PAU CLASSIC GRAND PRIX #1: THE WHOLE CITY IS TALKING ABOUT!
For its big comeback after two years of silence, the Pau Classic Grand Prix (ex Grand Prix de Pau Historique) held the city of Bearn in suspense throughout this Saturday. With the same exceptional racing cars and a massive audience, the party will continue on Sunday.
SEEN ON TRACK - THE HVM RACING GRIDS
LEGENDS OF THE HISTORIC GP DE PAU (F1/F2)
Manfredo Rossi as king of Bearn
The "legends" of the Grand Prix de Pau were well and truly present this Saturday with this grid exceptionally bringing together F1 and F2 cars from the 60s and 70s. Michael Lyons, who was considered favourite after his victory in Monaco but was absent from the start because he damaged his Hesketh F1 in free practice, the fastest of the other Formula 1 users, Peter Williams (LEC "ex Purley" from 1977), finally left the spotlight on the two best representatives of the F2 clan: Manfredo Rossi and Christopher Lillingston-Price. Already qualified on pole at the wheel of his 1976 March, the Italian driver was never really worried in the race by his British rival, who nevertheless put in a fine performance with his much older 1600-engined Tecno. About ten seconds separated them at the finish. Next in line were Peter Williams, multiple French F2 champion Robert Simac (March 712M), who was eventually penalised by thirty seconds, and Laurent Vallery-Masson (March 77B).
The top 5: 1.Rossi (March 762 F2), 2.Lillingston-Price (Tecno T70 F2), 3.Williams (Lec CRP1 F1), 4.Vallery-Masson (March 77B), 5.King (March 712).
HGPCA F1 PRE 61 AND PRE 66
Cooper and Maserati share the laurels
Another prestigious sequence of the day, the race organised under the aegis of the British club HGPCA allowed the cohabitation of old F1 cars from before 1966, with rear or front engines for the oldest (the "pre 1961"). Will Nuthall, who set the fastest time in practice, was happier there than on his previous visit to Pau in 2019. Leading from the start, the driver of the Cooper T53 (the 1960 F1 world champion model with Jack Brabham) initially remained under threat from Peter Horsman (Lotus 18/21) before he was forced to retire. His dominance was then unchallenged. The other Englishmen Charlie Martin (Cooper T53) and Nick Taylor (Lotus 18), a regular in Pau, joined him on the podium. The three Maserati 250Fs exceptionally reunited this weekend made it a hat-trick of front-engined F1 cars, in the hands of John Spiers, Steve Hart and Klaus Lehr respectively.
The top 5: 1.Nuthall (Cooper T53), 2.Martin (Cooper T53), 3.Taylor (Lotus 18), 4.Jolley (Cooper T45/51), 5.Lees (Cooper T53).
HISTORIC FORMULA JUNIOR
Clive Richards worthy of his Lotus 22
The Formula Junior refers to a crucial period (1958 to 1963) in the evolution of single-seaters. The public in Pau was able to verify this on Saturday by admiring more than twenty of these cars, often driven at the time by future great names in motor sport. Clive Richards took pole in one of the emblematic Lotus 22s designed by Colin Chapman and dominated the race until his pursuers, Mark Shaw and Chris Goodwin, came back into the race after a neutralisation. The race was restarted for two last loops, but Clive Richards managed to keep them at bay during this last sprint.
Top 5: 1.Richards (Lotus 22), 2.Shaw (Brabham BT6), 3.Goodwin (Lotus 22), 4.Tonetti (Brabham BT6), 5.Wilson (Brabham BT6).
F3 AND FORMULA RENAULT CLASSIC
The day in Lajoux
The F3 Classic Trophy is of course also a regular feature of the Palois event. For this edition, the grid mixes F3s (from before 1986) and Formula Renault Classic cars. At the top of the first category, the qualifying session placed Frédéric Lajoux (March 793) in the lead, a great fan of urban tracks if he ever was. Preceded by 2/10, the other Frédéric, Rouvier (March 783), was naturally determined to try his luck in the race. Separated by 1''5 at mid-race, the two men will continue their duel thereafter to finally reach the finish in the same second. Alain Girardet (Ralt RT3), who was in third place before retiring due to a gearbox problem, left the third place to the Englishman Rob Moores (Chevron B38), who was seriously threatened by Laurent Vallery-Masson (Ralt RT3) at the end of the race. Behind them, Antoine Robert and his father Lionel signed a family double in Formula Renault aboard martini MK48 and MK44.
The top 5 : 1.Lajoux (March 793), 2.Rouvier (March 783), 3.Moores (Chevron B38), 4.Vallery-Masson (Ralt RT3), 5.A.Robert (Martini MK48).
FORMULA FORD HISTORIC CHALLENGE
The English see double
The Formula Ford Historic Challenge was an unavoidable event in Pau, with more than thirty of these venerable single-seaters with Ford Kent engines from before 1982. As always in this category and especially on this urban track, the race was the scene of severe battles. First leader, Swiss poleman Alain Girardet (double winner in 2019) had to quickly give up the advantage to the British Callum Grant and Rory Smith, both driving identical Merlyn cars. Still neck and neck at the beginning of the last lap, the two men finished in this order, leaving Alain Girardet to join them on the podium. On the very international field, Adrien Laissac has the satisfaction to be the first French rider to finish.
The top 5: 1.Grant (Merlyn MK20A), 2.Smith (Merlyn MK20A), 3.Girardet (Crosslé 25F), 4.Laissac (Van Diemen RF81), 5.Belle (Lola T540E).
HISTORIC ENDURANCE PRE 76 GT
Lotus time
The endurance race dedicated to pre-1976 GT/Tourism cars is a great classic in two acts of the Palois programme which always attracts a great number of drivers. This Saturday, it brought together no less than 37 crews (or single drivers) for a 45-minute confrontation including a compulsory pit stop. Florent Cazalot was the best performer in qualifying at the wheel of his Lotus Seven and immediately took the lead, dominating the early part of the race ahead of the other Lotus Seven of his colleague Savinien Legeleux from Toulouse. Once all the stops had been made, Florent Cazalot continued his solo run to reach the finish with a lead of around fifty seconds over the Portuguese Vasco Nina (Porsche 911 2.8), who was finally demoted to fourth place for an overtaking under the yellow flag, and Joaquim Soares (Lotus Elan). The Japanese driver Katsu Kubota, who has been a regular participant in this race, finished sixth.
The top 5 : 1.Cazalot (Lotus Seven), 2.Soares (Lotus Elan), 3.Legeleux (Lotus Seven), 4.Nina (Porsche 911 2.8), 5.Kohler (Lotus Elan).
MAXI 1300 SERIES AND BRITISH GT
The first leg for Faliere
The cars of the Maxi 1300 Series are also used to frequenting the streets of Pau. In particular the Mini Cooper like the one of David Barrere, which was at the top of the hierarchy during the qualifying session on Saturday morning. At the end of the day, it was his runner-up, Alexandre Faliere (Rallye 2), who surprised him at the start of the race to take the lead for good. At the end of the thirteen laps, the little Simca put an end to his escape after having pushed back the Cooper to nearly five seconds. Further on, Tony Gruelles, who was new to the scene, completed the trifecta on board his Mini Marcos. As for the other stages, the return match will take place on Sunday!
The top 5 : 1.Faliere (Rallye 2), 2.Barrere (Cooper S), 3.Gruelles (Mini Marcos), 4.Quesnel (Cooper S), 5.Dumoussaud (Cooper S).
TO BE CONTINUED ON SUNDAY
9 other races, from 8.15 am to 12.25 pm and from 2.25 pm to 5.15 pm. Parade at 9.25 am.
All results and races live : www.hvmracing.fr
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