D -1 month: the line-up is taking shape
The countdown has started! One month from the start line, the preparations for the “2 Tours d’Horloge” are well and truly underway and the list of participants as well as the set-up of the crews is being added to almost daily. As we know, the weekend of November 7th and 8th, the Paul Ricard circuit (in its F1 configuration) will be hosting an unrivalled competition: the only 24-hour race dedicated to classic racing cars. Organised for the first time in 1992, it is coming back to life this autumn after a six-year absence. This means that the event, organised by V de V Sports, with the support of HVM Racing, is most eagerly awaited!
A pre-list of starters with around 50 cars
As a show of just how popular the 2 Tours d’Horloge race is, the provisional entry list is already looking very strong with around fifty crews divided between Protos, GTs and Touring cars that are at least 30 years old. Perfect harmony enshrined in the traditional 24-hour endurance race with a broad range of models in attendance. On the Protos side, we expect to see the Italians Sala/Perlino’s Porsche 906, De Ferran/Zimmer’s Grac MT14B in attendance, alongside a very large number of stables that all meet the Sports 2000 regulations. Cars with a Ford Pinto engine like the March 81S of “Nelson”/Kubryck/Belle and Weil/Girardet/Sanjuan’s Palmyr team, Rédelé/Bazard/Peauger/Stepak’s Lola T590, and the Tiga SC84, SC83 or SC82 with Vallery-Masson/Martin/Notari/Gerbout (Châteaux Sport Auto), the English Hyett/Snowden/Hyett/Fry and Faggionato/Vaglio-Giors/Genecand (Palmyr) look set to be the favourites for the overall win.
Montagny, Andruet and Leconte among the GT drivers
We’ve got some great names jostling for space in the GT class, with a number of renowned drivers in the line-up. Former F1 driver Franck Montagny will share the wheel of Fyl Racing’s Triumph TR8 with Lethier/Remusat, Jean-Claude Andruet will be on board a Porsche 944 with Noret/Noret/Hardonniere, while Henri Leconte will be behind the wheel of the TVR Griffith 400 that the organiser of the 2 Tours d’Horloge Eric Van de Vyver will share with Meynard/Brossard. And the list of exciting names in the GT class goes on. To list but a few, De Murard/David/Laffargue/Marie’s (team O-One) and Duhamel/Etcheverry/Robert’s Porsche 930 turbo, the Gruau and Gaubert families’ TVR Griffith 400 (father and son in both cases), Jaboulet-Vercherre/Bachelier/Collin’s Marcos Mantis, Mancel/Mancel/Thiel/Le Cléach’s Alpine V6 GT, the Huez family’s Lotus Europa, the Lotus Seven of the specialists of the eponymous Metayer/Bernard/Berrezai/Beloou trophy, the Porsche 911 3-litre RS or SC of Kohler/Depagneux/Merlin/Langin, Alfano, Achard/Piat/Martin/Grandidier and Baudiniere, the Porsche 964 Cup or RS of Burel/Terrail/Fretin/Chapon’s Le Duigou Racing and Segolen/Piat/Blasco/Pellerzi, or, among the oldest, Guillaume-Schmitt/Benard/Rajon’s Jaguar type E and the Porsche 911 2,3 litres ST of the Germans Sanchez/Sanchez/Di Casa/Hurtgen and de Piquet/Triniane-Gambassi.
Alongside all this, many other Group 1 or 2 classics will delight lovers of this class. In no particular order, ranging from the Châteaux father and son’s BMW 635 CSI, Truffier/Geoffroy/Boutin’s BMW 530 iUS and Wasserman/Pargamin/Veillard’s BMW 325i, the Ford Escort MKI of the Beltramelli father and son associated with Laurent Lebouc, to the Ford Mustang of the British Sleep/Wykeham/Montgomery and the Dutch Adriaans/Lieshout/Cartenian/Jansen, or even Doe/Prevost’s (Ford Racing Expérience) Ford Capri or the Ford Escort Mk2 with Hector (Classic Garage) and the German-Dutch crew Deenich/Boon/Sinke/Douglas.
Without forgetting the public’s participation
You’ll be able to follow along the 2 Tours d’Horloge as a special spectator. During race time, the public will have free access to the grandstand of the “Grand Prix Hall” and the “Grand Prix Burger”.
CONTACTS
+33 (0)1 69 88 05 24 (V de V Sports) / +33 (0)6 28 53 12 99 (Laure Van de Vyver)
+33 (0)6 09 11 28 69 (Eric Van de Vyver). Press: jacques.furet@bbox.fr.
L’ACTU DES 2TH
www.vdev.fr et V de V Sports
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