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Two weeks ago my wife and I drove my newly acquired Mk2 to firstly Ypres in Belgium to visit the Menin Gate where at 8pm each evening, trumpeters from the local fire station play the Last Post. Then we drive to Reims in the Marne district, in part to visit the former F1 circuit at nearby Reims-Gueux. Roughly triangular in shape and on public roads, the lap record is still held by Juan-Manuel Fangio in an Alfa Romeo. After many many years of abandonment a local group got together and removed the invading undergrowth and repainted the old concrete stands by the start/finish line. The atmosphere there for us was special. The car almost didn’t miss a beat. On our return drive to Calais, we stopped for some coffee but the car failed to restart. After five minutes she finally struggling into life. Once more upon driving home, after a brief stop at our local Tesco, she did it again. The battery is sound and I checked out the HT leads and coil blocks in the dark but failed to see any arcing. I must investigate further.
There’s a very good video done by The Tim Traveller on YouTube about Reims-Gueux, can be seen here The Abandoned 1950 Grand Prix Track That's... Still There - YouTube
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Thanks. That was a good video. (Later) Another interesting video I’ve come across is this one - Top 10 Lost F1 Circuits - Abandoned Formula One Tracks - Improved Edition - YouTube I’ve been to quite a few former race circuits in Europe and even driven around one or two. OK, Montjuic was on a local bus. Grenzlandring was an amazingly fast egg-shaped German circuit close to the Dutch border and my old Army barracks. Spa Francochamps in a Fiat 127. Rouen les Essarts - We found the approximate location but without Google in those days and without any remaining grandstands, etc, we weren’t quite sure if we were successful or not. Monaco - When our kids were younger, we all walked that one. Brands Hatch - I’ve cycled, motorcycled and driven around there. I’m always keen to hear about other circuits which are open still to the public.