Circuit Paul Armagnac

Circuit Paul Armagnac also known as Circuit de Nogaro is a motorsport race track located in the commune of Nogaro in the Gers department in southwestern France. The track is named in honor of Nogaro-born racing driver Paul Armagnac who died in an accident during practice for the 1962 1000 km de Paris at the Montlhéry circuit.[2]

Circuit Paul Armagnac
LocationNogaro, France
Coordinates43°46′5″N 0°2′17″W
FIA Grade2
Opened3 October 1960
Major eventsCurrent:
French F4
(2011, 2014, 2017–present)
FFSA GT (1997–2011, 2014, 2016–present)
Alpine Elf Europa Cup (2019–present)
Former:
European Truck Racing Championship (1994–2016)
Blancpain Sprint Series (2013–2015)
NASCAR Whelen Euro Series (2009–2013)
FIA GT (2007–2008)
FIA Sportscar Championship (2003)
BPR GT (1995–1996)
F3 Euroseries (2007)
F3000 (1990–1993)
ETCC (1985–1988)
French motorcycle Grand Prix (1978, 1982)
Sidecar World Championship (1978)
Grand Prix Circuit (1989–present)
Length3.636 km (2.259 miles)
Turns14
Race lap record1:20.160[1] ( Alessandro Zanardi, Reynard 91D, 1991, F3000)
Grand Prix Circuit (1973–1988)
Length3.120 km (1.939 miles)
Turns11
Race lap record1:11.860[1] ( Ricardo Zunino, Arrows A1, 1979, British F1)
Grand Prix Circuit (1960–1972)
Length1.752 km (1.089 miles)
Turns9
Websitewww.circuit-nogaro.com

History

Motorsports racing events in Nogaro were first organized when racing driver Paul Armagnac and Robert Castagnon created the Association Sportive Automobile de l'Armagnac. In 1953 the Rallye de l'Armagnac was held on a street circuit using public roads around Nogaro. Public safety concerns after the 1955 Le Mans disaster caused the number of road racing events on public roads in Europe to decrease. Plans were made to create a permanent race circuit and construction began in 1959 at a site near the Nogaro airport.

The race circuit opened on 3 October 1960 as the first purpose-built race circuit in France.[3][4] The first race held at the new circuit was the Nogaro Grand Prix for Formula Junior cars, won by Bruno Basini.[3] Initially 1.752 km (1.089 mi) long it was expanded in 1973 and 1989 to its current 3.636 km (2.259 mi) length. In 2007 the circuit was modernized including a new control tower, a new pitlane and widening the track to 12 m (13 yd).

The venue hosted Formula Two championship races from 1975 to 1978. It also hosted the French motorcycle Grand Prix in 1978 and 1982. The Nogaro circuit also hosted the European Touring Car Championship from 1985 to 1988.

Track description

The track is relatively flat, with 6 m (20 ft) difference in elevation between its highest and lowest points. It is raced clockwise and consists of two long straights, the 950 m (1,040 yd) long start-finish straight named after Nogaro-born motorcycle constructor Claude Fior and the almost parallel aerodrome straight, linked by sections of several slow corners.

Events

Events hosted by the circuit have included:

Lap records

The official fastest race lap records at the Circuit Paul Armagnac are listed as:

CategoryTimeDriverVehicleEvent
Grand Prix Circuit (1989–present): 3.636 km
F30001:20.160[6]Alessandro ZanardiReynard 91D1991 Nogaro F3000 round
Formula 31:22.226[7]Romain GrosjeanDallara F3052007 Nogaro F3 Euro Series round
SR11:23.906[8]Beppe GabbianiDome S1012003 FIA Sportscar Championship Nogaro
GT1 (GTS)1:25.326[9]Gregory FranchiSaleen S7-R2008 FIA GT Nogaro 2 Hours
Formula 41:26.748[10]Ren SatoMygale M14-F42020 Nogaro French Formula 4 round
GT31:26.982[11]Stéphane OrtelliAudi R8 LMS ultra2015 Nogaro Blancpain GT Sprint Series round
GT21:28.030[9]Andrew KirkaldyFerrari F430 GT22008 FIA GT Nogaro 2 Hours
SR21:28.039[8]Mirko SavoldiLucchini SR20022003 FIA Sportscar Championship Nogaro
GT41:32.600[12]Jim PlaMercedes-AMG GT42020 Nogaro French GT4 Cup round
Alpine Elf Europa Cup1:33.917[13]Lucas FraysinnetAlpine A110 Cup2022 Nogaro Alpine Elf Europa Cup round
Stock car racing1:34.838[14]Ander VilariñoChevrolet Camaro NASCAR2013 Nogaro NASCAR Whelen Euro Series round
Truck racing1:54.895[15]Jochen HahnMAN TGS2016 Nogaro ETRC round
Grand Prix Circuit (1973–1988): 3.120 km
British Formula One1:11.860[1]Ricardo ZuninoArrows A11979 Nogaro British F1 round
Formula 21:12.390[16]Bruno GiacomelliMarch 7821978 Nogaro F2 round
Group A1:21.240[17]Klaus LudwigFord Sierra RS500 Cosworth1988 Nogaro ETCC round
500cc1:22.800Kenny RobertsYamaha YZR5001978 French motorcycle Grand Prix

References
  1. "Nogaro Motorsport Magazine". Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  2. Foubert, Claude. "Le circuit de Nogaro fête ses 50 ans…". Endurance-Info.com. Laurent Mercier. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  3. "Nogaro". RacingCircuits.info. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  4. "Circuit Automobile Paul Armagnac". Nogaro en Armagnac. Mairie de Nogaro en Armagnac. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  5. "Shell Eco Marathon 2015". Michelin. Archived from the original on 15 June 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  6. "1991 Nogaro Formula 3000 Statistics". Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  7. "2007 Nogaro Formula 3 Euro Series Statistics". Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  8. "FIA Sportscar Championship Nogaro 2003". Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  9. "FIA GT Championship Nogaro 2008". Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  10. "Championnat de France FFSA des Circuits - Nogaro 2020 Race 1" (PDF). Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  11. "Blancpain Sprint Series Nogaro 2015". Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  12. "2020 FFSA GT - GT4 France Final Classification by category" (PDF). Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  13. "2022 Nogaro Alpine Elf Europa Cup Statistics". Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  14. "2013 Nogaro 200 Race 1". Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  15. "2016 RESULTS: Nogaro, France - Race 3". Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  16. "1978 Nogaro Grand Prix". Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  17. "1988 Nogaro Grand Prix". Retrieved 30 April 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.