The Repsol Classic Team has scored a historic victory in the Auto Tour de France, the most prestigious classic car competition in the world. The team, made up of Carlos de Miguel and Cuni Suarez, managed to take their Ferrari 275 GTB to first place across the finishing line at Cap Ferrat on the outskirts of Monaco. This is the first Spanish victory since the Auto Tour was reborn, now twenty years ago, as a competition reserved for classic cars.
The French event had a luxury and very competitive entry list this year. In the verifications from Paris, the 250 best racing cars in the world were accepted, amongst them, fifty Ferraris from different teams. Some of these vehicles were driven by prestigious former racing drivers such as Jean Ragnotti, Alain Serpaggi and Gerard Larrousse. After five days of tough competition, including passing through the circuits of Magny Cours, Bresse and Charade, the Tour reached the Mediterranean coast, where a race at the Paul Ricard circuit brought the event to a close.
The Miguel-Suarez team encountered a mechanical problem on the first day due to fuel pump supply problems, a breakdown which was resolved in a few minutes by the Repsol Classic Team mechanics but which put the Ferrari 275 back in fourth place. From this position it began to move up until placing itself in the lead at the end of the second day, a position it did not relinquish until the finishing line.
The Auto Tour has a hundred-year-old tradition amongst sporting competitions, and in 1956 it was won by the Spanish driver Alfonso de Portago in a Ferrari 250 LWB. There is currently no other race as prestigious as this in the world, which makes it an especially exciting tour in which time trials on the mountain are mixed with the circuit races.
This victory makes the Repsol Classic Team the most competitive classic car racing team in Europe, as much for its presence at the most important international competitions and the quality of the cars entered, as for the great results gained along the way. The next meeting will be the Monaco Historic Grand Prix next weekend.
