Le Mans and home via Reims GP ruins

[supaspark]

Had an absolute ball at leMans this year, met some great Piston Headers (TVRCC Splinter Group). Left le Mans Sunday night for Hotel in Paris then on to Reims GP Circuit The following day...You can see that there has been some restoration work and it looks good, but the BP mosaic has vanished!
[pic]http://homepage.ntlworld.com/glyn.bonser/le%20Mans%20037.jpg[/pic]
[pic]http://homepage.ntlworld.com/glyn.bonser/le%20Mans%20043.jpg[/pic]
[pic]http://homepage.ntlworld.com/glyn.bonser/le%20Mans%20049.jpg[/pic]
[pic]http://homepage.ntlworld.com/glyn.bonser/le%20Mans%20051.jpg[/pic]
[pic]http://homepage.ntlworld.com/glyn.bonser/le%20Mans%20052.jpg[/pic]
[pic]http://homepage.ntlworld.com/glyn.bonser/le%20Mans%20057.jpg[/pic]

[piglet]

These are really great photo's thanks for posting them. Keep meaning to make a trip over that way to have a look.

[MarkBarton]

Nice pics! Good to see there's some work being done to preserve what's left, too. Will definitely have to make the effort one of these years.

Do you know wxactly what's going on? Is it just a bunch of enthusiastic locals doing a bit of maintenance, or is there something more official afoot?

[hansgerd]

It looks like parts of the buildings received a "fresh" paint job recently.

[VTECMatt]

Perhaps a dumb question but I would like to stop buy next month, what road is this on.

Thanks

[hansgerd]

It's in the west of Reims, Reims-Gueux. It's the triangle of the N31 route nationale from Soissons to Reims, the D27 connecting the villages of Thillois and Gueux and then towards Muizon (D27E).

[vetteheadracer]

[M-G]

Great pictures and glad to see some restoration taking place.

This is what it looked like in March 2003


There was only two thirds of the BP mosaic left then, but by the look of your picture it has been cut out, hopefully to be restored (but probably not, someones more than likely half inched it!)

Mark

[supaspark]

Yeh..Thats what I hope its gone for restoration.. Just been informed something is happening at the site in July...S o all good news maybe!

[M-G]

Here's what it should have looked like.



I've also heard that there was some event on this year, but can't for the life of me remember where I heard it.

Mark

[jvaughan]

Looks good. was at the Riems site last year with the Le-Surrey Run Champagne tour in the 400SE.

Jason
(Black VW Golf with Pistonheads Logo's and Welsh Flag on Ariel)

[polarbert]

i remember reading in a car magazine sometime that there are a few other old racing tracks, and that you can drive round most of them, or what remains at least, i remember in particular it mentioned that one of the tracks went through a small village and had a very sharp u bend in it, right in the middle of the town

cant for the life of me remember where these tracks are but they would be amazing to visit sometime


anybody know about them?

[rsvmilly]

polarbert said:

i remember reading in a car magazine sometime that there are a few other old racing tracks, and that you can drive round most of them, or what remains at least, i remember in particular it mentioned that one of the tracks went through a small village and had a very sharp u bend in it, right in the middle of the town cant for the life of me remember where these tracks are but they would be amazing to visit sometime anybody know about them?

I think the track you're thinking of IS Rheims.

Somewhere there is a fantastic website that lists old tracks. I tried Googling for it but couldn't track it down.

[supaspark]

Just found a picture of Reims in its heyday.....

[old fogey]

I'm so glad i managed to get to reims before they started vandalising it with restoration ...

I'm sure it will look very "pretty" when finished, but there's something romantic, ghostly and moving about the old ruins that will now not be recaptured for another 40 odd years ....

what are they doing about the rotted steel reinforcing in the grandstand? surely they couldn't restore that without massive financial investment, or pull it down and build a replica... it's unsafe and cordoned off when I was last there.

let the old girl rest in peace i say ...

[polarbert]

rsvmilly said:

polarbert said: i remember reading in a car magazine sometime that there are a few other old racing tracks, and that you can drive round most of them, or what remains at least, i remember in particular it mentioned that one of the tracks went through a small village and had a very sharp u bend in it, right in the middle of the town cant for the life of me remember where these tracks are but they would be amazing to visit sometime anybody know about them? I think the track you're thinking of IS Rheims. Somewhere there is a fantastic website that lists old tracks. I tried Googling for it but couldn't track it down.

seem to also remember that the track i was thinking about was really really long, could have been 25 miles, does this sound more familar?

[old fogey]

there were several versions of the reims track .. back in the glory days of racing .. at reims they actually pulled a house down to make the track faster!!

edited to add, if you go to reims make sure you take time to visit the motor museum in the town, it should have it's circuit exhibit up and open now, was under construction when i was last there but manged to get a sneak preview behind closed doors from one of the workers there. It has a big map on the wall of the most-used circuit layout.

Best view of reims pits is from behind the granstand, you can stand up on the road behind and see the circuit underpass and all the writing on the rear of the grandstand and a great view of the pit straight. truly magical. Some of the circuit is now lost, but you can drive probably a third of the last layout if you know where it goes. It definately pays to do your research before you go or you'll end up missing all the good stuff.

>> Edited by old fogey on Wednesday 22 June 00:28

[M-G]

rsvmilly said:

Somewhere there is a fantastic website that lists old tracks. I tried Googling for it but couldn't track it down.

That'll be this site I think

www.racingcircuits.net/

Mark