Historical note

Before the Circuit des Ardennes was inaugurated in 1902, motor races were run between cities. The unfortunate spectators thus only had one chance to see the cars pass…

It was Baron de Crawhez, a great sportsman, who first had the idea of arranging a motor race on a closed road circuit, i.e. starting and finishing at the same place and covering a number of laps of the same circuit.

Thus it was that the Circuit des Ardennes revolutionised the concept of motor racing, inspiring such other notable events as the Gordon Bennett Cup, the Targa Florio and, later, Spa-Francorchamps.