Historic Roads Circuits: Mettet Roads Course, Belgium

Established as one of Belgium’s all time great roads courses, is the original Mettet circuit, located near Charleroi.

First holding bike racing action in 1928, the venue since then, has seen roads legends a plenty grace the fast flowing, tight, twisty roads of Circuit Jules Tacheny Mettet.

This has included Joey Dunlop, Ian Lougher, Robert Dunlop, Steve Ward, six times TT winner John Surtees CBE, Giacomo Agostini, Fergus Anderson, Barry Sheene and Dave Simmonds.

The first rider to taste success, 89 years ago at the roads course, which was reduced to 9.5 kilometres long in 1975, was AJS powered Albert Breslau.

Photo by Hemeyla Archeif

Mettet’s roads have showcased over the years, the talent’s of many of Belgium’s all time between the hedges, greats.

Ulster GP podium finisher Marc Fissette, Stephane Mertens and 2015 IRRC Superbike champion Sebastien Le Grelle, are just some of the nations leading pure road racers to wrap up victories, at a venue in my opinion reminiscent of the likes of Hengelo in the Netherlands, and Frohburg in Germany.

The original street circuit at Mettet, was last used in 2006. It’s place within Belgium’s rich pure road racing heritage, is more than assured.

As with all of the countries roads events, what made this roads venue so popular, was the layout of it, the scenery it took in, which made it aesthetically pleasing for photographers to cover it, plus the atmosphere, with thousands of fans, returning year in, year out.

Words by Stevie Rial

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