Historic Tour - fifth and last round - Ledenon – France
The ultimate stage of the Historic French Championship of circuits promised a final to suspense on the asphalt of Ledenon. About 300 cars from sixties to nineties bore witness to their hours of glory.
For the last one of five meetings, the Historic French championship of circuits had taken possession of the circuit of Ledenon, in the South of France. Having been in confrontation successively on the tracks of Dijon, Paul Ricard, Charade and Nogaro, the protagonists found themselves on one of the most selective tracks with a length of 3.1 kilometers which hugs perfectly the relief of the hill.
The film of the races in GT/Saloon cars
Trophée Maxi 1000 (GT and saloon cars less than 1300 CC before 1977)
28 participants - 2 races of 25 minutes
In Maxi 1000, Laurent Majou (Austin Cooper S #99) remain the hero of the day ... and the season.Remained undefeated in both races of the day, the driver of the Cooper S added its name to the winners of the trophy.
Dominator in the morning in front of Jean-François Besson (Alpine A110 #109) and on the very young (16 years) Enzo Thiéfain (Austin Cooper S #35), the new champion was more seriously heckled by the driver of the Alpine in race 2, to the point of exchanging its leadership position with him many times.
And finally everything was decided in the final lap for one second !
Special dedication to the smallest car of the meeting, the Panhard 24CT 848 CC flat-twin cooled by air of Jean-Louis Petitjean.
HTCC Groupe 1 (saloon cars Group 1 before 1983)
35 participants - 2 races of 25 minutes
Imperial on this tormented and undulating track of Lédenon, Pierre-François Clot (Escort RS2000 #77) concluded the season with HTCC Group 1 with two hard fought victories.
The driver of the Ford Escort RS2000 was first imposed in the morning run before Philippe Gosset (BMW 530iUS #32) and after having long been threatened by Didier Gruau (Vauxhall Magnum #3) finally stopped in its tracks by a Drive-through .
He then instructed to reoffend afternoon before the same Gruau and Philippe Truffier (BMW 530 IUs #13), in full battle to the finish.
In both cases, Jean-Louis D'Esparbes won in Cup Antho 505 (Peugeot 505 Turbo Injection 2.2L and V6 2.8L), while the Pro-Series has successively rewarded Laurent Dallet (BMW 635 #17) and Franck Cabarrou (BMW 323i #135).
Trophée Saloon Car (GT and saloon cars before 1996)
24 participants - 2 races of 25 minutes
Already imperial in the trainings, Alain Derognat (BMW 323i #63) took care to confirm his superiority in race.
Purposeful, Christophe Terriou (Porsche 911 RS #2) was defeated in the regular but without ever having been really released, while Vincent Drouilleau (Alfa GTV6 #3) completed the podium.
Unlucky of the day, Julien Grenet (Ford Falcon #65), 3rd time of qualifying, was eliminated from the beginning.
Alain Derognat, already the fastest in race 1, again dictated his law to Christophe Terriou, conceding ten seconds on the finish line but realize an excellent operation within the contest of the Saloon Cars Trophy.
Trophy which will be completed at the end of the month on the circuit of Nürburgring.
Also in course for the 2015 title, Vincent Drouilleau complete the podium aboard his Alfa GTV6.
Challenge GT Tourisme Asavé «Trophée Jean-Luc Rançon» (GT and saloon cars before 1982)
19 participants - 2 races of 25 minutes.
Having completely missed his departure, Claude Boissy (Ford Escord RS #17) has waited patiently for his time to get rid alternately of his three direct rivals,the "poleman" Ghislain Gaubert (Porsche 911 2.8L #28), Jean-Louis Deglise (Porsche 911 Turbo #33), a long time leader, and finally Didier Cruvelier (Porsche 911 2.8L #172).
A quartet that ends grouped in less than four seconds.
In a perfect remake of the day before, the four most prominent drivers of the weekend have hardly left during the 25 minutes of a race led from start to finish by Claude Boissy.
Taking advantage of this ultimate victory, Claude Boissy won the Challenge GT / Tourism ASAVE and the title of champion of France!
Trophée GT Classic (GT before 1998)
18 participants - 2 races of 30 minutes
After a qualify thwarted by ... the loss of a wheel, Franck Morel (Viper GTS #171 Chassis #C39) hastened to put the record straight in this race 1, where he imposes his Viper GTS without too much trouble.
Leader during the first three laps, Benoît Romac (993 RSR #52)) took the 2nd place with,a robust safety margin on his immediate following one: Laurent Sabatier (Porsche 964 #51).
Out of reach of his rivals aboard his Viper GTS-R, Franck Morel is once again alone.
Behind him, in the absence of Benoit Romac, Laurent Sabatier raises his Porsche 964 in the 2nd place having got rid of Patrick Bourguignon (BMW Z3 #63).
4th, Cedric Doris Torres (Porsche 964 #112) won the category GTC3, like Laurent Poirier (Porsche 968 #949) in GTC4.
Trophée Lotus (Lotus Seven et bygone Caterham)
18 participants - 2 races of 25 minutes
Xavier Jacquet (#34) make the double in Sunday where everything succeeded him ... Well almost, since the title escaped him in favor of Claude Rucheton (#3), who won the trophy in 1999.
The Lotus driver of Thonon-les-Bains had first imposed in the morning race before Anthony Delhaye (#5) and Florent Cazalot (#11), after the author of the pole, Jean-Jacques Billčres (#43), has lost big stalling on the grid.
Superbly back in the race of the afternoon, he remained threatening Xavier Jacquet until the finish.
In both races, Philippe Koenig (#39) was the fastest of the owners of Caterham.
Legends Cars Cup (guest)
39 participants - 2 races of 20 minutes and one of 40 minutes
Both traditional sprint races successively crowned Mané Vignjevic (#555) and Arnaud Choquet (#41).
At the end of 40 minutes of racing, Mané Vignjevic won this endurance, Arnaud Choquet was leaded during the first 15 minutes.
Finally relegated to 8th place, he does not become less than the new winner of the Legends Cars Cup.
The film of the races in Single-seater/Sport-Protos
Trophée F3 Classic (F3 Single-seater before 1985)
17 participants
Starting from pole, Nelson Lukes (Martini MK39 #50) quickly left a small advance on Eric Martin (Martini KM39 #2), then Fred Lajoux (Chevron B43 #21) and finaly Valerio Leone (March 783 #80), came bagk as a bullet after he was forced to star at the end of the grid.
Author of a faultless, the young Southerner imposed with 5.6 '' ahead of Italian and, therefore, is assured from Saturday night to be the 2015 winner of the Trophée F3 Classic.
Back in the 2015 trophy for this final meeting, the multiple Italian champion Valerio Leone of the discipline could do nothing to stem a new breakaway of Nelson Lukes, decidedly unassailable.
Trophée Formule Renault Classic (Formule Renault Single-seater before 1995)
18 participants
Brilliant leader in the first two thirds of the race, Matthieu Châteaux (Martini MK38 #171) gave in to the onslaught of Lionel Robert (Martini MK44 #1), who was already the fastest in the qualify.
By winning this umpteenth success, the resident of Le Mans, ensures the success in the final of the Formula Renault Classic trophy without even having to wait for Sunday's race verdict.
Constantly stayed under the threat of Fabrice Porte (Martini MK51 #29), Thierry Auvray (Martini MK65 #42) extracted the 3rd place.
Crowned since the race of the day before, Lionel Robert let a short moment Matthieu Châteaux steal him the star in the beginning of race before returning to his favorite place at the top of the "Formule Renault"
The duo Robert/Chateaux signed a new doubled, whereas Fabrice Porte, come back, got 3rd place in the penultimate lap at the expense of Thierry Auvray, inversing the order of the day before.
Both disciplines making common races.
2 races of 25 minutes were scheduled for this Week end.
Challenge Formula Ford Historic (Formule Ford Single-seater before 1982)
21 participants - 2 races of 25 minutes.
Another great operation for François Belle (Lola T540 #25).
Already assured of winning the Challenge Formula Ford Historic, the driver local team Palmyr also consolidated his position as leader of the Championship of France by winning race 1 where the Swiss Gislain Genecand (Crosslé 30F #10) and Alain Girardet (Lola T200 #2) were quickly installed in the 2nd and 3rd places.
Total control! As the day before, François Belle left no hope to his companions of the Formula Ford Historic, by dominating the race from start to finish.
As in race 1, the Swiss Gislain Genecand and Alain Girardet nevertheless deployed all their art of the driving to try to put him in trouble.
Assured to win the challenge in arriving at Lédenon, François Belle took here a second grail: the title of champion of France!
Trophée Formule Ford Kent (Formule Ford Single-seater before 1993)
22 participants - 2 races of 25 minutes
Trophy Formula Ford Kent in 2015 ended with a double success of its new champion; Hugo Carini (Van Diemen RF90 #009).
In the morning race as in that of the afternoon, the young (20 years) pilot demonstrated great maturity in resisting every time to rivals of the stature of Beloou Nicolas (Van Diemen RF90 #12), Jerome Metayer (Van Diemen RF90 #23) and the Swiss Gislain Genecand (Crosslé 30F #10).
Congratulations to him!
Sport Protos Cup (Sport-Protos cup before 1995)
19 participants - 2 races of 25 minutes.
For the last races of the new SportProtosCup, the morning race highlighted steering wheel of Francis Dougnac (Epsilon Alfa V6 #31) and the efficiency of his old barchetta of the Cup Alfa.
Beaten, Jean-Michel Guermonprez then took advantage of his absence in race 2 to succeed him at the helm of his Grac MT14 (#30), always motorized by an invaluable JRD of the period of the Simca Cup.
Patrick Merlin and Hervé Reby associated on the same proto G Meca (Alfa V6 #99), finished two time on the podium, while with a lower results Bernard Richard and Gerard Delprat (Tiga SC 81 #22) also realized an attractive grouped fire with their Tiga Sport2000.
Finally, Yves Riffiod (ARC MF 16 Alfa Romeo #7) and Gilles Landrin (ARC MF 12 Alfa Romeo #91) offered two victories of Class A to the camp of the ARC.
