1er Slalom régional de Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge, 2024

 

Runner-up in the first ever Slalom at Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge was Arthur Bodin in this F3 Dallara F302

I was very pleased this year to find a new motor sport event just 15 minutes away from where I live in France.  I have only been to one slalom before but they are very enjoyable amateur motor sport events.  This one was at Circuit Kart Extrem in Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge.  

This slalom was around a karting track with a bollard chicane on the main straight and with other bollards stopping competitors cutting the apex too tight or exiting corners too wide.  Each competitor is timed over a single lap but in effect with the warm up lap do two laps each time.  There are three competitors on track all the time but not on the same part of the course and as one leaves the track another joins. The winner is the competitor who records the fastest lap.  There are lots of groups and classes of car so that you can compete against similar performance cars.

The paddock at Circuit Kart Extrem in Saint-Genis-de-Saintonge.

All the photos in this particular blogpost were taken on a compact camera - a Panasonic Lumix DMC TZ80.  Lightweight and inconspicuous but it still takes pretty good shots of the cars in action or in the paddock.  It seemed appropriate as this was the type of camera I used 10 years ago when I started this blog in April 2014.

The winner was Benoît Taviaux in this GBC single seater (a short wheelbase car ideal for slaloms).

Third was this F3 Dallara F399 Evo 301 driven by Yoan Filiatre.

Fourth was David Gorin in this F3 Dallara F399.

Romain Pezot was fifth in this Formula Renault Tatuus F4R.

Sixth was Didier Latreille in a F3 Dallara F398.

Seventh and first in the CM group was Sébastien Gaston in this Speedcar GTR.

Eighth overall was this Orion Fast Original single seater of Denis Busato.

This PRM FUN Boost driven by Tristan Rigommier was ninth overall.

Tenth overall was this BRC 05 Evo of Raphaël Carvalho.

Eleventh overall was Emily Chatellier in the GBC.

Twelfth overall was this Dallara F301 of Aurélien Tessier.

This Caterham Seven R300 won the GT Group driven by Christophe Cledat.

The FC Group was won this beautiful Jidé Original of Geoffrey Desmereau.

First of the production touring cars and first in Group F2000 was this Peugeot 106 of David Faveretto.

Winner of Group FA was this Citroën Saxo VTS of Jérémie Bacquie.

Winner of its class and second in Group FA was this Simca Rallye 2 of Franck Vigneux.

Winner of Group FN was this Renault Clio Williams driven by Aurélien Sanchez.

This Secma F16 won Group Loisir driven by Philippe Petitjean.

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 Escort Mk1 RS2000 that had mechanical issues.

A Peugeot opposite locking its way through one of the turns.

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.