Our history
Born in 1939 in Angoulême, the Circuit des Remparts established itself as a not-to-be-missed event right from the start. After more than eighty years and 50 editions, if this event remains mythical despite its eventful history, it’s because it has been able to evolve, reinvent itself and innovate. Now, every September, the Circuit des Remparts welcomes several hundred vintage vehicles to compete on a closed circuit, take part in rallies or exhibit their wares in a concours d’élégance and a concours d’état. For three days, thousands of spectators enjoy the festivities and marvel at a spectacle that has nothing to envy the mythical event of its beginnings.
Since its first edition in 1939, the Circuit des Remparts has acquired its letters of nobility. Renowned drivers, starting with Frenchmen Maurice Trintignant and Raymond Sommer and the brilliant Jean-Pierre Wimille, and a whole “Pleiades d’As” as the poster proudly announces, have challenged each other on this circuit. The event’s history has also been built on exceptional makes, notably Bugatti, Alfa Romeo, Delahaye and Maserati, and their memorable confrontations, which Jean-Luc Fournier, a former driver and loyal supporter of the event, recounts with many tasty anecdotes in his book “Un circuit immuable – Histoire du Circuit des Remparts d’Angoulême”. It didn’t take long for the organizers to realize that the event, which had been interrupted during the war, could become a success again if they innovated. So, from 1947 onwards, the event, which had been relaunched with great courage by the Automobile Club de la Charente, was enriched by motorcycle races (from 1947), sidecar races (1950) and even bicycle races! Over the years, the Circuit des Remparts has seen as many legendary makes of car and motorcycle come and go, and welcomed all the most talented drivers, including Juan Manuel Fangio, who won the event in 1950. As for the motorcycle competitions, they gave the best drivers a chance to compete. Among them were many Frenchmen, such as Georges Houel and Raymond Rispal, two young drivers who would later go on to forge impressive records in both motorcycle and car racing, and share a record for longevity in motor sports, as well as Georges and Pierre Monneret. 1952 marked a turning point in the history of the Angoulême circuit, as only two-wheelers competed, the car race falling victim to the introduction of the “Grands Prix de France” and the inability of the unchanged Angoulême circuit to accommodate the powerful F2s. Despite the success of this 6th edition, the Circuit des Remparts was interrupted for two years before being relaunched in 1955, thanks to the opportunity represented by the “Monomill” single-seaters developed by René Bonnet. Equipped with a Panhard flat-twin 850 cm3 engine developing 90 HP SAE, they were light (350 kilos), easy to handle and fast (180 km/h top speed), making them perfectly suited to the Angoulême circuit. Unfortunately, success did not match the organizers’ ambitions. In 1955, the Circuit des Remparts did not escape the tragedy of Le Mans, and the race was stopped for many years.