2015 Tour Auto - Leg 1 at Magny Cours

Following on from my previous post on the first special stage, Gareth, Peter and I drove down to Magny Cours which was the first visit of the Tour Auto Optic 2000 to a circuit in its 2015 running.   Here are some pictures I took at Magny Cours both in the paddock and out on the race track.

An Alpine Renault A110 leads a queue of classic cars to check in at Magny Cours

Porsche and Ferrari refuel in the paddock

Alpine Renault A110s arriving in the paddock.  These cars were running in the Regularity category and the lead car here is the 1970 1,600S car of Georges Meylan.

Gareth chats with Jochen Mass about how the first special stage went in the De Tomaso Pantera

Paddock scene with nice looking 1976 Ferrari 308 GTB and co-driver Stephanie Baud

Symphony in Red

It was nice catching up with some of the nice Alfa Romeos, Maseratis and Ferrari in the paddock from the Regularity category.  Here is my symphony in red....

Top - 1957 Maserati 200 SI, Middle - 1961 Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta, Bottom - 1965 Alfa Romeo TZ

There was also some nice Porsches, a Ligier and some non-red Ferraris in the paddock.

1966 Porsche Carrera 906

The 1973 Ferrari 365 GTB Daytona of Alexander Rittweger

Although not in the group we saw racing, this Cosworth engined Ligier JS2 was the fastest car at Magny Cours driven by Mr John of B

The Race for VHC cars

Whilst Gareth and Peter were still examining the cars in the paddock, I was eager to get out and see some of the VHC race/special stage which was held in very bright sunlight for an April day in the centre of France.  These would be the cars that would be battling for the overall victory in the Tour Auto.

The cars start off on their warm up lap

Ferraris, Mustangs and a Lotus further back on the grid.

With the pace car pulled into the pits they are off racing with Ludovic Caron's Cobra leading the Jaguar E Type of Jean-Pierre Lajournade.  Jean-Pierre Lajournade was the eventual overall winner of this year's Tour Auto beating Caron by a small margin.

Shaun Lynn in the Cobra took an early lead.....

...but before long the Richard Meins' Ford GT40 was out in front.

Behind the GT40 positions were changing and the Cobra of Andrew Beverley took up the challenge, but watch out for Ludovic Caron who is joining the lead group in his black Cobra

Ludovic Caron's Cobra takes the lead braking for the chicane from Richard Meins' GT40

Leading group just before I left to get on the road again, with Caron leading Meins, Beverley.  This is how they finished but with the gaps extended to 2 seconds between first and second and second and third after their race of just under 17 minutes.

The 1962 3.8 litre Jaguar E Type of Franck Augis bumping over the kerbs at the exit of the chicane

The fast Bussolini Porsche 904 GTS chases the Cobra of Mark Freeman....

...and then speeds past the pits

Ferrari 275 GTBs, Alfa Romeos and Porsche battle it out further down the field.  The leader of this group in his 1966 Ferrari is Laurent Desplaces.

More photos to come soon as we also covered parts of the road section.  

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.

Tour Auto 2015 - The Stage is set

Gareth shoots the driver of the GT40!

It was a bright and unusually warm spring morning last Tuesday and I found myself in the company of two fellow car-mad Brits and a hangover in the pretty Burgundy village of Égleny.  The hangover was courtesy of too much wine at my birthday dinner the night before but it was soon forgotten because of the good company of Gareth and Peter and the sight of a GT40!

This was the first leg of this year's Tour Auto Optic 2000 and we were just in time to see the big bangers take on the first of the special stages.  They had just driven from the Chateau de Courances and whilst most of the drivers were taking it easy so early in the week, others were obviously here to take an early lead.

There were beautiful classic Touring, Grand Touring and Sports cars wherever you looked.  Piston Head heaven!

A car slightly older than me - a 1953 Porsche 356 - at Égleny

The 1972 Lancia Fulvia 1.3HF of Dominique Vuillaume and Eric Bertrand also in the queue.

The stage was now well set and we were about to see these cars take on the course and try to set a good time.

The 1961 Ferrari 212 Touring Berlinetta driven by Martin Halusa gets his final instructions before the start.

The 1966 Ferrari 275GTB/C of Arnold Meier starts the stage.

We were eager to see some real action and were soon off into the woods to see these cars at speed.

The 1962 Triumph TR2 of Mark Rachet exits the first turn of the Égleny special stage

The 1954 Alfa Romeo 1900CSS of Adrien Cathiard makes its way through the woods

Last year's winner Shaun Lynn was really flying in this 1963 Shelby Cobra 289

Another fast 1963 Shelby Cobra 289, this time of Andrew Beverley

Then what we had been waiting for, the 1966 Ford GT40 of Richard Meins.  He was classified 19th on this stage.

Mark Freeman set equal fastest time on this special stage in his Shelby Cobra.

The Bussolini 1964 Porsche 904 GTS set a good 4th fastest time on this stage

This 1965 Lotus Elan of Damien Kohler looked fast and was!   It equalled the fastest time of the day.

This 1961 Jaguar E Type of David Hall was a little too fast out of this corner and briefly got onto the grass.  Nevertheless, he recovered to be 22nd fastest.

Another E Type at the same corner, driven by Serge Cozzolino

The very pretty 1963 Alfa Romeo TZ of Jean Laurent-Bellue

Fastest Alfa on this stage in eighth place was this 1965 1600GTA of Jurgen End

My favourite sighting of the day was this Cosworth DFV engined 1975 Ligier JS2 of Mr John of B and Sibel

Driving through the woods are Claudio Roddard and Jurgen Barth in their 1973 Porsche 911 RSR 2.8....

.....as was this rather smoky 1973 De Tomasco Pantera Gr IV of the Sirgues.

Another Porsche 911 RSR, this time driven by George Saier

1973 BMW 3.0 CSL driven by Florent Jean

The 1970 Porsche 914/6 of Christophe Barthe just after the start

The 1974 Ford Escort of Philippe Ancelin

The 1974 Lancia Stratos Grp IV of Nicolas Leroy-Fleuriot

To round off the photos from this stage, a 1974 Alpine Renault A110 1,800 GrIV

More photos to come soon as we also covered parts of the road section and the race at Magny Cours.  All in a day's day-off-work!

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.