2018 SEASON INTRODUCTION A SEASON IN EIGHT EPISODES ............................................................. page 2 EVENTS 6-8 APRIL - ESPIRITU DE MONTJUIC ................................................... page 3 Media contacts 23-28 APRIL - TOUR AUTO OPTIC 2OOO ............................................... page 4 18-20 MAY - SPA-CLASSIC ...................................................................... page 16 8-10 JUNE - GRAND PRIX DE L’AGE D’OR ............................................. page 18 Henri Suzeau 6-8 JULY - LE MANS CLASSIC ................................................................. page 19 [email protected] 31 AUGUST-2 SEPTEMBER - DIX MILLE TOURS .................................. page 21 +33 (0)6 11 87 05 05 26-28 OCTOBER - IMOLA CLASSIC ........................................................ page 22 9 FEBRUARY 2019 - RALLYE DES PIONNIERS...................................... page 23 Julien Hergault 7 JULY 2019 - CHANTILLY ARTS & ELEGANCE RICHARD MILLE ........ page 25 [email protected] GRIDS by Peter Auto ............................................................................. page 26 +33 (0)6 25 77 85 34 CLASSIC ENDURANCE RACING ............................................................ page 27 EURO F2 .................................................................................................. page 28 GROUP C RACING .................................................................................. page 29 HERITAGE TOURING CUP ...................................................................... page 30 PETER AUTO SIXTIES’ ENDURANCE ............................................................................ page 31 103, rue Lamarck THE GREATEST’S TROPHY ................................................................... page 32 75018 Paris – France 2.0L CUP .................................................................................................. page 33 +33 (0)1 42 59 73 40 www.peterauto.peter.fr PAGE 1 EIGHT EVENTS AND SOME NEWCOMERS! From Catalonia to Emilia-Romagna The 2018 calendar of mouth-watering events includes a certain number of eagerly-awaited favourites like the 27th Tour Auto Optic 2ooo and the 9th Mans Classic, as well as several newcomers synonymous of the passion kept alive and freshly renewed with the ever-increasing public and participants at the Peter Auto rendezvous. Peter Auto’s programme this year comprises eight events, five of which will host the eight Peter Auto Series: Classic Endurance Racing 1 & 2, Heritage Touring Cup, Sixties' Endurance, The Greatest’s Trophy, Group C Racing, Euro F2 Classic and the latest addition, the 2.0L Cup. The French organiser revisits its classic playing fields while proposing two newcomers: theEspίritu de Montjuïc 2018 and the Rallye des Légendes Richard Mille as well as a return to a circuit much loved by all the entrants, Imola. THE CLASSICS - Spa-Classic (18-20 May): created in 2011 on the drivers’ favourite circuit, the Belgian meeting has gradually expanded and today it is among the major European rendezvous for historic races. - Grand Prix de l’Age d’Or (8-10 June): Peter Auto starting organising this event again in 2014, and this blue-riband meeting in the world of historic racing has now recaptured its past glory. The drivers love its circuit that has been totally revamped; and the “art de vivre bourguignon” makes it a choice rendezvous. - The Dix Mille Tours (31st August-2nd September): the 9th staging of the Dix Mille Tours du Castellet is being held earlier than usual, and it will take full advantage of the summer weather reigning in Provence on a track that hosted the French Formula 1 Grand Prix a few weeks earlier. THE BLUE-RIBAND EVENTS - Tour Auto Optic 2ooo (23-28 April): the 27th staging of this event that played a role in boosting Peter Auto’s reputation will follow a route taking the entrants to the east of France and then on to the finish in Nice. - Le Mans Classic (6-8 July): the 9th running of this event now among the major meetings of its kind in Europe for historic cars that attracted a crowd of 120 000 spectators in 2016 will celebrate numerous anniversaries including Porsche’s 70th! COME-BACK - Imola-Classic (26-28 October): next year marks a return for the drivers to the very popular Italian circuit that they already visited in 2012, 2013 and 2016. This meeting at the end of October will bring down the curtain on the season of the series by Peter Auto with a warm Italian flourish. THE NEWCOMERS - Espiritu de Montjuïc 2018 (6-8 April): the rendezvous at the beginning of April prepared by Peter Auto will kick off the season of the series by Peter Auto on Catalonian soil. What’s more it takes place on a track that was often the theatre of Formula 1 events, and our entrants were champing at the bit to have their first taste of it at the wheel of their historic racing cars. - Rallye des Légendes Richard Mille (11-15 september): Peter Auto’s latest ambition is to see the most beautiful wonders produced by the world’s motor car industry roaring along French roads again in an exceptional rally, thus reinforcing its role in celebrating the ‘art de vivre à la Française’ with the backing of its faithful partner, Richard Mille. - 2.0L Cup: after Euro F2 Classic in 2017, Peter Auto is creating its 8th series this year. This single-make field is reserved for short-chassis 2-litre Porsche 911s complying with the pre-1966 FIA regulations. près que l’Euro F2 Classic en 2017, Peter Auto créé cette année une huitième série. Ce plateau monotype est réservé aux Porsche 911 2 litres châssis court conformes au règlement FIA pré-1966. www.peterauto.peter.fr PAGE 2 6 - 8 APRIL VIVA ESPANA For the third year running Peter Auto’s season will kick off in Spain. After Jarama, the Mont Mélo circuit to the north of Barcelona has been chosen to host the Peter Auto grids. The name of the event is a reference to the former Barcelona city circuit on the Montjuïc mountain where the the Spanish F1 Grand Prix was held from 1969 to 1975 in alternation with Jarama. Because of German driver Rolf Stommelen’s tragic accident in the 1975 Grand Prix, which caused five deaths among the spectators, the F1 ruling body decided never to allow another race to be held at Montjuïc. Thus, the Spanish round of the F1 world championship took place at Jarama until 1981 followed by the Jerez circuit up till 1990. The Mont Mélo circuit was built in 1991 to be used during the summer Olympics in 1992 that were being hosted by Barcelona. The start and finish of the cycling sprint race by teams took place on its long main straight. Above all Montmélo has been the theatre of 27 Spanish Grands Prix since 1991. The circuit has also become the main F1 test track because of its variety of straights and corners and its mild winter weather so all the drivers know it like the back of their hand! Since the start of the 1990s all the F1 world champions have won on this circuit (Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher, Jacques Villeneuve, Mika Häkkinen, Kimi Räikkönen, Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, the last to date), which will host the Peter Auto grids, excepting the new 2.0L Cup and the Modern Manufacturer Series, for the first time. GRIDS by Peter Auto Classic Endurance Racing 1 - GT 1966-1974 & Protos 1966-1971 Classic Endurance Racing 2 - GT 1975-1981 & Protos 1972-1981 Heritage Touring Cup - Touring Cars 1966-1984 Sixties’ Endurance - Sports Cars pre-63 & GTs pre-66 The Greatest’s Trophy - Pre-1966 exceptional models Group C Racing - Protos 1982- 1993 Euro F2 Classic - Formula 2, Formula B and Formula Atlantic 1967-1978 www.peterauto.peter.fr PAGE 3 23 - 28 APRIL TOUR AUTO OPTIC 2ooo The 27th Tour Auto Optic 2ooo will take place between 23rd and 28th April 2018. The day after the traditional exhibition in the Grand Palais in Paris, the participants will set out to discover the most beautiful roads in France. A 2000-km route, five stop-over towns, timed events on four circuits and 10 special stages on closed roads before the finish in Nice make up the Tour Auto programme. Peter Auto makes it a principle to give entrants a completely revised route every year and once again it has selected a new itinerary across France. In keeping with tradition the 2018 Tour Auto Optic 2ooo will kick off with the cars on show to the general public in the Grand Palais on Monday 23rd April. The next day the entrants will leave the French capital at the crack of dawn and set out to discover the roads and landscapes of Bourgogne-Franche-Compte. On Wednesday they will head upwards towards the south to reach the Savoyard village of Megève. The field will then go back down to sea level to enjoy the delights of the Provencal region and its flagship cities, Avignon and Aix-en-Provence. Finally, on Saturday the participants will arrive on the Riviera and head on to Nice, the historic finish of the Tour Auto since its first staging. Please note that the unlike the last two events the night-time special stages will not be held this year. Every year Peter Auto makes it a point of honour to highlight a manufacturer or a type of car that has been involved in the history of the Tour de France Automobile. In the 2018 Tour Auto, the spotlight will be focused on Italian models that are no longer produced many of which took part in the original event including Autobianchi, De Tomaso and Osca among the best known without forgetting Cisitalia, Lombardi, Moretti, Siata, etc. PAGE 4 Paris Nice in 5 legs GRAND