Rallye des Pyrénées

Last updated May 04, 2019

A competitor takes a hairpin bend around Gourette RallyeDesPyrenees4.jpg — A competitor takes a hairpin bend around Gourette

Competitors gather at the start in Pau having been awarded their starting numbers. RallyeDesPyreneesA.jpg — Competitors gather at the start in Pau having been awarded their starting numbers.

The Rallye des Pyrénées, also known as the Circuit des Pyrénées and formerly as the Pau-San Sebastián Rally,^[1] was a two-day international motorcycle competition in late June set in the Pyrenees mountains of France and Spain, consisting of about 400 miles (640 km) of timed trials and hill-climbs.^[2] The competition, started in 1951 by the Union Motorcycliste Paloise,^[3] attracted a high proportion of competitors from European police and military units.^[1] French motorcycle periodical, Moto Revue, stated, "The Circuit des Pyrénées confronts the riders with many hazards and to cross the finish line is itself a fine reward",^[4] whilst motorcycle writer Cook Neilson described the competition as "the ultimate remaining Racer Road experience".^[3] British magazine, Motor Cycle Sport called the 1978 event, "an anachronism and dangerous" yet "one of those phenomenal events that should not really be allowed but is".^[5]

The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between Spain and France. Reaching a height of 3,404 metres (11,168 ft) altitude at the peak of Aneto, the range separates the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of continental Europe, and extends for about 491 km (305 mi) from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean Sea.

Cook Neilson is an American former journalist and motorcycle racer made famous for his win on a Ducati 750SS at Daytona in 1977. He graduated from Princeton in the mid 1960s, was hired as associate editor of Cycle in September 1967; promoted to editor in 1969, and is credited for making that magazine successful through the 1970s. While at Cycle magazine, he authored a series of articles on the cookbook construction of a 160 mph (260 km/h) Top Fuel Harley-Davidson Sportster.

Description

The route initially took in the Spanish Pyrenees and French Pyrenees from Pau in the South of France to San Sebastián in Northern Spain.^[1] However, by 1978 due to concerns of the Spanish police,^[1] and the French police's own security concerns in the Basque region,^[2]^[5]^[6] the competition was instead held exclusively in France.

Pau is a commune on the northern edge of the Pyrenees, and capital of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Département in the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France.

San Sebastián or Donostia is a coastal city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, 20 km from the French border. The capital city of Gipuzkoa, the municipality's population is 186,095 as of 2015, with its metropolitan area reaching 436,500 in 2010. Locals call themselves donostiarra (singular), both in Spanish and Basque.

ETA, an acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, was an armed leftist Basque nationalist and separatist organization in the Basque Country. The group was founded in 1959 and later evolved from a group promoting traditional Basque culture to a paramilitary group engaged in a violent campaign of bombing, assassinations and kidnappings in the Southern Basque Country and throughout Spanish territory. Its goal was gaining independence for the Basque Country. ETA was the main group within the Basque National Liberation Movement and was the most important Basque participant in the Basque conflict.

The competition route in 1981 for instance consisted of a 320 km (200 miles) loop to the south-east of Pau on one day and a 325 km (202 miles) loop to the north-west of that city the following day.^[1] The motorcycles had to be street legal and, except for six special timed sections, the competitors shared the route, consisting mainly of narrow winding rough mountain roads, with the public and kept to the legal speed limits.^[1]^[2] Prizes were awarded for winners according to the motorcycle engine size (125 cc, 175 cc, 250 cc, 350 cc, 500 cc, 750 cc and over) with special prizes for sidecar combinations, teams and individual special merit with categories for institutional and civilian entrants.^[1]

The French part of the route starting and finishing in Pau (where the motorcycles would take part in a formal procession beforehand^[4]) would take in the mountain passes of Ferrières, Arbéost, Aubisque, Soulor and Gourette whilst the Spanish side, when run, took in Jaizkibel and Oyarzun.^[3] Less mountainous venues would include the Foret D'Issaux, L' Hopital D'Orion, and Bois Du Bager.^[7] Competitors were allowed to navigate the route for familiarisation prior to the actual competition itself.^[3]^[4]^[7]

Ferrières is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.

Arbéost is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in southwestern France.

The Col d'Aubisque is a mountain pass in the Pyrenees 30 km (19 mi) south of Tarbes and Pau in the department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, in the Aquitaine region of France.

End of the Rallye des Pyrénées

The competition was strongly associated with the organisation, engineering skills and hospitality of Roland and Ginette Roussel of the Union Motorcycliste Paloise,^[1]^[3]^[4] and with their retirement and the withdrawal of long-time sponsor, French oil company Elf, by the end of the 1980s, the competition was no longer viable and closed. In 1974 and 1975, a British government Central Office of Information film called Pattern of People, designed to promote British industry, was set at the Circuit des Pyrénées.^[4]

Elf Aquitaine was a French oil company which merged with TotalFina to form TotalFinaElf. The new company changed its name to Total in 2003. Elf has been maintained as a major brand of Total.

The Central Office of Information (COI) was the UK government's marketing and communications agency. Its Chief Executive reported to the Minister for the Cabinet Office. It was a non-ministerial department, and became an executive agency and a trading fund, recovering its costs from the other departments, executive agencies and publicly funded bodies which used its services.

Notes

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Johnny's French Lettres (Bike 9/81) p. 40–44
1 2 3 Mountain Excitement (Bike 9/83) p. 78–81
1 2 3 4 5 Beyond Racer Road: Circuit des Pyrenees (Cycle 11/74) p. 73–77,90, 92–93
1 2 3 4 5 A Million Miles Ago by Neale Shilton (Haynes Foulis 1982) ISBN 0-85429-313-2 p. 196–219
1 2 It shouldn't be allowed ... (Motor Cycle Sport 9/78) p. 347–348, 352
↑ Circuit des Pyrenees (Motor Cycle Sport 5/83) p. 223
1 2 Licensed Lunacy (Motor Cycle Sport 9/81) p. 451–452, 495

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References

25-éme Rallye des Pyrénées: Medaille D'Argent (Moto Revue 15/7/76) p. 32–33

External links

Media related to Rallye Des Pyrénées at Wikimedia Commons

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[JohnnyFrench-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Johnny's French Lettres (Bike 9/81) p. 40–44

[MountainExcitement-2] 1 2 3 Mountain Excitement (Bike 9/83) p. 78–81

[BeyondRacer-3] 1 2 3 4 5 Beyond Racer Road: Circuit des Pyrenees (Cycle 11/74) p. 73–77,90, 92–93

[MillionMiles-4] 1 2 3 4 5 A Million Miles Ago by Neale Shilton (Haynes Foulis 1982) ISBN 0-85429-313-2 p. 196–219

[Itshouldn-5] 1 2 It shouldn't be allowed ... (Motor Cycle Sport 9/78) p. 347–348, 352

[CircuitDes-6] Circuit des Pyrenees (Motor Cycle Sport 5/83) p. 223

[LicensedLunacy-7] 1 2 Licensed Lunacy (Motor Cycle Sport 9/81) p. 451–452, 495