espiritu de montjuic // barcelona 2025
day I
Welcome to Espiritu de Montjuic on the Barcelona circuit for the opening of the Peter Auto 2025 season! The weekend's events included more than 300 cars, rain, wind, sun, night and fire, with the only thing missing being the snow (which was not far away on the surrounding mountains). After a long drive of 1,000 kilometres across Spain, I arrived at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya escorted by... bad weather. Friday gets off to a slow start, with the qualifying sessions taking place today. Despite the drivers' caution, the track is cold, slippery and treacherous causing lot of spin and red flags. At midday, torrential rain fell on the circuit, a downpour so intense that the organisers temporarily suspended the qualifying session. The track turned into a mirror, giving the drivers even more to struggle with. The rain never stopped falling, soaking into bones and cameras like crazy. Night slowly falls, the golden colours of the sky turn to deep blue, and car headlights illuminate the thin drops of rain hanging in the air. The session ended with a red flag, which meant it was time to go and rest up for Saturday, race day!
day Ii
Saturday morning had an almost magical atmosphere. A thick fog had invaded the circuit. Only the mechanics of the Porsche 2.0Ls were present, looking focused and determined, tuning the cars for the last time before the start. The only thing we could hear through the fog was the 6 cylinders warming up. It was so calm and yet so intense. The sun quickly cut through the fog, revealing the mountains around us for the first time. The day was at times sunny, at other times heavily rained, as was the case on Friday. Unfortunately, the Group C race was marked by a sad ending. The Peugeot 905 Evo 1 Bis, chassis EV16, hit the wall at the end of the straight. Fortunately, the driver escaped unhurt. The remains of the car tell a different story - a brutal reminder of the risks inherent in motorsport. The incident left a gaping void among the enthusiasts, but the grandstands were much fuller, the fans not discouraged by the day's dramas. The day ended with a shy sunset, giving way to the flamboyant Cobra Daytona and E-Type spitting flames and making their brakes glow.
day IiI
This third and final day gets off to a great start, with the heritage touring cup line-up and the bmw 3.0 CSLs (among others) spitting fire! The skies were threatening all day, with some lightning around the track, but this time we were pretty dry on the whole. To finish off the first event of the season, we were greeted by a magnificent sunset, rewarding us for an intense weekend.
