Lost Circuits: A History of the Hyeres street track
Hyeres
Between 1951 and 1955, the French Mediterranean town of Hyeres hosted an annual twelve hour race.
Organised by the Association Sportive Automobile Club du Var, it was backed by the municipal authorities and sponsored by l’Equipe newspaper.
Held every year between mid May and early June, the race took place on a triangular track just south of the town.
The 7.3km Circuit des Iles d’Or (Golden Islands circuit) had its start / finish line on the Avenue de l’Aeroport (D197). It passed a short stretch of the Route de Giens next to the seaside Hippodrome and, after a tight right-hand bend, followed the Route Departementale (D42). Another right-hander took competitors on to the long and winding Route de l’Almanarre (D559) which led to the final hairpin before rejoining the D197.
There was little elevation change and the southern sections ran alongside salt marshes.
Six large grandstands were erected along the start / finish straight. 35 grid slots were available each year.
1951
For the inaugural event on May 13th 1951, over 20,000 spectators came to watch. The race started at 6am for an early evening finish.
Pierre Boncompagni looked set for victory in his Ecurie Nice Talbot-Lago T150 C SS Aerocoupe. However, Boncompagni was forced to retire in the last few minutes due to mechanical failure.
The race was won by Marcel Lauga and F. Utezza in a Simca 8 Sport.
1952
The 1952 event (held June 8th) fell to Jean Heurtaux and Marceau Crespin in Heurtaux’s Jaguar C-type. They covered 1355km.
The DB Panhards of Penon / Ugnon and Gignoux / Touzot were second and third respectively.
Unfortunately, Heurtaux would not be back to defend his title in 1953. Four weeks before the June 7th race, he was killed driving his Jaguar at the Planfoy Hillclimb near Saint-Etienne.
1953
1953’s Hyeres 12 Hours attracted the most impressive entry to date with a host of international attendees.
For the second year in succession, victory went to a Jaguar C-type. This time it was the Peter Whitehead example co-driven by Tom Cole. They covered 1489km to win by eight laps from the similar car owned by Armand Roboly and shared with John Simone.
Francois Picard and Charles Pozzi were third in Picard’s Ferrari 166 Mille Miglia. They won the new under two-litre class.
Unfortunately, the race was overshadowed by its first fatality.
Shortly before 8am, Pierre Boncompagni left the road while leading on the high speed bend before Hippodrome corner. His Ferrari 340 Mille Miglia crashed into a telegraph pole and overturned.
Boncompagni succumbed to his injuries a short time later.
1954
Speeds rose again during the 1954 contest held on June 6th. The winners, Maurice Trintignant and Luigi Piotti, shared a works Ferrari 250 Monza and covered a record 1581km.
Francois Picard and Charles Pozzi were second in Picard’s two-litre Ferrari 500 Mondial. Jean-Louis Armengaud / ‘Abbo’ placed third in Armengaud’s 1100cc OSCA MT4.
The fourth hour of the 1954 race had seen another nasty accident when Pat Griffith (who was co-driving Graham Whitehead’s Aston Martin DB3S) was forced off the road and thrown from the car.
Griffith sustained serious injuries.
Although he did return for the Dundrod Tourist Trophy the following September, he quit the sport immediately afterwards.
1955
1955 would be the last running of the Hyeres 12 Hours.
Held on May 29th, it once again attracted a fabulous line up of machinery.
The winners, Andre Canonica and Gino Munaron (works Ferrari 750 Monza), set another distance record. They covered 1604km and had an epic battle with the lead Kangaroo Stable Aston Martin DB3S of Tony Gaze and David McKay.
After twelve hours of racing, both cars finished on the same lap.
The Kangaroo Stable had sent a trio of their DB3S Astons to Hyeres. The sister cars of Les Cosh / Dick Cobden and Tom Sulman / Jack Brabham finished third and fourth respectively.
Big crashes were becoming all to familiar though. In 1955 it was the turn of Francois Picard and his Ferrari 750 Monza. Picard shared the car with Michel Poberejsky and led from the start, but crashed spectacularly in the third hour. His Ferrari cleared a high fence towards the bottom of the start / finish straight and landed upside down before it caught fire.
Thankfully, Picard survived, but he was hospitalised with a broken shoulder and several other injuries.
Cancellation
Within two weeks of the 1955 event, motor racing’s darkest hour struck when 83 spectators along with French driver, Pierre Levegh, were killed at the Le Mans 24 Hours.
This disaster led to the wide scale cancellation of French road races and rallies; one of those events abandoned was Les Douze Heures d’Hyeres.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Jean Sejnost
