The second airing of the Peter Auto magazine will be devoted to the Tour Auto Optic 2ooo. From the glass dome of the Grand Palais to the planks of Deauville, Mylène Dorange follows the event and meets the participants – drivers, road closers, spectators and organisers. On the programme…
_It was almost like being transported back to the 1960s when the Grand Palais still hosted the motor show. Every year the Parisian monument is the theatre of scrutineering and administrative checks.
_Just after exiting under the Starting Arch some competitors – victory contenders no less – were already in trouble. Jean-Pierre Gagick’s Shelby Cobra’s cylinder head gasket was leaking and Philippe Vandrome’s Ford GT40’s transmission was acting up. Reactions in the heat of the moment!
_Questions about the Regularity category. How to recognise them? What‘s the difference between the average time – intermediate or high? Does it really require driving skills? Which are the best crews? Jean-François Nicoules has the answers.
_The Peter Auto team has become expert in ferreting out hidden treasures of French heritage like the château de Martinanches in the Puy-de-Dôme. For them the word impossible doesn’t exist even when it comes to organising a lunch in the Alençon corn market.
_Before it was announced for the 2019 event, who knew about the Jowett Jupiter? This collector car was produced in the 1950s by a vanished English make. Its design is original to say the least and it is powered by a motorbike engine!
_World rally champion, 4-time winner of the Dakar Rally and of the iconic Pike’s Peak hill climb: guess who? It’s Finnish driver Ari Vatanen, but what’s he doing on the Tour Auto Optic 2ooo?
_The Tour Auto cannot be compared to Le Mans Classic or Chantilly Arts & Elégance. Its organisation is very different as it’s always on the move. Between the passage of the road-closing cars and that of the road-opening vehicle the caravan stretches out over almost five hours – one hell of a logistical challenge!
_For once victory in the competition class was decided by elimination. Favourites Ludovic Caron, Andrew Smith and Jean-Pierre Lajournade all hit trouble and Raphaël Favaro and Yves Badan took advantage of this.
