Report and photos by Peter Falkner
The 48th edition of Grand Prix de L’Age D’Or took place on June 22-24, 2012 at the Dijon-Prenois circuit in France. In its early days the event took place at Rouen-Les-Essarts as an opening race for the French Grand Prix. It then moved on to Linas-Monthléry outside of Paris before finally settling at Dijon-Prenois. This year’s edition attracted over 400 historic racing machines from all over Europe.
The drive to the Dijon-Prenois circuit is a joy. Immaculate winding roads pass immaculate farms and postcard ready villages as the musky smell of the crops wafts through the open window. The circuit is nestled in grassy hills 15 minutes from the mustard capital of the world. The simple looking track map is deceptive to put it mildly. With the exception of a small portion of the main straight, the circuit is always rising, falling, twisting and turning.The dips and rises are cleverly positioned to dictate gentle use of the throttle on many corner exits. This and the many excellent grassy vantage points make the circuit very enjoyable for the spectators.
The Grand Prix de L’Age D’Or 2012 weekend saw 10 different classes of racers running in events organized by the Historic Grand Prix Cars Association, the Historic Sports Car Club, the FIA, BOSS GP, GT Sports Car Club and Masters Historic Racing. More importantly, the fans were treated to the elbows-outside-the-car pre ’61 F1 cars to the ear-ripping 21st century F1 spectacle and lots in between. Local car clubs also had a place in the extensive treed infield. Many cult marques were represented including Alpina BMW, Alpine Renault and Facel Vega. Sunday held a special treat, a tribute to Carroll Shelby. Fans were treated to several loud demonstration laps by an immaculate Shelby Daytona Cobra Coupe. Of course not to be missed were the local products for the foodie in us all, fine Burgundy wine, cheese, Dijon mustard and country fresh bread.
Back at the track, the smell of hot oil and burning rubber were to some, equally attractive. Friday was qualifying day for most of the classes. Only the GTSCC and Boss GP had to wait for Saturday to stake their grid spot.
Grand Prix Masters
First up were the Grand Prix Masters, F1 cars from 1966-1985. Names like Andretti, Stewart, Peterson and Hunt adorned the cars and reminded us of their pedigree. Michael Lyons stuck the fastest lap in his Hesketh 308E (24), followed by Manfredo Rossi di Montelera driving the ex Andretti Lotus 80 (80) and Hans Peter in the Tyrrell 008 (4). Series leader, Andrew Beaumont found himself at 6th on the grid in his ex Ronnie Peterson JPS Lotus 76.
The 16 runners lined up in warm breezy sunshine for their first race Saturday afternoon. Lyons never missed a beat on his way to victory and the Penthouse Rizla liveried Hesketh looked very impressive on its massive 80s era slicks. Rossi di Montelera held second throughout and Beaumont powered up from 6th on the grid to secure the last podium spot.
Race 1
1st 24 LYONS Michael Hesketh 308E
2nd 80 ROSSI DI MONTELERA Manfredo Lotus 80
3rd 11 BEAUMONT Andrew Lotus 76/1
4th 4 PETER Hans Tyrrell 008
5th 7 MAYDON Ron Amon F101
The grid for race two was formed by the race one finish order. Judy Lyons driving a Surtees TS9 (9) made the biggest jump starting five spots higher for the Sunday afternoon race. The blue Hesketh again was untouchable, eventually crossing the line 30 seconds up on the Rossi di Montelera Lotus. Despite a poor first race and matching race two grid spot, Chris Perkins in the Surtees TS14 (18) clawed up from 10th to finish third, less than 3 seconds behind the Lotus.
Race 2
1st 24 LYONS Michael Hesketh 308E
2nd 80 ROSSI DI MONTELERA Manfredo Lotus 80
3rd 18 PERKINS Chris Surtees TS14
4th 4 PETER Hans Tyrrell 008
5th 8 MEINS Richard Williams FW07/D
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Historic Grand Prix Cars Association Pre-1966
This group of open wheeled single-seaters reflects the success of the two main manufacturers of the period, Cooper and Lotus. Between the two they made up 75% of the grid. The large field of 27 closely matched cars guaranteed excitement on the narrow Dijon track.
Fresh from a double victory at Brands Hatch in May, the Coventry Climax-powered Lotus 18/21 (22) of Peter Horsman bested Sidney Hooles ex Jo Bonnier Cooper T66 (66) and John Harpers Brabham BT4 (1). The racing was close with the top 10 qualifiers separated by only 3.5 seconds!
In race one, a smart start saw Hoole taste the lead but just for one lap. Mark Piercy in his Lola Mk4 (2) came through from 4th on the grid to control the pack for the next five laps. Right on his heels, Horsman and Hoole were attached at the hip, neither wanting to give way. Finally on lap 6, Horsman made his move then held on brilliantly to take the checkered flag.
Race 1
1st 22 HORSMAN Peter Lotus 18/21 P1
2nd 66 HOOLE Sidney Cooper T66
3rd 2 PIERCY Mark Lola Mk4
4th 1 HARPER John Brabham BT4
5th 18 CHISOLM John Lotus 18
Breakfast barely over and the drivers were back at it Sunday morning. As in race one, Piercy nipped into the lead early but this time the duo of Horsman and Hoole made it clear it was their race. Horsman took took the lead the third time around and despite a spirited chase by Hoole never gave it up. On the final tour, Hoole succumbed to John Harpers Brabham, the pair finishing the race a tenth of a second apart.
Race 2
1st 22 HORSMAN Peter Lotus 18/21 P1
2nd 1 HARPER John Brabham BT4
3rd 66 HOOLE Sidney Cooper T66
4th 18 CHISOLM John Lotus 18
5th 32 STUDER Peter Lotus 32
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Masters Touring Cars
This class of mass produced road cars gave the fans lots of noise (Ford Falcons), sliding (Ford Lotus Cortinas) and three wheel cornering (Austin Mini Coopers). The Austin Minis in particular make improbable looking race cars but they get around quickly on four wheels or three!
Series leader Leo Voyazides again was dominant in qualifying in his fire-engine red Ford Falcon (2). Close behind was a French entered Falcon (7) driven by Fabien Sarrailh just ahead of the Ford Lotus Cortina (37) of Mike Gardiner. The Porsche 911 (40) of Manfredo Rossi di Montelera lurks just behind the keep the Fords honest. Much of the entertainment of this class is provided by the Minis, 7 of which all lap together within a couple of seconds of each other and vie for the title of who had the inside rear wheel furthest of the ground in the corner.
The grid roared off for a sixty minute race in front of a large and appreciative Saturday crowd. Voyazides held his customary spot at the head of the pack while third place qualifier Gardiner waited for a mistake to pounce. Unfortunately for the leading group, Voyazides rarely missteps and after 35 raucous laps he crossed the line before anyone else. In the Mini Cooper wars, Philip Burgess (27) pipped Christian Devereux (67) for 4th overall by just 4/100ths. Sixty minutes of competitive racing, smiles all around.
Race
1st 2 VOYAZIDES Leo Ford Falcon
2nd 37 GARDINER Mike Keen Phil Ford Lotus Cortina
3rd 7 SARRAILH Fabien Berges François Ford Falcon
4th 27 BURGESS Philip Austin Mini Cooper
5th 67 DEVEREUX Christian Austin Mini Cooper
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FIA Lurani Trophy
From 1958 to 1963 Formula Junior replaced the motorcycle engined 500 cc F3 cars as the stepping-stone to Formula 1. It was the brainchild of Italian Count ‘Johnny’ Lurani and provided for 1.0 or 1.1 litre production engines, and gearboxes in mini Grand Prix chassis. Jim Clark, John Surtees, Jochen Rindt, Graf Wolfgang Von Trips, Lorenzo Bandini and Giancarlo Baghetti were amongst the G.P. Stars who formulated their careers in Formula Junior.
The series came to Dijon for its 3rd round of 7 after Monza in March and Hockenheim in April. Series leader Pierre Tonetti driving the Brabham BT6 (992) showed his intentions on his third go-around besting by over one second Rossi di Monteleras Lotus 22 (53) in Friday’s 25 minute qualifying session. The race looked to shake up the standings as the two drivers tied for 2nd in the series, Delane and Ragabliati, had qualified well down the field.
A good early bird crowd witnessed this very competitive 25 minute race on Saturday. Tonetti got off well but after 2 laps parked it with an engine malfunction. That left the field of battle to the fastest Lotus cars, Rossi di Montelera in the Lotus 22 (53), John Fyda/Lotus 22 (54) and Urs Eberhardt in a Lotus 27 (79). Hans-Jorgen Krag’s Lola Mk3 lost it’s right rear wheel going into the hairpin resulting in a lengthy safety car period. This kept the field tight and entertaining for the balance of the race. After the dust settled it was Rossi di Montelera by 4 seconds over Fyda and Eberhardt another 9/10th back.
Race 1
1st 53 ROSSI DI MONTELERA Lotus 22
2nd 54 FYDA John Lotus 22
3rd 79 EBERHARDT Urs Lotus 27
4th 189 FERRARI Bruno Branca
5th 58 SMEETON Richard Wainer
Top qualifier Tonetti was unable to regroup in time and had to sit out race 2. Buoyed by his 2nd place in Race one, John Fyda confidently moved up from his 4th place grid spot spending several laps in third then second before cooly slipping past the lead car of Eberhardt on the final lap. Fyda tripped the timers just 8/10ths ahead but it was enough.
Race 2
1st 54 FYDA John Lotus 22
2nd 79 EBERHARDT Urs Lotus 27
3rd 58 SMEETON Richard Wainer
4th 189 FERRARI Bruno Branca
5th 187 HAAS Felix Cooper T59
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Historic Grand Prix Cars Association Pre-1961
Think old style driving goggles, elbows and shoulders outside the car leaning into the turn, now you have the picture of the pre-1961 F1 cars. This series also boasts a impressive variety of makes and models. Evocative names like Lister Jaguar, Ferrari Dino, Maserati 250F, Talbot Lago, Scarab Offenhauser and ERA fill this exciting 23 car grid.
The standard is set by Philip Walker’s Lotus 16 368 (1) gorgeous in it’s Lotus green livery and bright yellow wheels. Very close during the 25 minute session were Julian Bronson’s Scarab-Offenhauser and Rod Jolley’s stunning Lister Jaguar Monza. The first 10 qualifiers are within 6 seconds of each other so the race looks promising.
Despite qualifying first, Philip Walker leaves to return to England to watch his daughter at another sports event. He returned for race 2 Sunday but was obliged to start from the back of the grid. That gave the Scarab race 1 pole position. That was all the encouragement Julian Bronson needed and he powered away, leaving Tony Smith’s gorgeous red Ferrari Dino 0007 nearly 30 seconds back when the flag waved at the end of the 20 minute race.
Race 1
1st 30 BRONSON Julian Scarab-Offenhauser
2nd 3 SMITH Tony Ferrari Dino 0007
3rd 19 GRANT Paul Cooper Bristol
4th 22 MILES Allan Maserati 250F
5th 77 VAN DER KROFT Adrian HWM F2 52/112
Having already put in many air miles in the last 24 hours, Philip Walker was ready to put in some road miles to prove his top qualifying time was no fluke. Incredibly by the third lap, he had carved his way to second place and any comfort that Bronson had at the start evaporated in the dry Sunday air. When the cars roared by on lap nine the deal was done, Walker first, Bronson second and Smith’s Ferrari a distant third. A masterful performance worthy of the original pilots of these historic cars.
Race 2
1st 1 WALKER Philip Lotus 16 368
2nd 30 BRONSON Julian Scarab-Offenhauser
3rd 3 SMITH Tony Ferrari Dino 0007
4th 2 JOLLEY Rod Lister Jaguar Monza
5th 22 MILES Allan Maserati 250F
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Grand Prix de L’Age D’Or – Report and Photos Continued
Grand Prix de L’Age D’Or Report and Photos – Page Two
World Sportscar Masters
No mistaking the start up of the Lola T70 MK3, the booming exhaust note can be heard anywhere on the circuit and the crowd senses something special is coming. These are the sports-prototypes and Group 4 GT cars from 1962-1974. The field includes the mighty Lola T70 and Lola T212, Chevron B16s and B8s, Chevrolet Corvettes and Ford GT40s. This series has one sixty minute race, a good challenge for man and machine. Teams with two drivers will swap the wheel, teams with one driver must pit and remain stationary for one minute with the engine off.
The five liter engined T70s stake out the top five spots with ease. Only the GP Masters and Boss GP single seaters can hustle around the track faster than the Lola. The series leading team of Leo Voyazides and Simon Hadfield in their Lola T70 (6) found themselves playing second fiddle to the T70 of French drivers André and Thomas Bailly (101). Sadly the blue and gold Bailly Lola returns to the paddock on the back of a truck, a fluids leak left the transmission without lubrication, not good. David Coplowe and Martin Stretton (47) post third fastest just 63/100ths behind the number 6 car.
The Voyazides/Hadfield outfit always runs smoothly and they surely know what it takes to win. So while at the very sharp end not much changed, just behind it was anybody’s race. The Michael Gans Lola T70 (30), Coplowe/Stretton T70 (47), Rossi di Montelera Abarth Osella PA1 (10) and the Paul Ingram/Chris Chiles Jr. Chevron B8 (19) were in a constant dust-up.
Race
1st 6 VOYAZIDES Leo HADFIELD Simon Lola T70 Mk3b
2nd 47 COPLOWE David STRETTON Martin Lola T70 Mk3b (c)
3rd 30 GANS Michael Lola T70 MK3b
4th 10 ROSSI DI MONTELERA Manfredo Abarth Osella PA1
5th 53 Audi Gregoire Lola T212
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Historic Grand Prix Cars Association Sports Cars
Sports cars, GT cars, prototypes, front engine and rear engine are all here. Big names like Maserati, Cooper up against some unique very small production models like the one-of-a-kind Canadian Sadler MK3 and the Tojeiro Jaguars. The 24 car field had their 25 minute qualifying session in cool sunshine on Friday morning. There was lots of slipping and sliding as the track had yet to “rubber up”.
The Cooper Monaco Of Carlos Monteverde (7) just nosed out the Graeme Dodd Cooper Monaco (49) by just over a 1/10th of a second. Gary Pearson’s Jaguar D Type roared in barely half a second adrift in third. A Lotus 11 S2 and the Sadler Mk3 rounded out the top five qualifiers. Julian Majzub at the wheel of the V8 Chevrolet powered Sadler let on that there might be more in store as he was not able to get the tires up to temperature in the cool morning session.
Race 1 took place late Saturday morning, the higher temperatures and increased rubber on the track promising brisk racing. The two Coopers of Monteverde and Dodd looked in control and traded 1st and 2nd places 4 times in the initial nine laps. The Sadler meanwhile had jumped to third from 5th on the grid and was starting to chip away at the gap to the Coopers. By lap 9 the Sadler was second and took the lead permanently on lap 10. A superb drive filled with four wheel drifts and power slides that was a thrill to watch.
Race 1
22 MAJZUB Julian Sadler Mk3
2 7 MONTEVERDE Carlos Cooper Monaco
3 49 DODD Graeme Cooper T49 Monaco
4 6 PEARSON Gary Jaguar D Type
5 11 GRAVIER Jean Jacques Lotus 11 S2
6 77 van der KROFT Adrian Cooper T39 Bobtail
For race two the sports cars were the early birds, lining up to take to the circuit at 8:15am. The cars all attempted to get some heat in the tires on their warm up lap and clearly for the Sadler it did the trick. Owing to his race 1 victory, Majzub started from pole and never looked back. With each blast down the long front straight, the fuel injected Chevy bellowed its superiority until his pursuers were no longer visible.
Race 2
1st 22 MAJZUB Julian Sadler Mk3
2nd 7 MONTEVERDE Carlos Cooper Monaco
3rd 6 PEARSON Gary Jaguar D Type
4th 77 van der KROFT Adrian Cooper T39 Bobtail
5th 19 TULLIO MATTEO Maria Tojeiro Jaguar
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Grand Touring Sports Car Club
GT cars of all stripes divided into 4 classes. GT 4 for the fastest cars like AC Cobras and E Types, GT 3 for the Morgan Plus 4s, Austin Healey 3000s and Older Jaguars, GT 2 for TVR Granturas, Porsche 911s and MGBs and GT 1 for Lotus 11s, Lotus Elites and Triumph TR3s. Lots of action with 50 cars jockeying for position.
Qualifying went to form with the Voyazides/Hadfield AC Cobra (74) on top in GT4 with 2 E Types not far behind. In GT3 Keith Ahlers and James Bellinger impressed in their morgan Plus 4(29) ahead of 2 other Morgans. Top dog in GT2 and ahead of numerous GT3 cars was the TVR Grantura of Joe Ward and Richard Bull (55). GT1 honors went to Laurence and Tim Jacobsen in their Lotus Elite.
This was a 120 minute race requiring the owner of the car to drive at least 50% of the time. Most teams had two drivers and divided the race into 3 approximately 40 minute stints. Needless to say it is a long race for old cars, 3 qualifiers didn’t make the starting grid and another 10 didn’t see the end of 2 hours on-track.
The relentless power of the Voyazides/Hadfield Cobra simply ground the rest of the field to dust. Three other Cobras, Chris Chiles Sr./Jr. , Carlos Monteverde/Gary Pearson and Alexander Vander Lof/Karsten Le Blanc had a terrific duel, mere feet apart for lap after lap. After 28 minutes the Van der Lof/Le Blanc engine went up in a huge cloud of smoke midway down the front straight.
The driver changes were very entertaining as some drivers of a certain age who have clearly enjoyed the good life struggle to extract/insert themselves into cramped racing machines while the clock is ticking. Other crews frantically attempted repairs on the fly for equally frantically diagnosed problems. In the end after 2 hours and up to 71 laps, the smiles and warm handshakes make it all worthwhile regardless of standing.
120′ GTSCC Race
1st 74 VOYAZIDES Leo HADFIELD Simon AC Cobra GT4
2nd 84 CLARK John WELCH Jeremy Jaguar E-Type GT4
3rd 92 MELLING Martin MINSHAW Jason Jaguar E-Type GT4
4th 75 CHILES Chris Jnr/Snr INGRAM Paul AC Cobra GT4
5th 99 ZIEGLER Stefan HANCOCK Sam Jaguar E-Type GT4
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BOSS GP
The Boss GP series was started in 2010 by four Dutch drivers and is open to Formula one cars, Indycars, Champcars and Formula Renault/Nissan single seaters. The top ‘OPEN’ class cars are all ex F1 machines, such as a 2004 Jaguar R5, 1997 Benetton B197, 1999 Benetton B199 and a 1999 Williams FW21. The ‘Formula’ class features a 2007 Panoz DP01 Champcar, several 2005 Dallara GP2 cars and a 2000 G-Force Indycar. The ‘Masters’ class features a 2003 Dallara-Nissan Worldseries car, several Dallara Worldseries by Renault cars and several 2002 F3000 Lolas.
Whatever the pedigree, these are some seriously fast and loud cars. For the ‘Open’ class cars just close your eyes and you could be at a contemporary F1 race! The wail of Zwart’s R5 is genuinely wince inducing even with ear protection.
Qualifying honors went to Klaas Zwart in the ex Mark Webber Jaguar R5, a good 3 seconds up on Marijn van Kalmthout’s ex Jean Alesi Benetton B197. The other top runners were Bernd Herndlhofer, tops in the ‘Formula’ class with his 2005 GP2 Dallara and in the ‘Masters’ class Johann Ledermair driving a 2008 Worldseries by Renault Dallara.
Saturday’s race was 20 minutes and that was more than enough time for Zwart to disappear from the field, his superior machine banking an average of 3 seconds per lap. In the ‘Formula’ and ‘Masters’ classes they mixed it up and entertained the spectators with some wheel to wheel moments.
Race 1
1st 1 ZWART Klaas Jaguar OPEN
2nd 2 VAN KALMTHOUT Marijn Benetton OPEN
3rd 31 HERNDLHOFER Bernd Dallara FORMULA
4th 21 DE BOER Henk Panoz FORMULA
5th 44 LEDERMAIR Johann Dallara MASTERS
In Sunday’s 25 minute race, Zwart perhaps eased off a bit only banking one second per lap on the other ‘Open’ class car. Herndlhofer in the GP2 Dallara again bested De Boer in the Panoz for ‘Formula’ class honors and the silverware in the ‘Masters’ class went as in race one to Ledermair driving the 2008 Renault-Dallara.
Race 2
1st ZWART Klaas Jaguar OPEN
2nd 2 VAN KALMTHOUT Marijn Benetton OPEN
3rd 31 HERNDLHOFER Bernd Dallara FORMULA
4th 21 DE BOER Henk Panoz FORMULA
5th 44 LEDERMAIR Johann Dallara MASTERS
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HSCC E-Type Challenge
The series was created in 2011 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the E Type. Only pre 1966 E Types are allowed including aluminum monocoques, steel monocoques and the factory made aluminum lightweight models. E types are without a doubt very beautiful cars and E types going very fast and sounding great is all the more beautiful.
16 cars cast their lot in for the Friday qualifications, a good mix of the aluminum and steel versions to keep it interesting. The #55 Martin Melling/Jason Minshaw car shaved just 1/10 out of the lap to beat the #38 car of Stephen Skipworth/Graeme Dodd. The top five cars all ran in the 1:35-1:36 bracket guaranteeing a good racing.
Just after Saturday lunch the Jaguars lined up. The field had grown to 17 as the #27 Stefan Zeigler/Sam Hancock car which had missed qualifying lined up last. The Melling:Minshaw car had the clear air and kept it that way while a great battle raged just a couple of car lengths behind. The Skipworth/Dodd car had a fight on its hands with #10 André Bailly for second. Third place was in the sights of the #84 John Clark/Jeremy Welsh and #80 Sandy Watson car until lap 9 where Watson finally took over for good. A good race, 1st and 2nd decided by only 2.5 seconds.
Race 1
1st 55 Melling Martin Minshaw Jason Jaguar
2nd 38 Skipworth Stephen Dodd Graeme Jaguar
3rd 84 Clark John Welsh Jeremy Jaguar
4th 10 Bailly Andre Jaguar
5th 80 Watson Sandy Jaguar
The second race of the E Type Challenge closed out the racing in Dijon on Sunday afternoon. What a great final memory for the fans. Although the faces were different, the racing was just as close as race one. After one lap #10 Bailly had control with #84 Clark/Welsh matching his every move and #27 Ziegler/Hancock right behind. Suddenly on lap 9 Bailly made an error and dropped to third behind the other two. They finished the race in that order surely Bailly pondering what could have been
Race 2
1st 84 Clark John Welsh Jeremy Jaguar
2nd 27 Ziegler Stefan Hancock Sam Jaguar
3rd 10 Bailly Andre Jaguar
4th 24 Clubb Mark Jaguar
5th 72 Boot Jamie Jaguar
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For complete race results, visit Grand Prix de L’Age D’Or 2012 Results.
The combination of beautiful setting, challenging track and Burgundian hospitality make the Grand Prix de L’Age D’Or a must for any historic racing lover.
Grand Prix de L’Age D’Or Photo Gallery
Grand Prix de L’Age D’Or 2012 – Photo Gallery (click image for larger picture and description)
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[Source: Peter Falkner]
Superb and thorough report. Really enjoyed the pictures and how the gallery was on a separate page.
Being the organiser of the Grand Prix de l’Age d’Or, thank you very much to Peter Falkner & Sports Car Digest for this report. Great pictures as well ! Best regards, Louis Quiniou.
Lovely shots of lovely cars. Well done, Peter.