Rallye du Medoc 2015

Yannick Lacouture applies a small amount of opposite lock to his BMW 318 Compact on the way to fourth place in the Rally for modern cars.

This one day rally takes place in the pleasant surroundings of the Médoc wine region near Bordeaux.  The gathering and the start is around the quay on the banks of the Gironde in Pauillac.  The rally then goes north past Pez and St Estèphe for two special stages between Saint Yzans and Ordonnac and then St Germain d’Esteuil and St Seurin de Cadourne.  Both stages were taken twice, once in the daylight and once in the dark.

The event is in effect three rallies in one. The main event is for modern cars with the majority of the entries in this category.  It is a regional event and part of the Coupe de France des Rallyes.   The second event is for VHC rally cars i.e. classic rally cars up to 1985.  Both of these are speed events.  The third event is a VHRS regularity event for historic cars, GT cars and classic touring cars up to 1995.

Trois Rallyes, deux ambiances, une journée, le Rallye du Médoc est organisé par l'ASACSO.

Trois Rallyes – 1. Rallye du Médoc moderne pour les spécialistes et les passionnés des rallyes régionaux. 2. Rallye du Médoc VHC pour les adeptes de la compétition pure en véhicules historiques.  3. Rallye du Médoc VHRS pour profiter des plaisirs de la régularité historique sur la route fermée.

Le rallye a proposé quatre spéciales pour un total de 36km disputées sur deux parcours diffèrents.   Deux spéciales était disputées de jour et deux de nuit, avec le sensation de disputer quatre spéciales totalement différentes. 

Le rallye s’est disputé entièrement sur une journée – Samedi 12 Décembre 2015.  Départ quai de Pauillac, le rallye a traversé les communes de Pauillac, Saint Germain d’Esteuil, Saint Estèphe, Saint Seurin de Cadourne, Ordonnac, Saint Yzans et Saint Christoly Médoc.

Although the majority of the cars are modern rally cars the forty or so classic cars really add to the atmosphere of the Rally du Médoc.  It was the 34th holding of the regional rally of Médoc but only the second time the classic cars had been invited.

We came down to the Médoc region both for the Rally, some tourism and some wine tasting and gourmet dinners and spent a great weekend there.  Our base for the weekend was the Château Les Ormes de Pez which we can highly recommend.

Early Saturday morning

On our way to Pauillac we saw the sun rise behind a Médoc château.

Sunrise on the Pauillac quayside.  Car 164 a Lancia Fulvia Zagato entered in the VHRS rallye.

We were off to some wine tasting in the morning but managed to go down to the quayside in Pauillac as the sun rose and beckoned in a very pleasant day.  Here are a few pictures as the sun rose.

BMW, Riley and Opel on the quayside waiting for scrutineering and the start for the VHRS rally.

Two Lancia Fulvia entered in the VHRS rallye.

A team of three BMW 323is.

The Lancia Rally 037 that was to win the VHC Rallye.  Beautiful mid-engined Group B rally car from the early eighties.

The Lancia of Henri Depons and Michel Petit won again the VHC section.  It has an Abarth chassic and 350hp engine. I believe this car is an ex-works car and won the Italian Hillclimb championship in 1985. 

Just before the start

After our wine tasting and just before lunch we popped back into Pauillac for a few more photos.

Car No.20, the BMW 318 Compact of Samuel Bézinaud was eventually to win the main event.  Car No.21, a Peugeot 206 S16 was to finish third.  Car No.22 is a Citroen.

A Porsche 996 GT3 (modern)

The Alfa Romeo 75 of Bruno Guillon (modern)

No 58 - The Citroen C2 R2 Max of Nicolas Radet and Mathieu Palacio in the Parc Fermé.  They finished thirtieth (modern).

Stage near St Seurin

This stage really matched my two passions of cars and wine as the rally cars raced between the vines.

The BMW 323i of Jean-Francois and Louis Dumoussaud attack the second stage.  In car number 10, they appropriately finished tenth (VHC).

The 8th placed Alpine Renault A110 of Alain Aguillon and Sébastien Pinque (VHC). 

An Alpine Renault A310 speeds through the vines (VHC).

Another BMW 323i.  This time the seventh placed car of Florian Guillon and Clément Chaille (VHC).

The Mini Cooper S of Pierre Bredon and Bernard Correge (VHC).

The Renault Clio of Loic Larquey (Modern).

The sixth placed Volkswagen Golf III of Patrice Launay and Nicolas Baudoux (modern)

On the road

As we got lost between the stages we had a chance to take some photos of the rally cars on the road section as well!

Quentin Roubinet's Peugeot 206 XS exiting Pauillac (moderne).

The nineteenth placed Citroen C2 R2 of Aurélien and Laetitia Pion (moderne).

The Peugeot 208 of Mickael Lecourt (modern)

The Alfa Romeo 75 of Bruno Guillon and Lionel Rataud between Saint Corbian and Pez (moderne).

The Renault Clio of Francois Hirogoyen passes Chateau les Ormes de Pez (moderne).

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX of Grégory Denie in Pez (moderne).

The Labrousses' Peugeot 208 VTi R2 in Pez (moderne).

A Renault Clio driven by Michael Renaudet passes through Pez (moderne).

The Peugeot 206 RC of Yohann Frelaut (moderne).

The 26th placed Peugeot 206 RC of Romain Longé in Pez (moderne).

Stage near Ordonnac

By the time we found the Ordonnac stage the Regularity cars were making their way through.

The Opel Manta GTE of Jean-Jacques Bossay speeds through Ordonnac on its way to 7th place in the VHRS rally.

An Opel Kadett Rallye driven by Jean-Francois Quintard (VHRS).

A Lancia Fulvia (VHRS)

Renault 8 Gordini (VHRS).

The Ford Mustang Shelby GT 350 finished tenth in the VHRS.

The third placed VHRS BMW 2002

BMW 323i (VHRS)

The Datsun 280ZX that came fifth (VHRS).

The Alpine Renault 110 of Gilles Dubueuil et Benoit Legenne who won theVHRS rally.

The Riley One Point Five just before hitting the kerb and executing a half spin.  It still came in 16th out of 25 VHRS cars.

Caterham Seven (VHRS)

In the evening

The Peugeot 206 XS of Xavier Boisseau wits to start the second half of the rallye as night begins to fall (modern).

We saw some of the cars again as we were on our way to dinner!

The Subaru Impreza STi N12 of Stéphane Guilloteau races through the night into 38th place (moderne).

Thanks to the ASACSO for organising such a great event in December when so little else is happening. It meant I managed to get to a motoring event every month in 2015.

John Etherton asserts his copyright to all of the photos on this blogpost.  However, you may post the photos elsewhere on the web as long as you credit the photographer, John Etherton, and this blog post, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com and provide a link to this page.

John Etherton affirme son droit d'auteur à l'ensemble des photos sur ce billet de blog. Cependant, vous pouvez poster des photos ailleurs sur le web aussi longtemps que vous créditez le photographe, John Etherton, et ce blog, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com et fournissez un lien vers cette page.

For a daily posing of a fast car, visit my new blog Auto Vitesse by clicking here.

Slalom Seine et Marne 2015 à Kartland

Loïc Derry in a Dallara 391 F3 car at Kartland.  He was the winner with a time of 1 minute 30.19.

This was the second slalom that the ASA Melun had held at Kartland which is in Moissy-Cramaye not too far from Paris. It was held on November 8th but the weather was unseasonably good. Slaloms are popular in France and are timed runs on courses between 800 and 2000 metres with corners or obstacles every 80 to 90 metres.  Thus they are often held on kart tracks such as this one at kartland.  If the competitors hit the cones or miss the corners they are penalised.  For the slalom Seine et Marne each competitor did two laps of an 800 metre course.  When one competitor gets half way around the course another sets off so to get in a maximum of action for competitors and spectators.  Each competitors has a practice and then 3 timed runs.

Maxime Meyer lifts a wheel in his Citroen AX GTI whilst a Kart is racing around a different part of this huge Karting complex.  Maxime finished a good 19th overall and third in his class.

Many different types of car compete in these slaloms as can be seen in my pictures including F3, sports cars, modified saloon cars, standard road cars and more.  58 drivers took part with some sharing cars.  It was a round of the Coupe de France des Slaloms.

This 1969 Grac MT6 Formula France car particularly caught my eye.  Here it is in the kart pits.

Jean-Francois Cleuziou finely judges how close he can get to the cones in his BFC sports racing car.  He finished sixth overall and first in his class.

There was a reasonable number of spectators but it wasn't too difficult to get a vantage point to take photos.  The position of the sun was a touch difficult as we just went for a couple of hours in the afternoon to see one run and the sun was beginning to get low.

Karine Maridor negotiates the final chicane in her Gloria as the sun begins to get low.  She finished seventh overall and was the fastest of the ladies.

This very fast modified Fiat 126 Maxi takes the chequered flag after the second of its three runs.  Here it is driven by Ludovic Gruzon.  The short wheel base makes it a good slalom car and it finished first and second in its class.

The purposeful looking Campus single seater of Adrien Cavard.

A rather nice looking Martini liveried Lancia Delta HF.  Driven by Paul Euvrard it finished 16th and won its class.

A pleasant motoring event but lacking in real speed.  I had rather more fun the next day doing some karting myself but I was pleased with the photos.

The Gloria driven this time by Gerald Herve.  He finished third overall.

The Lotus Elise of Hervé Le Gall.  He finished first in his class.

The Martini Mk42/45 of Alain Violas.  He is a very successful Slalom driver but his car was emitting a lot of smoke on this occasion.  However, he still finished fourth.

The Renault 4CV Proto of Jean-Michel Loiseau at the start.  He finished third in his class.

The Proto PBR sports racing car of Alain Bonnet.  He was third in his class.

Its the Grac MT6 again of Cédric Boureille.

David Vitorino in his Susuki Swift.

The Campus Mygale of Rémy Schmitt.  He finished fourteenth overall.

The Dallara 392 of Antoine D'Aleo who finished runner-up both overall and in his class.

The Renault 4CV Proto.

The Fiat 126 Maxi again.

The Renault Gordini engine of the 1969 Grac MT6. 

The Citroen Xsara of Lionel Perri lifting a rear wheel.

The winner's Ayrton Senna style helmet.

Cleaning the tyres with a hot air paint stripper.

John Etherton asserts his copyright to all of the photos on this blogpost.  However, you may post the photos elsewhere on the web as long as you credit the photographer, John Etherton, and this blog post, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com and provide a link to this page.

John Etherton affirme son droit d'auteur à l'ensemble des photos sur ce billet de blog. Cependant, vous pouvez poster des photos ailleurs sur le web aussi longtemps que vous créditez le photographe, John Etherton, et ce blog, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com et fournissez un lien vers cette page.

This blog featured Loïc Derry in a Dallara 391 F3 car, Maxime Meyer lifting a wheel in his Citroen AX GTI, the 1969 Grac MT6 Formula France car, Jean-Francois Cleuziou finely judging how close he can get to the cones in his BFC sports racing car, Karine Maridor negotiating the final chicane in her Gloria, a very fast modified Fiat 126 Maxi, the purposeful looking Campus single seater of Adrien Cavard, a rather nice looking Martini liveried Lancia Delta HF, the Lotus Elise of Hervé Le Gall, the Martini Mk42/45 of Alain Violas, the Renault 4CV Proto of Jean-Michel Loiseau, the Proto PBR sports racing car of Alain Bonnet, the Grac MT6 again of Cédric Boureille, David Vitorino in his Susuki Swift, the Campus Mygale of Rémy Schmitt, the Dallara 392 of Antoine D'Aleo and The Citroen Xsara of Lionel Perri.

Why not visit my new blog - Auto Vitesse - which has a different fast car photo every day!

Just one more event to go in 2015 to make it twenty motoring events this year.