The last Tour Auto Optic 2ooo was a special celebration of the event’s 25th anniversary and was run over a new route for the 230 crews taking part: it finished with a night stage on famous rally roads in the Côte d’Azur hinterland.
On this occasion homage was paid to the cars that have written the legend of the Tour like the Ferrari 250 GT Competizione, the Jaguar 3.8 l MKII and the Ligier JS2.
In keeping with tradition the 2016 Tour Auto Optic 2ooo began on Monday 18th April with the cars on display in the Grand Palais in Paris.
The next day (Tuesday 19th April) the crews leaved the French capital at the crack of dawn to go to the official start at the Château de Courances. They was then set off on French roads to do battle in the timed events (competition or regularity) on 4 circuits (Dijon-Prenois, Bresse, Lédenon, Paul Ricard) as well as 11 special stages on closed roads.
Every year the route of the Tour Auto Optic 2ooo is changed, and in 2016 it included Beaune, Lyon and Valence after which the competitors arrived on the Mediterranean coast as the fourth leg will end in Marseille. Then they found to the Croisette in Cannes for the finish of the 25th Tour Auto Optic 2ooo after a journey of around 2000 kilometers.
Two night stages
To make sure that this anniversary event remains firmly engraved in everybody’s memory, Peter Auto has added a night stage to the programme for the first time! Thus, the crews who arrive in Cannes on Saturday afternoon still had another challenge ahead of them. After a few hours rest they all headed for the roads in the hinterland on the Côte d’Azur for a night run, punctuated by two special stages, followed by the finish on the Croisette in the night of Saturday and Sunday bringing down the curtain on the 25th Tour Auto Optic 2ooo.
Unfortunately, for security reasons, the first special stage of the night, the Col de Vence was canceled.
For my part, I followed the events on the circuits of Lédenon (4th leg) and Paul Ricard (5th leg) which I am going to try to tell you in photos.
Honour where honour is due, the winners
In competition
Jean Pierre LAJOURNADE / Christophe BOUCHET - Jaguar Type E 3,8L (#201) winner for the third time (2010 Lotus Elan, 2015 already with the Jaguar)
“G” class (1966-1971)
Eddy BENEZET / Jean-Jacques BENEZET – Porsche 911 ST 2,5L (#282)
“H” class (1972-1981)
Florent JEAN / Philippe TALABARD – Ferrari 308 Gr.IV Michelotto (#255)
In regularity
Martin H. SUCARI / Francisco SUCARI - Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta (#7 – chassis 3143GT)
In Weighted Classification
Jean-François PENILLARD / Mathieu VERLAINE - Porsche 356 Pre A (#159)
EXCEPTIONAL CARS
The 25th Tour Auto gives pride of place to rare and exceptional cars that have left their mark on the history of this race, which is the oldest one in the world still taking place.
Let’s begin with BMW (official car partner of the Tour Auto Optic 2ooo): a large number of 1600, 2002 TI and Turbo, 2800 CS and 3.0 CSL models were at the start.
No fewer than 24 Ferrari have been entered including a 250 GT Berlinetta from 1960 (chassis 2129 GT) entered by British duo Adrian Beecroft-Susan Roy, which won the 1960 Tour de France driven by Willy Mairesse and Georges Berger. Several other remarkable cars from Maranello took part like the 225 S of Swiss driver Diego Meier that finished eighth in the 1953 Sebring 12 Hours and a 275 GTB/C with his father Arnold on board: it raced in the 1969 Tour de France Automobile as well as the Targa Florio in 1966 and 1967. Colin Kolles has entered a 1957 250 GT Tour de France.
The Mk I and Mk II Jaguars won the touring car category in the Tour de France Automobile on several occasions thanks to the skills of Hermano da Silva Ramos in 1959 and Bernard Consten in 1960, 1961, 1962 and 1963. They were represented by no fewer than five cars.
Another overall winner, the Ligier JS2, which triumphed in the 1974 event crewed by Gérard Larrousse-Jean-Pierre Nicolas-Johnny Rives, also came under starter’s orders.
There was many other spectacular cars to watch out for including eight Shelby Cobras, four Ford GT40s and 12 E-Type Jaguars including chassis 49 FXN, one of the two Low-Drag models with special bodywork among the 12 lightweight E-Types produced in 1963.
Porsche was represented by a wide range of automobiles ranging from the 356 to the 914/6 as well as the 550 RS Spyder, 904 GTS, 906 and 911 2.0L, 2.4 L ST, 2.5 L ST (with its famous psychedelic livery), 2.7 RS & 2.8 L RSR models.
Among the Italian entries was numerous Alfa Romeos including a 1900 CSS and a TZ, an Osca MT4 that raced in the 1954 event and a Siata 208 S and Maserati, De Tomaso, Fiat, Lancia.
Besides several Mustangs, American colours were flown by a Nash Rambler, a Plymouth Hemicuda and a Studebaker Champion from 1953, Chevrolet.
Other names on the entry list include AC, Alpine, Aston Martin, Austin Healey, CG, Citroën, Jide, Lotus, Mercedes, MG, Mini, Morgan, Peugeot, Renault, Simca, Sunbeam, Triumph and Volvo, which were also cheered on by the crowd.
