There was something to celebrate at the Tour Auto Optic 2000 from April 18 to 24, 2016. The legendary event in the heart of France was able to look back on its 25th anniversary. To celebrate this birthday in style, the organizer Peter Auto had organized a night run on well-known rally roads in the countryside above the Côte d'Azur in addition to the traditional programme.
For the drivers who reached the final stage finish on Saturday afternoon, it was time to get a few hours' sleep before setting off early in the morning for the final and all-important stage under the stars. And after crossing the finish line and a hair's breadth decision in the final seconds, the big celebration to mark the 25th anniversary of the Tour Auto Optic 2000 began.
Legendary cars
As is the case every year, many rare and exceptional cars that have left their mark on the long history of the race were at the start in 2016 and were therefore given a place of honor on the start list. These vehicles included a large number of BMW cars, with many legendary models from the 1600 to the 2002 Ti, the Turbo, the 2800 CS and the 3.0 CSL at the start.
Ferrari was also well represented with 24 vehicles, including models such as the 250 GT Berlinetta, in which Willy Maitresse and Georges Berger won the 1960 Tour de France Automobile.
Porsche also competed in 2016 with a diverse range of vehicles, such as the 356, the 914/6, the 550 RS Spyder, the 904 GTS, a 906 and countless variants of the 911.
The starting field was completed by eight Shelby Cobras, four Ford GT40s and various Jaguar E-Types. The exotic cars certainly included a Nash Rambler, a Plymouth Hemicuda and a 1953 Studebaker Champion.
Familiar faces
Whether ex-Formula 1 driver, rally driver, team boss, TV presenter or Michelin star chef, there were many familiar faces among the drivers of the 25th Tour Auto Optic 2000: Jürgen Barth, Jochen Mass, Ari Vatanen, Guy Fréquelin, François Chatriot, Anthony Beltoise, Gérard Holtz, Michel Chabran, Michel Rostang and Jean-Claude Lacombe - all of them were not going to miss out on the anniversary edition.
Last year's Tour Auto Optic 2000 winner Jean-Pierre Lajournade was also back at the start, as well as his usual rival Ludovica Caron and several other winners from previous years, all of whom had a good chance of winning again.
On the trail of France's cultural heritage
In keeping with tradition, the 2016 Tour Auto Optic 2000 began with a grand presentation at the Grand Palais in Paris. A total of 237 cars with gleaming bodies and finely tuned engines prepared to tackle the 25th Tour the following day.
On Tuesday, the cars left the Grand Palais at dawn and made their way to the Château de Courances. This was the official start of the event, which began a journey from the French capital over 2000 kilometers through the streets of France.
On the fifth day of the race, the participants reached the finish line in Cannes. After an initial stopover at Fontenay Abbey, the route took the participants on to the Dijon-Prenois Circuit, one of the best motorsport circuits in Europe, in the early afternoon. After the first battles on the track, the journey continued to Beaune, where the first and longest section of the route ended.
The second day took the participants to the Circuit de Bresse and then on to Cluny Abbey. In the afternoon, two special stages had to be completed before another exhausting day of racing came to an end in Lyon. On Thursday, the route led over 395 kilometers from Lyon to the Château de Gourdan and on to the next stage destination Valence, the so-called gateway to the south of France in the Rhône valley.
The second-last day of the race once again had many highlights in store, including two challenging special stages on a closed road, which once again demanded all the skills of the drivers and co-drivers. In the evening, the drivers reached the forecourt of the MUCEM in Marseille, the finish line of the Auto Tour Optic 2000 in 2014.
Decision under the stars
On Saturday, the participants left Marseille in the early hours of the morning and started the day with another special stage and another wheel-to-wheel race on the Paul Ricard Circuit. The tour then continued to the Castellet Plateau in Cannes. But that wasn't the end - after a few hours' sleep, the teams set off for a night run on the roads above the Côte d'Azur, interrupted by two special stages. The drivers then reached the finish of the Auto Tour Optic 2000 2016 on the famous Croisette in Cannes during the night from Saturday to Sunday.
As in the previous year (and 2010), Jean Pierre Lajournade / Christophe Bouchet in the Jaguar Type E 3.8L GTS/12 emerged as the radiant winner in 2016. They won the anniversary tour with a lead of 4 minutes and 5 seconds over Ludovic Caron / Charles de Villaucourt in the Shelby Cobra 289 GTS/12 and 7 minutes and 27 seconds over Damien Kohler / Sylvie Laboisne in the Lotus Elan GTS/10.
In Group G, Eddy and Jean-Jacques Benezet won in their Porsche 911 ST ahead of the BMW 2800 CS of Arnaud Gaudel/Alexandre Delaye. The Group H winners were Florent Jean and Philippe Talabard in their Group IV Ferrari 308 Michelotto and duet Martin H. and Francisco Sucari in their Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta triumphed with their performance in the regularity category.
All in all, the 25th Tour Auto-Optic 2ooo was certainly an unforgettable sporting adventure for both participants and spectators alike, and one that should already have everyone looking forward to the next event in 2017.
