Vendôme 80 – Back to the past!

Between two GT World Challenge series meetings, SRO Motorsports has found a way to expand into the historic world. For almost three decades, Stéphane Ratel has proven his creative spirit in the world of Grand Tourism and circuits, but the founder and President of SRO has transposed his taste for originality into a rally tourist, Vendôme 80.

Scheduled for September 10 to 12, the event will bring together everything the automobile industry built in the 1980s. Mr. SRO will be there with his own white Lamborghini Countach, while the Swiss watchmaker Rebellion will dispatch no less than seven vehicles. « The idea is not to only have GT and only exceptional and expensive cars, however, specifies Stéphane Ratel. We really want a whole 80s theme for three days. During the first edition, we went from camper vans to Ferrari.

Concerning supercars, these are the cars that we could have at that time and which made us dream. But I think it also attracts younger people. We want an event for everyone. A Peugeot 205 GTI still has an incredible love rating, so does the Volkswagen Golf GTI. » That’s good, AUTOhebdo will be engaged with a roadster passed down to posterity: the First generation Mazda MX-5 NA, in her traditional red dress!

As for the route, as its name suggests, it will connect the prestigious Place Vendôme to the eponymous town located in Loir-et-Cher. The cars will be exhibited mid-afternoon on Friday before leaving for the Château de Cheverny. On Saturday, competitors will have the chance to visit the Château de Chambord and will reach the final finish on a route including departmental roads specific to the pleasure of driving. But why this decade in particular? “I asked myself what we could do that doesn't exist, that wouldn't cause problems with speed on the road and fun, explains Stéphane Ratel.

Peter Auto owns the Tour Auto with cars from the 50s to the 70s, but there was nothing "chic and shocking" with the 80s. Thus came the idea of Total Look, that is to say an event which interests everyone, women and men alike, and which embraces an entire era with music, hairstyles, cars... If this concept works, we could imagine a variation on the theme of the 90s for example, with cars that we don't necessarily see, and which embody an era . This could take place in another region. »

Even if there will be no notion of competition on the road, the crews will be strongly invited to respect a dress code of this decade where sequins and flashy colors were fashionable. A jury of specialists will indeed rate the best “revival” costumes, while a photo contest will decide between the most imaginative competitors. Follow the wanderings of our crew on our social and AUTO networkshebdo.fr at the end of the week as well as the report of the event next week.