7ème Course de Côte VHC de La Pommeraye, 2024

 

The fastest VHC car at La Pommeraye was this Reynard 903 driven by Pierre-Alain Bureau.

This was my first time at the Course de Côte de La Pommeraye, which is in the Loire Valley near Angers, which was celebrating its sixty years in 2024.  This is actually only the seventh time that the historic cars have run here.

Running after the modern production cars and before the modern sporting cars, the VHC cars (Véhicule Historique de Compétition) provided some nice variety.  This was a round of the Championnat de France de la Montagne VHC.

Classification was decided by the cumulative time of the best two runs made out of four.  Cars run in different groups and classes as there is a huge variety of types and ages amongst  the 15 or 16 vehicles competing.

I started my day at the first of the esses.  Here is an Alpine A110.

I then moved up to the main viewing area near the passarelle.  This is a Talbot Simca Rallye.

Second fastest VHC was this very quick Ford Escort RS1600 Mk1 driven by Alexandre Chamagne.

Third fastest VHC car was this Martini Mk30 (Formula Renault 1980) driven by Pierre Joly.

Fourth fastest VHC car was this Géri RB08 driven by Daniel Louis.

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Fifth fastest VHC was this beautiful Martini Mk15 (1975 Formula Renault) of Viviane Bonnardel.

Sixth fastest VHC was this Porsche 911 SC of Michel Rolland

Seventh fastest VHC car was this Lucchini SP90-Alfa Romeo driven by Christian Bouvier.

Eighth fastest was this Ford Cortina Lotus driven by Philippe Vernay.

Ninth fastest VHC car was this Simca Rallye II driven by Jean-Claude Brazey.

Tenth fastest was this beautiful Volkswagen Scirocco of Jean-Michel Godet.

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.

A Ford Fiesta Mk1.

A Jidé Type Original.

Renault R5 Alpine.

Pau Classic Grand Prix 2023 - Exhibition runs

 

Two early cars of Tico Martini.  The lead car is a 1970 Martini Mk4 Formula France car.  The one behind is a 1973 Martini Mk11 Formula Renault.  Beautiful cars that I was grateful to see.

Interspersed amongst the races at the Pau Classic GP were a number of exhibition runs.  Whilst disappointing not to see any F1 or F3000 cars amongst these, there were a few F2 and F3 cars and a host of Formula Renault cars plus some old French single seaters and a few interesting oddities.

Formula Two

The star of the exhibition runners was this ex-Jo Siffert Chevron B18 F2 car from 1971.   Francois Mazet finished fourth in the 1971 Pau GP in a B18.

Another F2 car was this GRD 272.  Reine Wisell drove a GRD 272 to sixth place in the 1972 Pau GP.

Formula Three

The ex-Andrea de Cesaris March 793.

An ex-Nigel Mansell March 783 car, but why paint it to look like James Hunt's Hesketh?

Formula Renault / Formula France

In the early seventies some Technos were used in Formula Renault.  This is an example from 1970 although this doesn't look much like a Renault engine of that era to me.

This is a 1969 Martini Mk4 Formula France car.

This pretty little car is a 1972 Hampe HFR72.

This is a later Formula Renault car by Hampe, the HFR75 from 1975.  Another pretty and unusual car.

We are apt to remember Jean Ragnotti as a rally driver but he was a dab hand in race cars as well.  Here is a 1975 Martini Mk15E that he drove in Formula Renault Europe races and finished second in the championship, including a victory at Pau.

Another ex-Ragnotti car, the 1976 AGS JH14.  He finished sixth at Pau in this car.

A 1974 Formula Renault Martini Mk14.

A 1985 Martini Mk 44.

A 1989 Martini Mk57.

Other French Single Seaters 

It was difficult to believe at times that these MEP-Citroen Formula Bleue cars weren't having a race!  These cars were used in the later sixties and early seventies as racing school cars.

This was a car that the Albi based MEP built as a publicity car for Esso.

DB Panhard races from the early fifties.

Another early fifties DB racer.

An eighties Formula Ford 1600 car built by Rondeau.  The M585.

Some oddities

I am not sure exactly what this is but it looks street legal and vaguely like an overweight Alfa Romeo GP car.

In a similar vein is this much better looking "Maserati".

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

1970 Martini Mk4 Formula France.

Lucchini sports car from the eighties.

51ème Course de Côte d'Abreschviller-St Quirin - Voitures de Sport - 2023

The second podium of the year for Cindy Gudet in her Revolt.

The third round of the 2023 Championnat de France de la Montagne Voitures de Sport took place at the Course de Côte d'Abreschviller-St Quirin.  Situated in the Moselle department of France the hill climbs up from the village of Lettenbach 2.1km through the forest on the D96 in the direction of St Quirin to "les deux croix".   The shortest climb of the championship, the result is determined by the addition of each competitors two best runs.  This year the CFM competitors all had four runs, one on Saturday and three on Sunday.

"Voitures de Sport" includes sports racing cars, motor cycle engined sports cars and all of the single seater categories.  The fastest cars are in the E2SC 3A class  which are 3 litre open 2 seater sports cars.

Unfortunately, the championship leader, Geoffrey Schatz,  was unable to make any runs due to mechanical problems.

I was there to see all three of Sunday's runs and gradually worked my way up the hill.   Photos I took of the top 20 finishers and most of the class winners are featured below in the order they were classified.

The winner was Fabien Bourgeon in this Revolt 3P0.  He now leads the championship and has won two out of three rounds this year so far.

Second, by less than half a second, was Marc Pernot, in this Nova Proto NP01.  He also now lies second in the championship.

Fastest lady driver and third overall was Cindy Gudet in this Revolt 2P0.

Fourth was Kévin Petit in this Revolt 3P0.

Fifth was Luxembourg driver Canio Marchione in this Osella PA2000.

Sixth overall and first of the single seaters was Miguel Vidal in this Lola-B06/51-Mugen.  This is an ex-Formula Nippon car.

Seventh overall and first in class DE/8 was Fabien Ponchant in a Tatuus Formula Master.

Eighth overall and first if class D/E4 was this Martini Mk62 of Pierre Mayeur.

Ninth overall was this Norma M20F-BMW of Jacky Gourdet

Tenth overall and winner of the F3 class was Daniel Allais in this Dallara F308 Mercedes.

Eleventh overall was this Dallara F311 of Patrick Cholley.

Twelfth overall was this Dallara F308 Mercedes of Arnaud Cholley.

Thirteenth overall, fastest Junior driver and first in the CM class was Maxime Dojact in this TracKing RC01B.

Fourteenth overall was Sarah Bernard in this Tatuus Formula Master.

Fifteenth overall was David Mayeur in this Martini Mk69.

Sixteenth overall and winner of the CN2 class was this Norma M20FC of Enzo Chiocci.

Seventeenth overall was Belgian driver Bruno Cazzoli in this Norma M20FC.

Eighteenth overall was Martini Mk81 of Christian Martin.

Nineteenth overall was Roland Bossy Dallara F314 Spiess.

Twentieth overall was this TracKing RC01 of Anthony Darand.

Swiss driver Xavier Vermeille took the CN3 class win in a Norma M20F.

Winner of the Formula Renault class was Didier Chaumont in this 2013 Tatuus FR.

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.

The Formula Renault Caparo of Thierry Bertin

The Proto GTS of Johann Olivier won the CN1 class.

One of the many contacts with the armo barriers during the day.  Yohann Bardin in his Tatuus FR 2.0 got sideways under braking just after the first shot and glanced into the barriers.  He was unhurt.