Tour Auto 2026: first stage completed between Paris and Clermont-Ferrand

The 240 participants left the Grand Palais at 6 a.m. to reach the Château de Courances, where the official start of the event took place. The first day combined winding connecting roads through the Burgundy and Auvergne countryside with two timed stages to allow the crews to get a feel for the course before arriving at the Parc Fermé of the Grande Halle d'Auvergne in Clermont-Ferrand at the end of the day.

The first timed event took place on the closed roads of the Avallon region, on a special stage of over nine kilometers. In the Competition category – VHC period, Bertrand and Anne emerged victorious at the wheel of their Porsche 911 2.0L (number 213). In regularity, Jean-François Nicoules and Jérôme Dupard secured the victory in their AC Cobra 289 SII (number 81).

After a lunch break at the Château de la Planchevienne, the procession headed towards the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours for the first circuit race of the event. A former temple of Formula 1 A popular French event in the 1990s and 2000s, Magny-Cours opened its doors to the Tour Auto crews in a setting steeped in history. Emile Breittmayer and his co-driver Stéphane Prévot, at the wheel of their Ford GT40 (number 254), dominated the Competition category – Historic Rally Championship (VHC) period. In the regularity category, it was the Porsche 911 2.0L (number 35) of Martin H. and Francisco Sucari that took the victory.

See the standings after the first stage HERE]. .

Tomorrow, the competitors will head southeast towards the Pont du Gard, with three closed road events on the program.

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