Dijon-Prenois

Circuit de Dijon-Prenois

Grand Prix Circuit (1976–present)
LocationPrenois, France
Time zoneCET (UTC+1)
CEST (DST)
Coordinates47°21′45″N 4°53′57″E / 47.36250°N 4.89917°E / 47.36250; 4.89917
FIA Grade2
Broke groundDecember 1969; 55 years ago (1969-12)
Opened26 May 1972; 52 years ago (1972-05-26)
Major eventsCurrent:
FFSA GT (1997–1998, 2000, 2002–2012, 2017–2018, 2023–present)
Porsche Carrera Cup France (1987–1989, 1993–1999, 2002–2004, 2006–2009, 2011, 2017–2018, 2024–present)
French F4 (2018, 2024–present)
Former:
Formula One
French Grand Prix (1974, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1984)
Swiss Grand Prix (1982)
GT2 European Series (2023)
Alpine Elf Europa Cup (2023)
DTM (2009)
NASCAR Whelen Euro Series (2009–2010, 2013)
FIA GT (1998, 2006)
WSC (1973, 1975–1976, 1978–1980, 1989–1990)
Grand Prix Circuit (1976–present)
Length3.801 km (2.362 miles)
Turns12
Race lap record1:02.985 (Austria Ingo Gerstl, Toro Rosso STR1, 2015, F1)
Short Circuit (1972–present)
Length3.289 km (2.044 miles)
Turns8
Race lap record1:00.000 (South Africa Jody Scheckter, Tyrrell 007, 1974, F1)

Dijon-Prenois is a 3.801 km (2.362 mi) motor racing circuit located in Prenois, near Dijon, France. The undulating track is noted for its fast, sweeping bends.

Opened in 1972, Dijon-Prenois hosted the Formula One French Grand Prix five times, and the Swiss Grand Prix in 1982. The non-championship 1975 Swiss Grand Prix was also held at Dijon.[1] The circuit currently hosts the Grand Prix de l'Age d'Or, and last hosted the FFSA GT Championship in 2018.

History

Part of the added section of Dijon-Prenois with the Parabolique corner

Planned in 1967, work commenced in December 1969. The track was part of a plan to make Dijon an automotive centre. It was the brainchild of rugby-player and wrestler François Chambelland (sometimes assumed to be the masked wrestler l'Ange Blanc)[citation needed], and was developed with the aid of racers Jean-Pierre Beltoise and François Cevert, as well as motoring journalist José Rosinski [fr].[2][3] In spite of lack of support from the city government and a chronic lack of funds, the track was declared open on 26 May 1972, with Guy Ligier making the first timed lap around the circuit.[3][4] The first race, for 2-litre prototypes, was held ten days later. Arturo Merzario was the inaugural winner.[5]

Warm-up lap of the European Honda Trophy race, Gauche de la bretelle corner (2004)

The first F1 race was run in 1974 on the circuit's original 3.289 km (2.044 mi) layout; with the fastest lap times under the one-minute mark, there was a major problem with congested traffic between the race leaders and the back-markers. Therefore, in 1976 an extension was added to lengthen the circuit as well as to reprofile many of its corners before the time F1 could return to Dijon in 1977. The 1979 French Grand Prix featured a memorable battle for second place in the final laps between Gilles Villeneuve's Ferrari and René Arnoux's Renault, which was finally won by Villeneuve. The race itself was won by Jean-Pierre Jabouille in the other Renault - Renault's first, and the first F1 victory for a turbocharged car.[3]

The 1982 Formula One season was not to see the French Grand Prix held at Dijon as that race was held at the Paul Ricard Circuit, located at Le Castellet in southern France. Instead, Dijon held the (as yet) last Swiss Grand Prix, despite being located in France and not Switzerland. This was due to the Swiss Government's ban on motor racing in the wake of the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans disaster in which 83 people, many of whom were spectators, and the driver Pierre Levegh, died when a car crashed at high speed and vaulted into the pit straight grandstand.[6] 1982 Formula One World Champion Keke Rosberg, driving his Williams-Ford, won his first ever Grand Prix in the 1982 Swiss race, four seconds in front of local favourite Alain Prost driving a factory backed Renault.

The French Grand Prix alternated between Paul Ricard and Dijon, until the last F1 race at Dijon took place in 1984. The race was won by McLaren's Niki Lauda, who won his 3rd and final World Championship that year. The fastest lap of the race was set by Lauda's teammate Alain Prost (1:05.257) at an average speed of 214 km/h (133 mph). Fittingly, the last F1 pole at Dijon was set by a French driver driving a French car, with Patrick Tambay recording a 1:02.200 in his factory Renault RE50 turbo. Tambay led the race for the first 47 laps before being passed by Lauda, the Frenchman eventually finishing 2nd, seven seconds behind the McLaren.

Long-distance racing continued, with a race in the FIA GT Championship held there in 1998 for instance. Although Formula One has not returned to Dijon since 1984, the circuit continues to be used today for minor, mostly local races. These include club level events and motorcycle racing, and truck racing events have been held there since 1988.[2] The track was renovated in 2001, when a go-cart track was added.[1]

Events

Current
Former

Lap records

The outright unofficial all-time track record for the full Grand Prix Circuit is 1:01.380, set by Alain Prost in a Renault RE30B, during first qualifying for the 1982 Swiss Grand Prix. The outright unofficial all-time track record for the Short Circuit is 0:58.790 seconds, set by Niki Lauda in a Ferrari 312B3, during qualifying for the 1974 French Grand Prix.[7][8] As of September 2024, the fastest official race lap records at the Circuit de Dijon-Prenois are listed as:

Category Time Driver Vehicle Event Circuit Map
Grand Prix Circuit: 3.801 km (1976–present)
BOSS GP/F1 1:02.985[9] Ingo Gerstl Toro Rosso STR1 2015 BOSS GP Dijon Motors Cup
Group C 1:08.973[10] Jean-Louis Schlesser Mercedes-Benz C11 1990 480 km of Dijon
F3000 1:10.430[11] Érik Comas Lola T89/50 1989 Dijon F3000 round
GT1 (Prototype) 1:10.861[12] Bernd Schneider Mercedes-Benz CLK LM 1998 FIA GT Dijon 500km
Formula Three 1:11.067[13] Jules Bianchi Dallara F308 2009 Dijon F3 Euro Series round
Sports prototype 1:11.527[14] Charlie Robertson[15] Ginetta G57 P2 2017 Dijon 4 Hours
LMP900 1:11.614[16] Jan Lammers Dome S101 2002 FIA Sportscar Championship Dijon
DTM 1:11.644[17] Paul di Resta AMG-Mercedes C-Klasse 2009 2009 Dijon DTM round
LMP3 1:11.951[18] Alessandro Ghiretti Ligier JS P3 2020 Dijon Ultimate Cup round
GT1 (GTS) 1:15.119[19] Jaroslav Janiš Saleen S7-R 2006 FIA GT Dijon 500km
Group C2 1:15.324[20] Fermín Vélez Spice SE89C 1989 480 km of Dijon
IMSA GTP 1:15.327[20] David Kennedy Mazda 767B 1989 480 km of Dijon
Formula Two 1:15.523[21] Richard Evans March 742 2017 Dijon Motors Cup
Formula Renault 2.0 1:15.844[22] Daniel Ricciardo Tatuus FR2000 2008 Dijon Formula Renault 2.0 West European Cup round
LMP675 1:15.956[16] Fabio Mancini Lucchini SR2001 2002 FIA Sportscar Championship Dijon
GT3 1:16.672[23] Emmanuel Collard Mercedes-AMG GT3 2021 Dijon Ultimate Cup round
Formula 4 1:17.285[24] Taito Kato Mygale M21-F4 2024 Dijon French F4 round
Group 6 1:17.400[25] Arturo Merzario Alfa Romeo T33SC/12 1977 Dijon 500 km
Porsche Carrera Cup 1:18.010[26] Alessandro Ghiretti Porsche 911 (992) GT3 Cup 2024 Dijon Porsche Carrera Cup France round
Sports 2000 1:18.050[27] Doug Hart March 75S 2011 Martini Trophy
GT2 (GTS) 1:18.390[12] Olivier Beretta Chrysler Viper GTS-R 1998 FIA GT Dijon 500km
SRO GT2 1:18.575[28] Pierre Kaffer Audi R8 LMS GT2 2023 Dijon GT2 European Series round
Sports prototype 1:18.631[27] Martin O'Connell Chevron B19 2011 Martini Trophy
GT2 1:20.189[19] Jaime Melo Ferrari F430 GTC 2006 FIA GT Dijon 500km
Group 5 1:21.160[29] Edgar Dören [de] Porsche 935 K3 1980 Dijon 1000 km
FIA GT Group 2 1:22.666[19] Bas Leinders Gillet Vertigo Streiff 2006 FIA GT Dijon 500km
GT4 1:22.667[30] Simon Gachet BMW M4 GT4 Gen II 2024 Dijon FFSA GT round
TCR Touring Car 1:22.916[31] Sébastien Thome Audi RS 3 LMS TCR (2021) 2024 Dijon TC France round
GT1 1:23.240[32] Jean-Claude Basso [de] Venturi 600 LM 1996 2 Hours of Dijon
Silhouette racing car 1:23.515[33] Vincent Radermecker SEAT Toledo Silhouette 2002 Dijon French Supertouring round
Stock car racing 1:23.958[34] Ander Vilariño Chevrolet SS NASCAR 2013 Dijon NASCAR Whelen Euro Series round
Alpine Elf Europa Cup 1:24.939[35] Léo Jousset Alpine A110 Cup 2023 Dijon Alpine Elf Europa Cup round
Group A 1:27.400[36] Klaus Niedzwiedz Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth 1988 Dijon ETCC round
Renault Clio Cup 1:30.551[37] Nicolas Milan Renault Clio R.S. IV 2018 Dijon Renault Clio Cup France round
Short Circuit: 3.289 km (1972–present)
Formula One 1:00.000 Jody Scheckter Tyrrell 007 1974 French Grand Prix
Group 5 sports prototype 1:00.600[38] François Cevert Matra-Simca MS670 1973 Dijon 1000 km
Group 6 1:01.180[39] Jochen Mass Porsche 936 1976 Dijon 500 km
Sports 2000 1:02.600[40] Arturo Merzario Abarth-Osella 2000 Sport SE-021 1972 Dijon European 2-Litre Sports Car Championship round
Group 5 special production 1:06.840[41] Jacky Ickx Porsche 935 1976 6 Hours of Dijon
Group 4 1:17.100[42] Gérard Larrousse Porsche 911 Carrera RSR 1974 Dijon GT race
Formula Three 1:18.650[43] Pierre Petit Ralt RT3 1982 Dijon French F3 round

References

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  3. ^ a b c Furet, p. 13
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  5. ^ de Cesaris, Andrea (2011-05-11), "Un tracé, des légendes" [Tracking of legends], Le Gazette de Côte-d'Or (in French) (248), Dijon, France: B. Press, archived from the original on 2013-02-13, retrieved 2012-05-22
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  31. ^ "Championnat de France des Circuits - Dijon - 12–15 September 2024 - Championnat de France FFSA TC - Race 1 - Final Classification" (PDF). 14 September 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  32. ^ "2 h Dijon 1996". 9 June 1996. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  33. ^ "2002 French Super Touring Championship Round 4: Dijon-Prenois, 30th June Race 1". 30 June 2002. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  34. ^ "2013 Dijon 200 Race 1". 11 May 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  35. ^ "2023 Alpine Elf Europa Cup Race 1 Statistics". 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  36. ^ "1988 Dijon ETCC". Motor Sport Magazine. 29 May 1988. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  37. ^ "Championnat de France FFSA des Circuits - Circuit de Dijon-Prenois 13–15 July 2018 Renault Clio Cup France Race 1 Final Ranking" (PDF). 14 July 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  38. ^ "1973 Dijon 1000Kms". Motor Sport Magazine. 15 April 1973. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  39. ^ "1976 Dijon 500Kms". Motor Sport Magazine. 5 September 1976. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
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  41. ^ "Dijon 6 Hours 1976". 5 September 1976. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  42. ^ "Dijon [GT] 1974". 7 July 1974. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  43. ^ "1982 French Formula 3 Trophée de Bourgogne". 16 May 1982. Retrieved 14 July 2022.