HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DAY

This Saturday was full of activities both on the asphalt and in the paddocks of the Circuit Paul Ricard. On the entertainment side, a signing session with René Arnoux, Franck Montagny, Yannick Dalmas, Eric Hélary, Antonio Pizzonia, Jean-Pierre Jarier or Tristan Gommendy took place around a crowd of enthusiasts. On the track, Eric Hélary's first Formula 1 race or Franck Montagny's single-seater drive in an AGS F1 car attracted the amazed eyes of the spectators. Because this was not enough for the KENNOL Grand Prix de France Historique 2023, Peter MANN also made his Ferrari F2008, ex Räikkonnen and Massa, roar to the delight of the public. Finally, the day was punctuated by the rhythm of AC/DC with a concert of "Rock to Hell", at sunset during the 6h V de V endurance race of the GPFH.

A SATURDAY OF RACING

Legends of the 70s & 80s: F1 & F2

The day before, it was time for the qualifying sessions. The Englishman Jamie Constable took pole position 4/10 ahead of Eric Hélary, for his first time in F1! The second row was made up of Belgian Christophe D'Ansembourg, who was relegated to 1.6 seconds and Englishman Michael Cantillon, who was 1/10 seconds behind him. A very bad start by Eric Hélary made him lose precious places. He quickly found himself in the middle of the table in the F1 ranking while, on the other hand, a good start by Laurent Vallery-Masson, driver but also co-organiser of the event, allowed him to keep the lead in the F2 ranking. A smooth race for Michael Cantillon allowed him to win 7.6 seconds ahead of his compatriot Jamie Constable. The podium was 100% British with Matthiew Wrigley taking third place. In F2, Manfredo Rossi Di Montelera won ahead of Brian Morris and Laurent Vallery-Masson.

The top 5: 1 Michael CANTILLON, 2 Jamie CONSTABLE, 3 Matthiew WRIGLEY, 4 Christophe D'ANSEMBOURG, 5 Soheil AYARI.

Formula Ford 1600 (1967-1992)

For this first Formula Ford race, we find a front of the grid composed of Soheil Ayari (2'25.445) in front of Gislain Genecand (2'25.445) then Xavier Michel relegated to one second as well as Arnaud Dousse following him by 1/10. Top start of the 8 laps to decide between the 38 starters.  Arnaud Dousse took the lead from the first lap and dominated the race from start to finish, winning by more than 4 seconds ahead of Xavier Michel and the Swiss Augustin Sanjuan, 15.7 seconds behind the leader. Soheil Ayari, author of a great race, was deprived of a second place because of a Drive Throught which relegated him to 11th place. A spin by Gislain Genecand while he was holding third place saw him relegated to 6th place at the end of the race. A race also marked by an impressive comeback of François Belle, who started 38th because of a lack of time recorded in qualifying, and who finished in 8th position of this race 1. 

Top 5: 1 Arnaud DOUSSE, 2 Xavier MICHEL, 3 Augustin SANJUAN, 4 Mathieu BOISSIER, 5 Marc FAGGIONATO

Lotus Trophy

Following Friday's qualifying session, Dominique Vulliez started from pole position with a time of 2'37.961, 3/10 ahead of Pascal Metayer who completed the front row. A start under investigation and then the withdrawal of the #34 car after a collision set the tone for this race 1. A big battle for the podium between the #11, #5, #10 and #24 cars will be the biggest animation of this race. Under the chequered flag, Dominique Vulliez won the race ahead of Florent Cazalot (10.398s behind) and Anthony Delhaye (only 82/100 of a second behind).

The top 5: 1. Dominique VULLIEZ, 2. Florent CAZALOT, 3. Anthony DELHAYE, 4. Cyril VESTE, 5. Pascal METAYER.

BOSS GP : F1 90's & 2000's

It is the F1 car of Ingo Gerstl who wins the pole position with a time of 1'40.923 and 4.748 seconds ahead of his first row mate Antonio Pizzonia, former Formula 1 driver. Didier Sirgue's F1 car and Simon Jackermeier's GP2 car did not have the opportunity to set any time. The start of race 1 was punctuated by a collision at the northern chicane on the first lap between the #50 car of David Moretti, who was forced to retire, and Thomas Jackermeier in his #69 car. The Safety Car procedure was initiated. Ingo Gerstl overtook the F1 ranking with his Red Bull Torro Rosso. Didier Sirgue's Jaguar dropped him at the exit of the Sainte-Beaume bend following several mechanical problems. A second Safety Car procedure was launched while the leader Ingo Gerstl was forced to abandon the race, leaving the victory to the Brazilian driver Antonio Pizzonia who was ahead of Marc Faggionato and Simone Colombo.

The top 5 : 1. Antonio PIZZONIA, 2. Marc FAGGIONATO 3. Simone COLOMBO, 4. CHECCO, 5. Thomas JACKERMEIER.

FIA Historic Formula 3 European Cup Pre 85 

After an eventful qualifying session and a red flag momentarily stopping the session, Monegasque Frédéric Lajoux took first place for the start of the race, 0.153 s ahead of Dutchman Patrick Andriessen and the two Frenchmen Frédéric Rouvier and Tristan Gommendy, all less than a second behind the pole man. A double-edged start for the drivers, Frédéric Rouvier surprised Patrick Andriessen from the start and attacked the pole man Frédéric Lajoux to take the lead of the race. Leader of the qualifications, Lajoux is struggling in this race and loses little by little some places. A big battle for the first place between Frédéric Rouvier and Patrick Andriessen took place while the third place was held by Davide Leone. The race ends without any problems with a well deserved victory of Frédéric Rouvier 2.9 seconds ahead of Patrick Andriessen who is only 90/100 ahead of the Italian Davide Leone.

Top 5: 1 Frédéric ROUVIER, 2 Patrick ANDRIESSEN, 3 Davide LEONE, 4 Frédéric LAJOUX, 5 Manfredo ROSSI DI MONTELERA

GPFH 6h V de V Endurance :

Tonight at 6pm, the start of the 6h V de V endurance of the GPFH took place, the crews engaged launched themselves under the setting sun offering to the spectators a magnificent picture. Qualifying saw the French crew #69 on pole position with a time almost two seconds ahead of the British crew #23, who will be ahead of the Monegasque crew #41.

THEY SAID:

Peter MANN "The objective of the weekend is to enjoy the passion of the car".

THE CONTINUATION

Sunday: the KENNOL GP de France Historique will continue from 9.00 am to 5.35 pm with 5 new starts and 4 single-seater parades!

Media contact: presse@hvmracing.fr