2 TOURS D'HORLOGE - CIRCUIT PAUL RICARD - 1/2/3 NOVEMBER 2024 : THE STARTING GRID FILLING UP!

The highlight of V de V Sports’ year, the 2 Tours d’Horloge, the only competition in the world reserved for Historic Racing Cars run over a period of 24 hours without interruption, will bring down the curtain on the 2024 season in style on the Paul Ricard circuit.

With more than a month to go to the event, the starting grid continues to fill up with some great newcomers and nine nationalities represented.

Resurrected in 2021 by their creator Eric Van de Vyver, now associated with his daughter Laure in the organisation of this event that’s unique in the world, the 2 Tours d’Horloge continue to meet with increasing success. Already acclaimed from the first edition in 1992 up until 2014, this concept of endurance racing dedicated to VHCs has attracted many crews from France and abroad as evidenced by the provisional list of entries.

Among them, let’s start with the current leaders of the 2024 VHC V de V Endurance Classification, the duo Damien Kohler / José Da Rocha (Team Bersi ), backed up by Miguel Langin and Jean-Jacques Renaut, who will try to hold on to their lead to come out on top in the final general classification in their Porsche 911 3.0 RS. Second in the overall rankings, Eric Wassermann will also defend his place on the final podium at the wheel of his Wassermann Racing BMW 323i shared with Charles Veillard and Bert Smeets. Same aim for Stéphane and Baptiste Guyot-Sionnest (currently 3rd in the VHC Endurance classification) who will be supported by Mathieu Guyot-Sionnest and Marc Berger-Grimaud at the wheel of the Team WKMR Ford Mustang. Olivier Muytjens and Brice Pineau, who are only five points shy of breaking into the ultimate Top 3, will also be ones to watch in their Ford GT 40 prepared by the Belgian outfit HY Racing, which will also be driven by Eric Van de Vyver.

Winners of the first round of the season – the 6 Hours of Navarra – in Spain, Romain Belleteste and Christophe Gadais will benefit from the support of Daniel Roustan and Jose Oliveira to bring the Atlantic Racing Chevron B16 Bi-Rotor home among the front-runners at the finish. The team has also entered its BMW 635 Super Production for Jean-Marie Belleteste / Pierre Aviron-Violet / Steve Goldin / Serge Kriknoff. Another victorious crew this year following their win in the 6 Hours of Paul Ricard, “Mister John of B” / “Le Commandeur,” will be at the start of the 2 Tours d’Horloge with their Chevron B8 GT.

The reigning “champions” of the VHC V de V Endurance Rankings, Matthieu and Paul Chateaux will recreate the family crew with the support of Jean-Baptiste at the controls of their Chevron B16. And it’s not impossible that the Chateaux Sport Auto outfit will enter its BMW 635 CSI. Also well placed in the 2024 VHC Endurance classification (5th), Jacques Colibet and Arnold Noret will team up with Philippe Vigneron and Franck Hardonnière in a Porsche 944 S2 prepared by the team managed by Alain Cudini, former French Touring Car Champion with 13 starts in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

AUTO MOTO TV PROGRAM AND REDELE IN THE RACE!

Son of the founder of the Alpine brand and a faithful competitor in the V de V Sports competitions, Jean-Charles Rédélé will drive an A310 V6 with his daughters Victoire and Laure and Paul Rousseau. Note that Rédélé Compétition may also enter a Lola T590.

A former professional racing all-rounder (F3000, IndyCar, Tourism, Endurance, Dakar, etc.), Philippe Gache will be at the start with the aim of being in the mix for victory with the Monegasque rally driver, Jean-Pierre Richelmi as team-mate, at the wheel of a Porsche 930 Turbo prepared by André Caruso.

Having entered the 2 Tours d’Horloge for the first time last year, Jean-Pierre Gagick who hosts the Auto Moto show broadcast on the TF1 channel, was so impressed by the concept of the event that he’s back again this year. He’s entered a Ford Mustang shared with Emmanuel Hankard – a Belgian influencer under the pseudonym eh0601 on Instagram – and Jean-François Coget – the tuner of the marvellous American machine. Another Mustang on the grid is the one run by the Luxembourg team Wengler Racing for Bob Kellen / Yann Munhowen / Max Schiltz / Steve Zimmer.

V de V Sports can also count on the participation of many other teams like the Côtes du Rhône Racing Team with a Chevron B19 for François Rivaz / Frank Stippler / Alexander Furiani, GT Classic with a Porsche 911 SC for Philippe Baert / Stéphane Moreau / Jean-François Besson / Sébastien Morales, SG Racing with a 944 S2 for Philippe Raffin / Didier Ortion / Louis Ortion and a 911 3.0 SC for Jean-Marc Bachelier / Edouard Ortion, Carzilla Racing with a 911 3.0 RS for Philippe Burel / Victor Fernandes / Rudy Burot, Net’Cuv Racing with a 964 for Mickaël Desmaele / Christophe Girardot / Franck Racinet, Skoal Bandit with a 944 Turbo for Hugo Mézard / Emilien Chayia / Nicolas Doquin / Antoine Doquin, Mansfeld with a 911 3.0 for Serge Libens / Marc de Siebenthal / Henrique Gemperle / Christine de Siebenthal, CSP Le Mans with a 964 for Pierre Le Flem / Marc Chatellier / Jean-Marc Leveque / Nicolas Beloou, Simon Racing with a 964 Cup for Cornelius Dornier / Andreas Rolner, GBF Racing with a 964 for Christophe Laberty / Sébastien Mathieu / Jean-Pascal Roche / Laurent Sabatier and the Moderne Racing Team with a 964 driven by Fabio Spirgi / Christophe Barth / Yvon Gindre / Mickael Lambotte.

Also expected, subject to confirmation, is the Equipe Europe team of Yvan Mahé, which plans to enter a Chevron B21 for Armand Mille/Erwin France/Guillaume Mahé and the Equipe Palmyr with a Tiga SC 79 for Marc Faggionato /Christian Vaglio – Giors /Gislain Genecand, a March 81 S for “Nelson”/François Belle/Augustin Sanjuan, as well as the RPL team with a Chevron B16 for Didier and Julien Gruau/José Beltramelli /Pierre-Alain France, the Team TH with an Austin Mini 1300 for Thierry Thiefain /Enzo Thiefain /Hyppolite Collard /Frédéric Thiefain. Among other potential entrants we should also mention Jacques Nicolet, who presides over the destiny of the Ligier brand, who may bring along a Ligier JS2.

TWO ASAVE GRIDS AND THE CLUBS

While the 2 Tours d’Horloge will occupy a large slice of the track time of the weekend, the two ASAVE (Association Sportive Automobile des Véhicules d’Epoque) grids, namely the ASAVE Racing 65 reserved for pre-1966 front-engined 2-seater GT, Touring and Sports cars and the ASAVE Racing 76 reserved for GT and Touring cars from 1966 to 1976, will complete the meeting. Each grid will have a 30-minute free practice session, a 30-minute qualifying session and two 45-minute races. Entrants can share the wheel between two drivers. https://asave.fr/

Les clubs de voitures anciennes et sportives seront de nouveau mis à l’honneur cette année et pourront participer à une grande parade des clubs et collectionneurs sur le tracé du célèbre circuit Paul Ricard, le samedi de 10h45 à 11h15. Informations.