The Reims-Gueux Race Circuit

28 Jan

Reims-Gueux at Night. Visiting the previous evening I really wanted to shoot a photo that captured some of that old racing magic. *20s 32.5mm F8.0 ISO 100.*

As I talked about in my final blog on the 12in12 rally, our final day saw us make one last pitstop to the long defunct Reims—Gueux street circuit. Many of the buildings still exist today, situated a little to the West of the city of Reims and on the sides of the D27, essentially an otherwise unassuming French B road. Originally opened for racing in 1926, it saw activity up until 1972 when it finally closed, its layout having changed three times over the course of its life. Its long straights made for fast racing which in turn made it popular with both drivers and spectators. In fact, the circuit became faster as time went on as corners were widened, allowing cars to carry even more speed around them. Due to its popularity, it held most of the French F1 Grand Prix between 1950-1966 before it was passed over in subsequent years due to high running costs. Its high speed was also not working in its favour and this old-styled circuit had become too dangerous for many classes of racing.

The MGF at the Reims-Gueux pitlanes. *1/800s 50mm F8.0 with polariser Kodak-Tri-X 400.*

Looking down the pitlane. *1/800s 50mm F8.0 with polariser Kodak-Tri-X 400.*

The rear of the pit lane. You can see the flag poles which would have been used to represent each entered team. *1/800s 50mm F8.0 with polariser Kodak-Tri-X 400.*

A closer look at one of the repainted pitlane boxes, complete with period advertising. *1/800s 50mm F8.0 with polariser Kodak-Tri-X 400.*

Here it is in colour to give you a feeling of how fresh it looks in real life. *1/200s 70mm F8.0 ISO 100.*

It was due to be demolished immediately when all racing ceased in 1972 but the election of a new more sympathetic mayor put a stop to that, though part of the pits were unfortunately already destroyed. For several decades the site sat empty and fell increasingly into disrepair as the structures became weathered and covered in thick undergrowth. However, proposals to demolish the site and build on it in the 90s prompted local enthusiasts to establish the Les amis du Circuit de Gueux to in order to save it. They managed to get permission from the current mayor and landowners to restore the buildings as well as get assurances that nothing more would be demolished. The restoration work started in 2004 and has continued since with many buildings being repaired and repainted back to what they would have been when the circuit was active.

The timekeeping pavilion which was proudly sponsored by BP. It’s possible to hire this out for private events. *1/640s 50mm F8.0 with polariser Kodak-Tri-X 400.*

Side on view of the timekeeping pavilion. I am sure a great deal of BP Energol was used here over the decades. *1/800s 50mm F8.0 with polariser Kodak-Tri-X 400.*

The Parc Stands des Marques - it’s current restored state was only finished in 2020 so we had made fortunate timing to see it finished. *1/800s 50mm F8.0 with polariser Kodak-Tri-X 400.*

A close up view of the restored Marques which now shows off the memorabilia of period racing teams. *1/800s 50mm F8.0 with polariser Kodak-Tri-X 400.*

Looking from the other side you can see an other bold sponsorship from BP. *1/500s 50mm F8.0 with polariser Kodak-Tri-X 400.*

And the tiled floor with the BP mosaic has now also been restored having been almost completely destroyed due to neglect. *1/100s 25.5mm F8.0 ISO 100.*

Even whilst we were there, volunteers were hard at work cutting back vegetation to prevent any further damage. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anyone who spoke English, so I was unable to learn more about their current efforts. Whilst the side with the pitlane has had all its buildings restored, some of the grandstands on the other side have not been and are still littered with dangerous looking rusting pieces of metal and large amounts of bramble. Signs have been put up to worn away careless tourists who might inadvertently injure themselves. Hopefully one day though these too will be fully restored, and people will be able to come and go around the entire site. It is totally free to visit but whilst the idea for an on-site museum has long been floated, nothing has materialised yet.

One of the volunteers at work. *1/200s 70mm F8.0 ISO 100.*

Looking across to the main stand from atop the pitlane. *1/320s 50mm F8.0 with polariser Kodak-Tri-X 400.*

The main stand. *1/320s 50mm F8.0 with polariser Kodak-Tri-X 400.*

The tribute stand which still requires a lot of restoration and is not freely open to the public yet. *1/125s 50mm F8.0 with polariser Kodak-Tri-X 400.*

The vegetation may have been hacked back but the rusty reminders of decades of decay still remain. *1/100s 50mm F5.6 with polariser Kodak-Tri-X 400.*

If you are a car or racing enthusiast who finds themselves with a bit of spare time on their hands in the Champagne region of France, I would definitely recommend paying it a visit. It’s a very unusual site, especially as you can visit it for free. If you want to you could also drive a lap of the original circuit, though do put your racing ambitions aside as part of the track runs through the village of Gueux itself. For me it was fascinating to walk around an abandoned structure that was now having new life breathed into it and it gave me a fantastic opportunity to finish up my roll of Kodak Tri-X, which would have been a period film use to capture race images.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the photos and that you too get a chance to visit this piece of racing history if you haven’t already done so.