Tuesday began with a quick swim for former Olympic butterfly contender Smith, while Stobart nosed through the pastries at the sumptuous breakfast bar.
It was then a surprise visit to the wonderful and historic Chateau Savigny-Les-Beaune where a remarkable collection of automotive, motorsport and aviation delights awaited us. The amount of Abarths on display was jaw-dropping, from Group 6 monsters to Formula Italia single-seaters that the likes of Emmanuele Pirro, Alessandro Nannini and Amato Ferrari triumphed with in the 1980s.
If that were not enough a good proportion of the grounds were filled with dozens of planes from MIG fighters to larger commercial planes. It was surreal to witness but absolutely stunning at the same time. If you are in the area we urge you to visit! https://www.beaune-tourisme.fr/explorer/chateaux-et-abbayes-de-bourgogne/les-8-chateaux-a-decouvrir/savigny-les-beaune/
The Macan made its serene way across the delectable Burgundy countryside and up towards Luxembourg where a pesky lorry fire meant an extended stay at a service station where Stobart indulged in a snack-arama worthy of a tuck-shop oligarch.
The journey to Spa sped along joyfully in to southern Belgian where notification reached us of dinner in Vervier with our old friends Alistair Moffett and sharp-eyed photo short James Moy. A convivial dinner amid tumultuous scenes of the epic Inter Milan v Barcelona Champions League semi-final took place.
It was then on to the majestic Spa-Francorchamps where the Porsche Macan completed the wonderful journey and was handed over to the Porsche Penske team as shiny and radiant as it had left Monaco 36 hours before.
Photographic legend Jurgen Tapp snapped some memories as we bade a tearful goodbye to the lovely Porsche Macan and set about watching and working as the Porsche 963s ducked and weaved around Eau Rouge, Les Combes and Pouhon for three blissful days.
The accuracy of the Macan’s ride and road holding was a delight, as was the progressive acceleration, making it easy to modulate and feed power out of corners. The brakes proved to be efficient and the evolution between recuperation and the discs/pads was near perfect, meaning that a very memorable few days was enjoyed to the max.
Formula E Notebook would like to thank TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team for the opportunity to drive the Macan from Monaco to Spa
