No Pretense, Just Hard-Core Classic Racing

Photography by Rémi Dargegen

The Dix Mille Tours is the last large event of the classic car racing season in Europe and features six grids: Trofeo Nastro Rosso, U2TC (Under 2.0L Touring Cars), Group C, CER 1 & 2 (Classic Endurance Racing), and the new Heritage Touring Cup class. It takes place at the Circuit du Castellet HTTT (High-Tech Test Track), which is a very fast track featuring the Mistral straight that measures 1.8km long. A thoroughly modern track, it is mainly used for some Formula One and endurance testing.

And if you’ve never heard of it, don’t be surprised as it’s more of a hard core vintage racing event than track parade and social scene. There are very few spectators, and nearly all the people around the track are the drivers and their crews. It’s a completely different type of event, as if people from the south of France weren’t addicted to classic cars and racing.

There were serious on-track battles during each race, and in nearly all of them the race winner would also determine the season’s series winner. The 1960s race was just amazing, with eighty cars lined up at the start of this two-hour race featuring the largest grid of the season for its class. It was a great race but the favorites didn’t win. Instead three Shelby Cobras were on the podium. The other highlight of the weekend was the Heritage Touring Cup, which made its debut at the Spa Classic. And once again, this event had the most entrants for any location this season, as well as some serious, close racing on the track. The first and second place finishers really fought it out on the track and their cars bore the scars to prove it.

There are some excellent prospects for this class, as more and more drivers are entering the series with some really legendary rides like the the BMW M635 CSi and 3.0 CSL, Rover Vitesse, and Ford Capri. Alas, it is the end of the season, but with such grids and battles, we’re really looking forward to next season beginning with the Tour Auto in April!