Circuit de Dijon-Prenois

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 (1969-12)
Opened26 May 1972 (1972-05-26)
Major eventsCurrent:
FFSA GT (1997–1998, 2000, 2002–2012, 2017–2018, 2023–present)
Porsche Carrera Cup France (1993–1999, 2002–2004, 2006–2009, 2011, 2017–2018, 2024)
French F4 (2018, 2024)
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), and was developed with the aid of racers Jean-Pierre Beltoise and François Cevert, as well as motoring journalist José Rosinski.[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 58.790 seconds, set by Niki Lauda in a Ferrari 312B3, during qualifying for the 1974 French Grand Prix.[7][8] As of October 2023, the fastest official race lap records at the Circuit de Dijon-Prenois are listed as:

CategoryTimeDriverVehicleEventCircuit Map
Grand Prix Circuit: 3.801 km (1976–present)
BOSS GP/F11:02.985[9]Ingo GerstlToro Rosso STR12015 BOSS GP Dijon Motors Cup
Group C1:08.973[10]Jean-Louis SchlesserMercedes-Benz C111990 480 km of Dijon
F30001:10.430[11]Érik ComasLola T89/501989 Dijon F3000 round
GT1 (Prototype)1:10.861[12]Bernd SchneiderMercedes-Benz CLK LM1998 FIA GT Dijon 500km
Formula 31:11.067[13]Jules BianchiDallara F3082009 Dijon F3 Euro Series round
Sports prototype1:11.527[14]Charlie Robertson[15]Ginetta G57 P22017 Dijon 4 Hours
LMP9001:11.614[16]Jan LammersDome S1012002 FIA Sportscar Championship Dijon
DTM1:11.644[17]Paul di RestaAMG-Mercedes C-Klasse 20092009 Dijon DTM round
LMP31:11.951[18]Alessandro GhirettiLigier JS P32020 Dijon Ultimate Cup round
GT1 (GTS)1:15.119[19]Jaroslav JanišSaleen S7-R2006 FIA GT Dijon 500km
Group C21:15.324[20]Fermín VélezSpice SE89C1989 480 km of Dijon
IMSA GTP1:15.327[20]David KennedyMazda 767B1989 480 km of Dijon
Formula 21:15.523[21]Richard EvansMarch 7422017 Dijon Motors Cup
Formula Renault 2.01:15.844[22]Daniel RicciardoTatuus FR20002008 Dijon Formula Renault 2.0 West European Cup round
LMP6751:15.956[16]Fabio ManciniLucchini SR20012002 FIA Sportscar Championship Dijon
GT31:16.672[23]Emmanuel CollardMercedes-AMG GT32021 Dijon Ultimate Cup round
Group 61:17.400[24]Arturo MerzarioAlfa Romeo T33SC/121977 Dijon 500 km
Sports 20001:18.050[25]Doug HartMarch 75S2011 Martini Trophy
GT2 (GTS)1:18.390[26]Olivier BerettaChrysler Viper GTS-R1998 FIA GT Dijon 500km
SRO GT21:18.575[27]Pierre KafferAudi R8 LMS GT22023 Dijon GT2 European Series round
Sports prototype1:18.631[25]Martin O'ConnellChevron B192011 Martini Trophy
GT21:20.189[28]Jaime MeloFerrari F430 GTC2006 FIA GT Dijon 500km
Porsche Carrera Cup1:20.414[29]Julien AndlauerPorsche 911 (991 II) GT3 Cup2018 Dijon Porsche Carrera Cup France round
Group 51:21.160[30]Edgar DörenPorsche 935 K31980 Dijon 1000 km
Formula 41:21.871[31]Caio ColletMygale M14-F42018 Dijon French F4 round
FIA GT Group 21:22.666[28]Bas LeindersGillet Vertigo2006 FIA GT Dijon 500km
GT41:23.068[32]Ricardo van der EndeBMW M4 GT42023 Dijon FFSA GT round
TCR Touring Car1:23.089[33]Max CartouxHyundai i30 N TCR2023 Dijon FFSA ROSCAR GT Challenge round
GT11:23.240[34]Jean-Claude BassoVenturi 600 LM1996 2 Hours of Dijon
Silhouette racing car1:23.515[35]Vincent RadermeckerSEAT Toledo Silhouette2002 Dijon French Supertouring round
Stock car racing1:23.958[36]Ander VilariñoChevrolet SS NASCAR2013 Dijon NASCAR Whelen Euro Series round
Alpine Elf Europa Cup1:24.939[37]Léo JoussetAlpine A110 Cup2023 Dijon Alpine Elf Europa Cup round
Group A1:27.400[38]Klaus NiedzwiedzFord Sierra RS500 Cosworth1988 Dijon ETCC round
Renault Clio Cup1:30.551[39]Nicolas MilanRenault Clio R.S. IV2018 Dijon Renault Clio Cup France round
Short Circuit: 3.289 km (1972–present)
Formula One1:00.000Jody ScheckterTyrrell 0071974 French Grand Prix
Group 5 sports prototype1:00.600[40]François CevertMatra-Simca MS6701973 Dijon 1000 km
Group 61:01.180[41]Jochen MassPorsche 9361976 Dijon 500 km
Sports 20001:02.600[42]Arturo MerzarioAbarth-Osella 2000 Sport SE-0211972 Dijon European 2-Litre Sports Car Championship round
Group 5 special production1:06.840[43]Jacky IckxPorsche 9351976 6 Hours of Dijon
Group 41:17.100[44]Gérard LarroussePorsche 911 Carrera RSR1974 Dijon GT race
Formula Three1:18.650[45]Pierre PetitRalt RT31982 Dijon French F3 round

References

  1. 1 2 Furet, Jacques (2012-04-05). "Quarante ans qu'il tourne round!" [It's been running around for forty years!]. La Vie de l'Auto (in French). Fontainebleau Cedex, France: Éditions LVA (1501): 14.
  2. 1 2 "Historique du Circuit Dijon Prenois" [History of the Dijon Prenois track] (in French). Circuit Dijon-Prenois. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 Furet, p. 13
  4. ↑ "Dijon-Prenois - L'Histoire Sportive du Circuit". Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  5. ↑ de Cesaris, Andrea (2011-05-11), "Un tracé, des légendes" [Tracking of legends], Le Gazette de Côte-d'Or (in French), Dijon, France: B. Press (248)
  6. ↑ Motor racing in Switzerland, 2003-03-19
  7. ↑ "Dijon-Prenois - Les Virages". Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  8. ↑ "Dijon-Prenois - Motorsport Magazine". Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  9. ↑ "Ingo Gerstl is the fastest man in Dijon". bossgp.com. 6 October 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  10. ↑ "World Sports Prototype Championship Dijon 1990". Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  11. ↑ "1989 Dijon F3000". Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  12. ↑ "FIA GT Championship Dijon 1998". Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  13. ↑ "2009 Formula 3 Euro Series Dijon Race 1 Statistics". Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  14. ↑ "Dijon 4 Hours 2017". Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  15. ↑ "V de V Endurance Series - PFV 2017 standings". Archived from the original on 5 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  16. 1 2 "FIA Sportscar Championship Dijon 2002". Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  17. ↑ "DTM 2009 » Dijon-Prenois Round 9 Results". Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  18. ↑ "Ultimate Cup Series Circuit Dijon 03-06 Septembre 2020 >> Challenge Proto / Challenge CN 4H Endurance Final Classification" (PDF). 6 September 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  19. ↑ "2006 Dijon FIA GT". Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  20. 1 2 "World Sports Prototype Championship Dijon 1989". Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  21. ↑ "Dijon Motors Cup 2017 06 - 08 October 2017 >> P6 - Historic F2 - Course 1 / Race 1" (PDF). 7 October 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  22. ↑ "2008 WEC Formula Renault Dijon (Race 2)". 11 May 2008. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  23. ↑ "Ultimate Cup Series Circuit Dijon June 11-13 2021 >> NAPA GT-Touring Endurance 4H Endurance Final Classification". 13 June 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  24. ↑ "1977 Dijon 500Kms". Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  25. 1 2 "Martini Trophy Race 1 Dijon" (PDF). 2 October 2011. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  26. ↑ "III Dijon 500kms". Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  27. ↑ "Championnat de France des Circuits - Dijon 16 - 18 June 2023 Fanatec GT2 European Series Race 1 - Final Classification" (PDF). 17 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  28. 1 2 "2006 FIA GT Dijon Supercar 500". Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  29. ↑ "2018 Porsche Cup France Dijon (Race 2)". Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  30. ↑ "Dijon 1000 Kilometres 1980". Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  31. ↑ "Championnat de France FFSA des Circuits - Circuit de Dijon-Prenois Race 1" (PDF). 14 July 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  32. ↑ "Championnat de France des Circuits - Dijon 16 - 18 June 2023 Championnat de France FFSA GT Race 2 - Final Classification" (PDF). 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  33. ↑ "Championnat ROSCAR GT Challenge FFSA - Dijon 27 - 28 October 2023 - Race 2 - Classification" (PDF). 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  34. ↑ "2 h Dijon 1996". Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  35. ↑ "2002 French Super Touring Championship Round 4: Dijon-Prenois, 30th June Race 1". Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  36. ↑ "2013 Dijon 200 Race 1". Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  37. ↑ "2023 Alpine Elf Europa Cup Race 1 Statistics". Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  38. ↑ "1988 Dijon ETCC". Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  39. ↑ "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.
  40. ↑ "1973 Dijon 1000Kms". Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  41. ↑ "1976 Dijon 500Kms". Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  42. ↑ "European 2-Litre Championship Dijon 1972". Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  43. ↑ "Dijon 6 Hours 1976". Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  44. ↑ "Dijon [GT] 1974". Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  45. ↑ "1982 French Formula 3 Trophée de Bourgogne". Retrieved 14 July 2022.
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