travel in, which actually suited me quite nicely because it meant I could get some practice driving in Europe and more importantly, listen to my own music.
Because the 964 was now officially coming, Karl swapped the parade laps from the 997 to the 964. Which meant, naturally, we couldn’t just take it as it was - it needed stickers.
The Targa was the oldest car in the convoy, so it seemed only right to honour it by promoting it to European Road Trip Support Vehicle - you may laugh, but it nearly went very Pete Tong...
The graphics were ready, the plan was simple: swap the bonnet over, get everything packed, and off we go. However, while getting all the trip paperwork together, it was discovered that the 964 was actually out of MOT - oops, especially three days before leaving, but at that point we had no reason to think it would fail, so we weren't panicking too much.
We managed to get it into our local garage on the Monday, and in the afternoon the MOT station rang. Not to say it had passed, but to say it had dumped a load of oil all over their lift and the station floor, they weren't best pleased. Turns out, an oil pipe had worn over time and it just split completely. Karl went down to collect the car, replaced the pipe, and got it booked in for another attempt at the MOT on the Tuesday.
Unbelievably, Tuesday morning came and it wouldn't start, it turned out, the starter motor was completely shot and had given up altogether - so weird for it to happen like that and at that time. Additionally, not ideal for something we’d just confidently branded as the “European Road Trip Support Vehicle”.
Karl trailered the car up to the amazing guys at SMG on the Wednesday morning, literally the day before we were due to leave and they somehow managed to source a new starter motor. They were already fully booked, with no spare lift available, so the workshop guys ended up changing the starter on the floor. It obviously took longer than it normally would, and by the time it was finished, there was no chance of us getting the car back from Abergavenny in time for the third MOT appointment we’d booked at home.
Luckily, Ashley managed to pull some strings and get it in for a test near them, where thankfully it passed. Later, back home, we popped the stickers on the doors, swapped the bonnets over, and suddenly we were ready to go - phew!
Thursday: From a Freezing Laugharne Foreshore to a Tropical Feeling Bruges
We met on the foreshore car park in Laugharne at 6am, which sounds romantic until you factor in the rain, the cold, and the fact that it was absolutely Baltic, I don’t think I properly thawed out until somewhere around Bridgend.
Still, there’s something brilliant about an early start with a line up of cars, even if everyone is pretending to be more awake than they actually are. Once we got going, it was a good drive up to our next stop, and by the time we reached Chieveley Services, it was obvious the weather was changing completely. From freezing and wet in Laugharne to scorching by the M4, classic road trip clothes packing conditions, so glad I'd made space for all those jumpers 🙄
At Chieveley we met Kevin and Carrie in their GT3 Manthey, then carried on to Folkestone where we picked up Chris in his new GT3.
The car park at Folkestone was the usual eclectic mix of vehicles; some cars clearly heading to Spa, some on other European road trips, and the usual suspects heading to the Nürburgring.
We've stayed at the Dukes Academie in Bruges before, and it's especially good for car people, as it has proper underground parking, however, the GT3's did struggle with the steep ramp, but luckily team muscles came in handy here!
By 5:20pm we were sat in the hotel garden with two cold beers, feeling extremely smug that we’d made it and with the sun shining. Everyone was impressed with the hotel, the weather was lovely, the cars were safely tucked away, and we had our first proper team beer.
Bruges never disappoints, we’ve been many times before and love it, so it was really nice to share some of our favourite places with the group. A bit of wandering, some great Belgian beer, and the sort of relaxed evening that makes you feel like the trip has properly begun.
Friday: Bruges to Spa-Francorchamps, via Brussels Roadworks
Friday morning was already very warm when we left Bruges. It was also the day we discovered that the air-con in both mine and Carl's 997s was pretty much non-existent. Which is always what you want when you’re crawling through traffic near Brussels.
Also, why are there are always roadworks around Brussels? Always. Every time. It’s like they just move the cones around for sport.
The drive into Spa was worth it though, arriving at the circuit in glorious weather, with a convoy of friends, is hard to beat. It's normal for us with these tickets to end up with rock-star parking inside the circuit, right next to the line-up where the cars were gathering before going out on track.
However, the team couldn’t quite believe it and thought we might get moved. We were close enough to feel like we’d accidentally wandered into somewhere much more important than we were supposed to be.
And then there was the hotel - just wow! Secure parking, stunning venue, proper “yes, this will do nicely” territory. After the heat, the traffic and the excitement of getting to the circuit, it felt like a very good decision. That evening we walked into Spa town itself, but after witnessing an altercation in a bar we usually go to, we decided that was our cue to retreat back to the hotel.
Saturday: Parade Laps, Paddocks and Proper Spa Classic Heat
Saturday was parade lap day and it was also absolutely sweltering again.
Chris took his car out, and after managing to source a helmet from Alan in the Laugharne group back home and Crwys went out with Kev in the Manthey. The laps were good fun, Chris commented that it was nice to be back in a Porsche again having sold his McLaren before the trip, and Kev was apparently like a school boy enjoying his laps. The Manthey actually lapped us towards the end, which the boys were pleased about... show offs!
Spa circuit really is something special, you can watch it on TV for years, but being there, actually moving around it, with the elevation and the forest around you, is completely different. Carrie got talking someone who took some photos of our cars on track - thank you whoever you are - this turned out to be really handy as the battery in my Canon died when she switch it on - doh!
After the laps, a few of us went off in search of cooler clothes. Looking back, I still can’t believe I packed three jumpers for Belgium in what turned out to be wall-to-wall heat.
Some of the team even walked the track, which was very brave in that temperature.
One thing I always love about Europe is the choice of zero-alcohol beers and they actually taste really good, so you can have something that feels like a beer without the alcohol, which is perfect when it’s boiling and you still have to drive.
We had a really good look around the paddocks and pits too, which is always one of our favourite parts of this event. The access is brilliant, and there’s something about being up close to proper cars that never gets old.
We'd both been really excited about the Porsche 2L Cup, but sadly it wasn't taking place at Spa this year - despite being listed on the offical Spa website, still, plenty of the cars that would have featured in it were there and the 60s Endurance cars helped make up for it. Karl was very happy to see a Porsche 917K in original Gulf livery on the Saturday in Classic Endurance Racing 1, driven by Claudio Roddaro. There were also some fantastic Porsche 935s, with liveries that were right up our street.
The GT3 Revival race was another highlight. We were in the pits as the cars were heading out, which made for a brilliant start, then watched some of the race from the stand. The AMG GT with the very in-your-face wrap was impossible to miss, and I mean that in the best possible way.
Karl saw the launch of the Renault 5 Turbo EV, which he said was pretty cool, even if most of my attention was still being stolen by anything old, loud and wearing a good livery.
Sunday: One Last Day at Spa Classic
At the hotel on Sunday morning, we got everyone to sign the road trip bonnet, which had always been part of the plan - the idea was that the bonnet wouldn’t just be something we took to Spa, it would become a proper reminder of the trip and everyone who was part of it.
Sunday was our final day at Spa Classic, and once again it was absolutely baking, after coffee we sat in the stands and watched some of the Endurance Racing Legends - a great mix of cars, massively entertaining, the AMG GT sounded out of this world as did the Aston tearing round the track.
At the cars, a very serious discussion was taking place with Chris, about Crwys wrapping the bonnet of his Turbo in a realistic carbon fibre effect vinyl. He turned to Carl looking for opinion and after a slight pause, Carl replied: “I just think you should grow up, Crwys.” - he should have known that would have been the response!
Kevin & Carrie had to leave and head back to England ready for work on Monday and after the circuit, the rest of us headed to Stavelot and washed the cars. I still can't work out who had the bargain with us paying in UK £'s but the car wash guy was really happy with the deal and they did a great job, so everyone won that one I think.
Next, the Spa museum, which is really good. It also had a very welcome underground car park, which was probably one of the coolest places in Belgium at that moment.
Back in Spa, everyone seemed to decide cocktails were the way forward, so we sat outside, watched the cars go by, passing judgement on what we liked and didn’t like. Some of the braver members of the group decided to have snails as an entrée - thank god I'm a veggie! 🤢
Monday: Ardennes Roads, Waterfalls and a Château
On Monday we left Spa and headed to the December 1944 Museum in La Gleize, taking some lovely driving roads through the Ardennes on the way. This part of the trip really reminded us why we do these things; the event was brilliant, but the driving afterwards is always part of the adventure. Quiet roads, good scenery, interesting stops and our cars snaking through villages and forests.
From La Gleize we headed to the waterfalls at Petit-Coo, which were stunning. There were also some impromptu cheesy catalogue poses from the team...
We had a quick stop in Bouillon for ice cream, where we also spotted some interesting signage. I’ll include the photo, because there are some things that simply don’t need explaining.
From there it was on to Sedan for a château stay, which felt very civilised. Lovely setting, a semi-formal dinner, and then a supposedly non-competitive game of killer pool. Nothing says “relaxed evening” quite like grown adults pretending not to care who wins.
Tuesday: Bouillon, Rochehaut, Dinant and Beer for the Plant-Waterers
Tuesday started with us heading back to Bouillon for breakfast, before making our way towards Dinant for our final night. By this point, the cars were behaving, everyone knew the drill, and none of us seemed in any great hurry for the trip to end.
We stopped at an amazing brewery at Rochehaut, which we nearly missed and where we picked up gifts for the plant-waterers who didn’t make it on the trip. The souvenir chocolate boobs from Bruges sadly didn’t survive the heat, which was unfortunate, but at least the thought was there. Thanks again to Tim and Liz for keeping the triffids watered while we were away - we will need to find someone else next time, as they're definitely coming with us!
Our final night was in Dinant, staying at the Leffe Abbey Museum / Maison Leffe, which was a brilliant way to end the trip before the long drive home. Andrew somehow ended up with a suite, which obviously meant the rest of us handled it maturely and I spent part of the evening making Hugh Hefner-style AI mock-ups of him in his apartment. I’m still not sure whether they belong in the blog or need to remain in the group chat where they were born.
Wednesday: Home to Laugharne, and Some Welcome Cold Beers
We took a team photo in Dinant before leaving, then had an uneventful drive back to the tunnel, which is exactly what you want at the end of a trip like this. News from home started filtering through about terrific thunderstorms and power cuts, so we were quite glad we’d managed to swerve that.
Chris peeled off somewhere around the M25 to head home, and the rest of us somehow managed to get split up around Bracknell, only to find each other again on the M4 near Bristol.
After nearly a week away, we rolled back into the foreshore car park in Laugharne to be greeted by Kelly and Lizzie, with some cold beers waiting for us in the sun - not a bad way to end a road trip.
My Final Thoughts on Our Spa Classic Road Trip
This was our first overseas trip with the Laugharne Sports & Classic group, and honestly, it couldn’t have been better. By the time we were sat in Bruges with a cold beer, all the last-minute stress already felt worth it.
Thankfully, once we set off, the cars didn’t let us down, which was a relief. But what really made the trip was the group.
Everyone got on, and it all just worked.
No stress, no awkwardness, no one secretly wishing they’d booked a separate hotel halfway through (as far as I know?!), just great people, great cars, brilliant weather and a feeling of not really wanting it to end. By the time we were heading home, I think most of us would quite happily have carried on driving.
For Karl and I, it was lovely to share this with friends after talking about it for so long. The trip became so much more than a few days at a circuit... it was the getting there, the places in between, the silly moments, and rolling back into Laugharne knowing we’d actually done it.
The signed road trip bonnet is now hanging at home, which feels like the perfect souvenir from the whole thing. A proper reminder of the cars, the miles, the people, and a trip we’ll be talking about for a long time.
Probably one of the best breaks I’ve ever had.
Cheers team x
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