Sports Proto / Groupe C - Nogaro - Coupe de France des Circuits - 2023

 

A  litre motor cycle engined CM sports car leads a 1 litre Wolf Thunder Proto.

The Sports Prototype race was a real cracker with a good battle between the Wolf Thunder single seaters with enclosed wheels and a CM motor cycle engined sports car.  They were very rapid for 1 litre cars.   Other slower cars of up to 1.6 litres gave some variety to the field.  

The start of the Sports Proto race and as you can see there are eight Wolf Thunders towards the head of the field with one of the Group CM cars providing a challenge.

Bringing up the rear of the field were a variety of cars of varying vintages.  Leading this group is a Jema 630 GTR.

This was the battle for the lead with Lionel Jacob in his JAD LW01 providing a strong challenge to the Wolf Thunders.

Later Mike Parisy has taken the lead in his Wolf Thunder.  At the back of this group is Nicco Ferrarin who eventually finished second.

Meanwhile there was also a close battle going on for ninth place. Here Hubert Dubois leads the group in his 1.6 litre RCB.

Xavier Barboncon in his nice looking 1 litre motor cycle engined EMA-Susuki that runs in Groupe CM.

Olivier Tabone in his 1.5 litre Alfa Romeo engined Le Gallen LL G82 who finished in eighth place behind the Wolf Thunders.  This is an ex-Coupe de l'Avenir car that runs in Groupe CA.

Xavier Duvignau bumping over the kerbs in his 1.6 litre Serem V858 that runs in Groupe CP.

Continuing battle between the JAD and the Wolf Thunder of Tony Roches who eventually finished third.

A sad end for the JAD that expired in an unsafe position near the end of the race and brought out a red flag.  Thus after count back to the previous lap Lionel was classified fourth and won the CM Groupe.

The winning Wolf Thunder of Mike Parisy.

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 à condition de créditer le photographe, John Etherton, et ce blog, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com, et de fournir un lien vers cette page.

Thomas Ferrando sitting in his Wolf Thunder on the pre-grid.

Groupes N / GT - Nogaro - Coupe de France des Circuits - 2023

Groupe N BMWs battle it out with the GT cars.  Benoit Belouin leads this group in his BMW E36

       that eventually finished third in Group N.

 The Group N cars and GT cars run together as there are not enough of them to justify two races   However they did provide good entertainment and I got some different pictures as I was at the opposite     end of the circuit for this race.

The start of the race seen from the far end of the circuit at the top of the stands.

Three Porsches in the lead on the first lap.

Some variety down the field with a Chevrolet Corvette C6 leading a Volkswagen Golf TCR driven by Francois Chotard who finished fifth in the GT class.

Eventual winner was Michel Nourry in this Porsche 997 R.

Second was Roland Chotard in this Porsche 991 GT3 Cup 2.

Third was Jacques Caumes in this Porsche 997 GT3 R.

The Corvette of Thomas Favaille finished fourth.

The first of the Groupe N cars was the No.34 BMW M3 E36 driven by Olivier Gillard and the second was BMW M3 No.5 driven by Laurent Sylvestre.

A close battle between two of the GT Groupe cars.  The Mini Challenge R53 JCW finished ninth overall but the Porsche 997 GT3 Cup didn't finish.

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 à condition de créditer le photographe, John Etherton, et ce blog, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com, et de fournir un lien vers cette page.

Top non-BMW in Groupe N was this Renault Megane 3 RS N4 driven by Julien Thibault.

Groupe GT and N competitors go under the Dunlop Bridge that leads from the old pits to the VIP enclosure.

2020 Course de Côte du Mont Dore - Touring Cars- Groupe N/FN

On Saturday the fastest Groupe FN car w3as this BMW M3 E36 of Sébastien Lemaire

The Group N and FN Touring cars provided some variety at Mont Dore with everything from BMW M3s to Subaru Imprezas and the usual Renault / Citroën / Peugeot / Honda brigade.  Here are pictures of most of the group in this challenging Course de Côte.  

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Second fastest was this Renault Megane RS of Pascal Cat.

Christian Sepchat was third in his BMW M3 E36

Christophe Demare in a Honda Civic Type R.

Fifth was this Renault Clio RS of Eric Sauteur.

The Honda Civic Type R of Charly Brosset.

Stéphane Bossard in another Honda Civic.

The Subaru Impreza WRX of Stéphane Pecate.

Anne-Marie Malguy in her Renault Clio RS.

The Peugeot 106 XSI of Janny Guy.

Alexandre Neulat in a Honda Civic Type R.

The Peugeot 205 Rallye of Joris Boncompain.

Arnaud Boisard in a Citroën Saxo VTS

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.

The Peugeot 106 S16 of Olivier Goury.

SAINT GOUENO HILLCLIMB MASTERS 2017

Barry Smith's Ford Escort Mexico makes the ascent of Saint Goueno.

Saint Goueno is a round of the French Mountain Hillclimb Championship, but what makes it really special are the seventy British and Irish drivers who bring their cars over to race on this beautiful Brittany course.  The British and Irish race in a separate category called the Hillclimb Masters.  There are classes for touring cars, GT cars, sports cars and single seaters.  Everyone seems to have a great time!   The top fifteen runners and some of the other interesting cars are featured below;

Winner on scratch of the Masters Hillclimb for British and Irish drivers at Saint Goueno was this Radical PR6 of Martin Carter.  He was 3.5 seconds clear of the rest of the field with a time good enough for fifteenth position in the French Championship event.

Second place went to Paul O'Connell with this Norma M20B.

Third place overall went to this Mallock Mk32 of Len Amy.

Fourth and fastest single seater was James Wilkinson in his Formula Vauxhall Lotus Reynard.

Andy De Lisle was fifth in this Formula Renault Tatuus.

An amazing seventh was this four engined Mini Quattro of Chris Slade.

Another Radical, the SR8 of Rory Stevens was eighth.

A very good ninth was Martin pickles in this Peugeot 205 RWD

This Caterham 7 of Ross Walker rounded out the top ten.

In eleventh was Graham Millar in this Ford Escort Mk2

This replica Chaparral 2A made a wonderful noise and was fast enough to claim twelfth place.  It was driven by Ian Wright.

This Quantum Xtreme driven by John Sampson finished thirteenth.

The fourteenth placed Ford Escort RS2000 of David Williams

This Vauxall Astra finished fifteenth in the hands of John Simpson.

The BMW E46 V8M of Ben O'Brien that finished eighteenth.

The Caterham HPC of Mathew Aves that was classified 22nd.

The 1969 Formula Ford Merlyn of Paul Morcom was 24th.

Howard Wilkinson in his Radical Prosports was 25th.

Thirtieth was Stephen King in his Austin Mini.  He was the last to break the two minute barrier.

The Ford Escort  Mk1 of Roy bray

Running in the GT Group was this Austin Healey Sprinzel Coupé driven by Stephen Casson

John Lloyd in a TVR Vixen.

One of the Austin Healeys rounds the hairpin.  it is the 100/6 of Pat Cooper.

The Avon Sprint of Mick Lancashire.

Mike Tarr gets it all wrong in his Lotus 23B

The Crossle 9s of Howard Thomas.

Martin Pickles in his Jedi Mk1

David Hunter and his Royale RP31 M/Z

The huge winged Dallara F399 of Darren Warwick.

My favourite car of the day was the 1969 Formula Ford car of Paul Morcom.  He was nice to talk to as well.  It brought back memories of seeing a number of famous drivers race these in the late sixties. They were basically simplified Formula Three cars.  Emerson Fittipaldi made his name in one as did Colin Vandervell.  Jody Scheckter also won in one of these cars.

Beautiful Merlyn

More single seaters in the paddock.  The Royale and the Jedi.

FOR PICTURES OF THE CFM FRENCH CHAMPIONSHIP SPORTS CARS AT ST GOUENO CLICK HERE.

FOR PICTURES OF THE CFM FRENCH CHAMPIONSHIP PRODUCTION CARS AT ST GOUENO CLICK HERE.

FOR THE VHC FRENCH CLASSIC RACING CARS AT ST GOUENO CLICK HERE.

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.

John Davey's MG Midget 

For pictures of the Clan Crusader, click here.