Motor Racing, H:O Scale Slot Cars, Classic Cars, the building of my slot car circuit

Les courses automobiles francaises et voitures classiques

Thursday, 17 March 2016

ROSCAR Magny-Cours March 2016

The ROSCAR race played out to largely empty stands at Magny Cours. 
ROSCAR is an interesting format of two one hour semi-endurance races with trackday time for the Club 911 Ile De France members in between.   At Magny-Cours, spectators are allowed into the Village Grandstands for free but not into the paddock as it is a private event.   I spent a pleasant two hours watching qualifying, a couple of trackday sessions and part of the first race. This was the first event of the 2016 season.   ROSCAR caters for mainly for GT3 Porsches although other marques and types of car are allowed to participate.

The ROSCAR Race 1
This 2014 Porsche 991 Cup won the first race in the hands of Olivier Fabre and Julien Gilbert.
The eighth placed 2011 Porsche 997 Cup.
Guy Heliou in his 2008 BRC 4.0 V6 Prototype finished one lap down in fifteenth place and helped to add variety amongst the host of Porsches.
This 1996 BMW M3 E36 failed to finish.
Patrice Benot finished seventh in his 2011 Porsche 997 Cup.  Here he is ahead of the sixth placed 2008 997 Cup of Séb and Franck Quesada.
The second placed 2011 Porsche 997 Cup of JB Trichard and Yann Penlou.
The third placed 2011 Porsche 997 Cup of Olivier Severini.
This 2004 996 Cup practised but did not start.
The fourth placed 2007 Porsche 997 Cup of Thomas Winkler.  He was the winner of the R2 class.
Alfred Winkler - 2011 Porsche 997 Cup.
This 2014 991 Cup of Jacque Caumes and Franck Perera was battling for lead early on but finished fifth.
This was the early battle for the lead.
Trackday Sessions:
2015 McLaren 675LT out on track.
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

Friday, 4 March 2016

2016 Rallye National de la Cote Fleurie

Patrice and Nadia Leon in their Seat Ibiza start the sixth stage on their way to 15th place and a class win.

Well, I finally have my new Canon DSLR that I have been contemplating since before Christmas. Unfortunately it arrived just before this Rally and thus I didn’t even have time to read the instruction manual!   It is thus, perhaps, surprising that I got any pictures at all.  I remember in about 1980 buying an Olympus OM10 SLR and going down to Brands Hatch and taking 36 shots before finding I hadn’t put the film on properly!  Certainly, I really love the feel of the Canon EOS 7D Mk2 but I just need to understand it a bit more and to find some time to get down to Magny Cours in the next few weeks and practice on some moving targets.  I probably ought to sit still for a few minutes and read the manual as well!

A Renault Clio Ragnotti on its way to the sixth stage at St Benoit d'Hebertot.
This car driven by Grégory Denie finished 19th and won the N3 class.
Last Saturday 27th February 2016 was very cold and windy in Normandy but bright at times for the Rallye National de la Cote Fleurie which is held in the area around Deauville and Trouville.  It was the 46th running of this Rally.  Unfortunately as I was combining various pursuits into one weekend I arrived later than expected and had to leave before I wanted and thus missed many interesting cars.  Nevertheless, here are a few photos that give some flavor of the rally and the 6th stage at St Benoît d’Hébertot.  It was a 12.6km stage and I took some photos at the very start and some near the hairpin just before the finish.  All pictures were on the tarmac section.   It was good to see a large number of spectators for this event despite the cold February day.    
The Subaru Impreza Sti N11 of Sebastien Bret and Julia O'Brien.  They retired on the tenth stage.
These first pictures were taken close up with a Tamron 17-50 lens at the start of the stage near the centre of St Benoit d'Hebertot.  Interesting to note that many of the co-drivers were female.  A few women drivers as well.
The Porsche 996 GT3 of Michel Nourry exits the first corner.
Nicolas Martin and Matthieu Daussy finished 22nd in their Renault Clio R3.
The 18th placed Citroen C2 R2 Max of Thomas Garet and Charlene Jolit.
The 25th place Citroen C2 VTS of Pascal Lecamus and Anthony Bougeas.
The Renault Clio III of Philippe and Patricia Gouley.  They finished 20th out of the 77 who completed the whole rally.
The 29th placed Renault Clio R3 of the Cahagnes.
The BMW M3 of Emmanuel Hervieu and Pascal Viquensnel.  They finished 13th.
 We then walked down the road to the end of the stage to get some different shots, some of which were taken with a 70-300 zoom.

Some Peugeots pictured at final hairpin on the sixth stage.  Photos taken with my old Panasonic compact.
The Peugeot 205 Rallye of Jérôme Van Oosterwyk and Christophe Morin that finished 66th.
The Peugeot 106 Rallye that finished 53rd.
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Another Peugeot 106 Rallye. This one finished 49th.
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A Peugeot 106XSi.
For picture of the 2015 Rallye du Medoc click here.

The Renault Clio Ragnotti that finished 47th.
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A Peugeot 106 XSi. It finished 60th.
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.

Tailpiece - One of the Porsche course cars heads towards the finish of the stage.





Sunday, 7 February 2016

Le Salon RetroMobile, Paris 2016

Maserati, McLaren, Alta & Frazer Nash at Retromobile 2016
As usual there was something for everyone at RetroMobile this year.  A huge selection of classic and historic road, rally, racing and record cards along with many stalls selling books, models, motoring art and memorabilia.
An overhead view of some of stall selling models and memorabilia at RetroMobile 2016.
I went on the Wednesday evening and Saturday afternoon and here are some of my favourite cars, people and objects from this years exhibition.
Aston Martin DB5 from the nineteen sixties.
Memorabilia on sale at RetroMobile
Stunning 1938 Peugeot Special Sport 402 Roadster Darl'Mat.
One of the Art stands at RetroMobile.
Renault Etoile Filante record car.
Journalist, motoring writer, racing driver and co driver Johnny Rives was on hand to sign some of his books.  He is perhaps best known outside France for co driving a Matra and a Ligier to victory in the Tour de France Automobile with Gerard Larrousse in 1971 and 1974.
1947 Stanguellini 1100 Motto Coupé, up for auction.
Old Petrol pumps at RetroMobile
1926 BNC 526GS
Cute Mascot on an old Wolseley
Michael Schumacher's 1992 Belgian GP winning Benneton B192
Art made from toy cars
Austin Healey "Frogeye" Sprite.
1947 Alamagny Prootype.  You could drive it both ways so no reason to turn it around in a narrow street!
1924 Renault 40CV record car.
Interesting Salmson & memorabilia display.
Ford 3L P68 Cosworth engined Alan Mann built Group 6 sports racing car from 1968.
Automodule. Les Rhomboides - RetroMobile 2016.
1911 Fiat S76 'The Beast of Turin".
This and so much more - don't miss it next year!

Here is a link to the RetroMobile website.

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.