Linas Montlhery vs Rouen les Essarts - Battle of the Race Circuits 20

Linas Montlhery vs Rouen les Essarts - Battle of the Race Circuits 20
In the 20th battle of the race circuits we have a French internal battle between two different type of circuits. Linas-Montlhéry defeated the Sitges-Terramar with an overwhelming majority of votes. And the new contender you vote for is Rouen-les-Essarts.
0:00 Introduction
0:35 Linas-Montlhéry
2:30 Rouen-les-Essarts
The “Autodrome Linas-Montlhéry” is a permanent race track near Paris, that opened in 1924 as a 2.54 kilometer, or 1.58 Miles, long high banked oval. A year later a road circuit opened as an extension, which give the full track a length of 12.49 kilometers, or 7.76 Miles.
The track was actually inspired by Monza. Just like Monza, they combined the road circuit and a high banked oval.
The Linas-Montlhéry circuit was built as a private intiative from industrialist Alexandre Lamblin. The first official race was the 1925 French Grand Prix, which was won by Robert Benoist in his Delage.
But the event was overshadowed by the fatal accident of Italian racing driver Antonio Ascari. Antonio Ascari was the father of the famous Alberto Ascari.
After the 1925 Grand Prix it hosted also the French Grand Prix in 1927, 1931, 1933, 1934 and 1935.
In 1939 the Linas-Montlhéry circuit was sold to the French government. After World War 2, the government sold it in 1946 to the UTAC Group which still owns the track.
The coolest thing about the Linas-Montlhéry circuit is that this classic race track still in use. Including the high banked oval!
During the week the oval and the longer part of the road circuit are used for testing. For this ocassion the oval track is driven anti-clockwise.
During the weekends, there are race events on a 3.4 kilometers, or 2.11 Miles, short version of the road circuit, in combination with one high banked corner. And this version of the track is driven clockwise. Also, when the high banked corner is part of the road circuit it is interupted by chicanes.
The Rouen-les-Essarts circuit was a street circuit with a permanent pit building and grandstands in the northwestern region of Normanie, also in France. The shape and layout of the circuit was quite very similar to that of Spa-Francorchamps.
The original version of the circuit was 5.1 kilometer, or 3.169 Miles, long and started with a breathtaking descent. The official name of this section was Six Freres, which is French for Six Brothers. However, some drivers gave it the nickname Chickens Lift. The brave would, so to speak, keep the accelerator pressed flat, while the faint-hearted would slow down.
During the years the layout changed several times. First it was expanded, but later shortened because of the Construction of a new higway. In 1972 a permanent section was built as a bypass for the section cut off by that new highway.
Changes also took place for safety reasons. In 1973 the Six Freres became an improvised chicane. A year later there was a permanent chicane to lower the speed in the Chickens Lift.
The Rouen-les-Essarts Circuit hosted the French Grand Prix 5 times between 1952 and 1968. During the 1968 Grand Prix French driver Jo Schlesser had a fatal accident, when he lost control of his Honda, overturned and caught fire in the Six Freres section. After this accident Formula 1 never returned to Rouen-les-Essarts.
After it lost the French Grand Prix, Circuit Rouen-les-Essarts was used for Formula Two races until 1978. Since 1978 the major event was the annual round for the French Formula 3 Championship. At the end of the 1993 season, the street circuit was found to dangerous for all series and was no longer used.
Since then, the buildings have been demolished. But some versions of the track are still drivable. Most of the permanent section has been demolished too.
Special thanks to Simon Smith for the voiceover. Visit also his channel: @HigherPlainGames
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#LinasMontlhery #HighBankedRaceTrack #RouenLesEssarts

[@neraLcM13]

Rouen has always had a certain appeal to me. I remember being fascinated when reading about Six Freres and the 'chicken's lift' story (remember the period and thus speed of these machines when it was named). The abridged version is my favourite layout; especially in Project Cars 2; driving the undulations with the sun coming through the trees is bliss.

[@JURacing]

I can only talk from my sim-racing experience, but Rouen les Essarts always was one of my favourites and it is up again in a few days.

[@ColinTaberMusic]

Rouen is beautiful, I used to love driving it in the GPL simulation.

[@oAlize]

+ rFactor

[@vibingwithvinyl]

Loved Rouen since Grand Prix Legends.

[@chrishall2211]

Rouen by a long long way. Been there loads of times and feel the ghosts each time (whereas these days you can't actually get into the grounds of Montlhery). Proper track, only perhaps equalled by the old Spa. Six Freres is the 3rd corner not the whole section incidentally and was renamed Virage Des Roches when the chicane was built there in 1974 after Gerry Birrell's accident the previous year. If you visit, make sure you clamber through the trees and find the tarmac still there of the Gresil Curve by-passed after 1971 which is hidden after the motorway bridge that goes over the circuit.

[@Circuitsofthepast]

Thanks for the aditional information. I allways thought Six Freres was the name of the whole section. I have the information from an article in a magazine I read long ago.

[@placeyplacey]

Rouen - should still be a thing even today 👍

[@mauricioce9806]

I vote for Rouen, I still play simulators there today!!

[@raymondlowry8564]

Very nice and thank you for putting this together.
Rouen is my choice. I’m so old I recall when F1 still raced there. However, the other track does seem quite interesting.

[@michaelgott9524]

Monthlery for me.

[@oyarxe]

I vote for the Línas Montlhery circuit

[@YuriBruschi]

Ciao Herman, Happy weekend 👍 Why Monza don't win? Today I vote Montlhery. Grazie ciao 🇮🇹🏁

[@Circuitsofthepast]

Happy weekend Yuri.

[@Loraine286fac]

Rouen - I love them both, but Rouen just has the edge

[@LWilloxMusic]

Rouen without a doubt!

[@ToddStimpson]

Rouen!

[@ViN-kr3ri]

No contest for me. Rouen all the way.

[@MichaelAhman]

Montlhery.

[@paulhamilton6109]

I vote for linas monthlery because the Rouen track was very bad on its original layout one of the worst I know but the last configuration was better