Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours

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Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours
Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours.svg
LocationMagny-Cours, France
Time zoneGMT +1 (DST: +2)
Coordinates46°51′47.67″N 3°9′51.22″E / 46.8632417°N 3.1642278°E / 46.8632417; 3.1642278Coordinates: 46°51′47.67″N 3°9′51.22″E / 46.8632417°N 3.1642278°E / 46.8632417; 3.1642278
FIA Grade1
Major eventsFormerly - F1, GP2, WTCC, Superleague Formula
Currently - WSBK
Grand Prix Circuit
Length4.412 km (2.741 mi)
Turns17
Race lap record1:15.377 (Germany Michael Schumacher, Ferrari F2004, 2004, Formula One)
National Circuit
Length2.684 km (1.668 mi)
Turns12
Club Circuit
Length1.727 km (1.073 mi)
Turns11
Websitewww.magnyf1.com

Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours is a motor racing circuit located in central France, near the towns of Magny-Cours and Nevers, some 250 km (160 miles) from Paris and 240 km (150 miles) from Lyon.[1]

It staged the Formula One French Grand Prix from 1991 (succeeding Circuit Paul Ricard) to 2008, and the 24-hour Bol d'Or motorcycle endurance events from 2000 to 2014 (succeeded by Circuit Paul Ricard). It hosted the French motorcycle Grand Prix in 1992, and the Superbike World Championship in 1991 and annually since 2003.

Magny-Cours has hosted several additional international championships, like the World Sportscar Championship, World Touring Car Championship, FIA GT Championship, World Series by Renault and Formula 3 Euroseries. Also, the FFSA GT Championship has visited the circuit since 1997.

A campus of the French engineering college Institut supérieur de l'automobile et des transports is also located on the circuit, as well as the museum Conservatoire de la monoplace française.

History[]

The original circuit layout (1961-1970), on these times the circuit was called as 'Jean Behra Circuit'.

Commonly dubbed Magny-Cours, it was built in 1960 by and was home to the prestigious Winfield racing school (École de Pilotage Winfield), which produced drivers such as François Cevert, Jacques Laffite and Didier Pironi. However, in the 1980s the track fell into disrepair and was not used for international motor racing until it was purchased by the Departemental Conseil de la Nièvre.

In the 1990s, the Ligier Formula One team and its successor Prost were based at the circuit and did much of their testing at Magny-Cours.[citation needed]

The circuit hosted the French Formula One Grand Prix from 1991 until 2008, and the Bol d'Or from 2000 until 2014.

The circuit was re-designed in 2003 and used for a wide range of events include various sports and commercial use.[2] For the 2003 French Grand Prix, the final corner and chicane were changed in an effort to increase overtaking, with little effect.[citation needed]

Michael Schumacher was able to win the 2004 French Grand Prix using an unprecedented four-stop strategy.

In 2006, Michael Schumacher became the first driver ever to win any single Formula One Grand Prix a total of 8 times and at the same circuit.[citation needed]

Bernie Ecclestone originally confirmed that F1 would not return to Magny-Cours in 2008, instead moving to an alternative location possibly in Paris. However in a striking U-turn, it was revealed that the 2008 French Grand Prix would take place at Magny-Cours with the release of the official calendar in July 2007.[3]

In May 2008, Ecclestone confirmed that Magny-Cours would stop hosting the French Grand Prix after the 2008 race, suggesting that he was looking into the possibility of hosting the French Grand Prix on the streets of Paris.[4] The venue suffered from poor attendances due to its remote location, poor access and insufficient accommodation.[5]

In June 2008, the provisional calendar for the 2009 season was released, and a French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours appeared on it, scheduled for 28 June. However, in October 2008 the 2009 French Grand Prix was cancelled after the French Motorsports Federation (FFSA) withdrew financing for the event. In 2009 the track hosted its first Superleague Formula event. It also hosted a second event in 2010.[6]

The circuit was used as part of stage three of the 2014 Paris–Nice cycling race,[7] with the peloton completing almost a full lap of the circuit – in the reverse direction to its motorsport use – before the finish on the front straight.

The circuit[]

The circuit features several high-speed chicanes with prominent kerbs, such as the Imola chicane. (Mark Webber pictured driving for Williams).
Main straight.

The track nowadays is a smooth circuit with good facilities for the teams, although restricted access prevents spectators from reaching many parts of the circuit. Unusually, many corners are modelled on famous turns from other circuits, and are named after those circuits, i.e.. the fast Estoril corner (turn 3), the Adelaide hairpin (turn 5) and the Nürburgring and Imola chicanes (turns 7 and 12 respectively). It has a mix of slow hairpins and high-speed chicane sections which includes a long fast straight into the first-gear Adelaide hairpin, the best overtaking opportunity on the circuit.[8] The circuit is very flat with negligible change in elevation (only a small valley at the Estoril corner and a slight hill near the Lycee corner).[citation needed]

The circuit provides few overtaking opportunities, despite modifications in 2003, which means the races here are commonly regarded as quite uneventful.[9] Formula 1 races at Magny-Cours tend to have a processional nature, with most overtaking occurring during pit stop sequences.[citation needed]

More varied racing occurs when it rains, such as in the 1999 race, which was interrupted by a downpour. After a restart, most top contenders developed problems, which paved the way for Heinz-Harald Frentzen to claim a surprising victory in his Jordan.

Although the Bol d'Or 24-hour motorcycle endurance race was held at Magny Cours for several years, it returned to the more popular Bugatti circuit at Le Mans in 2015.

Lap records[]

The official race lap records at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours are listed as:

Category Time Driver Vehicle Event Circuit Map
Grand Prix Circuit: 4.412 km (2003–present)
F1 1:15.377 Germany Michael Schumacher Ferrari F2004 2004 French Grand Prix Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours.svg
GP2 1:23.405 Spain Roldán Rodríguez Dallara GP2/05 2007 Magny-Cours GP2 Series round
Superleague Formula 1:26.722 Netherlands Yelmer Buurman Panoz DP09 2010 Magny-Cours Superleague Formula round
Formula Renault 3.5 Series 1:27.543[10] Portugal Filipe Albuquerque Dallara T05 2007 Magny-Cours Formula Renault 3.5 Series round
F3000 1:30.924[11] Italy Giorgio Pantano Lola B02/50 2003 Magny-Cours F3000 round
F2 (2009-2012) 1:32.085[12] Spain Miki Monrás Williams JPH1 2011 Magny-Cours FTwo round
Formula 3 1:32.972[13] Switzerland Sébastien Buemi Dallara F305 2007 Magny-Cours F3 Euro Series round
Formula Renault Eurocup 1:33.943[14] Argentina Franco Colapinto Tatuus FR-19 2020 Magny-Cours Formula Renault Eurocup round
World SBK 1:36.374[15] United Kingdom Jonathan Rea Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR 2021 Magny-Cours World SBK round
GT3 1:36.769[16] Belgium Dries Vanthoor Audi R8 LMS Evo 2021 Magny-Cours GT World Challenge Europe Round
GT1 1:38.625[17] Italy Matteo Bobbi Ferrari 550-GTS Maranello 2003 FIA GT Magny-Cours 500km
Formula 4 1:39.960[18] France Mygale M14-F4 2021 Magny-Cours French Formula 4 round
World SSP 1:41.185[19] Germany Sandro Cortese Yamaha YZF-R6 2018 Magny-Cours World SSP round
N-GT 1:42.916[20] Germany Lucas Luhr Porsche 911 (996) GT3-RSR 2004 FIA GT Magny-Cours 500km
GT4 1:45.569[21] France Anthony Beltoise Audi R8 LMS GT4 Evo 2021 Magny-Cours French GT4 round
WTCC 1:50.447 Germany Jörg Müller BMW 320i 2005 FIA WTCC Race of France
Supersport 300 1:52.927[22] United Kingdom Tom Booth-Amos Kawasaki Ninja 400 2021 Magny-Cours Supersport 300 round
Grand Prix Circuit: 4.250 km (1992-2002)
F1 1:15.045 United Kingdom David Coulthard McLaren MP4-17 2002 French Grand Prix Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours (1992-2002).svg
Group C 1:20.346[23] France Yannick Dalmas Peugeot 905 Evo 1 Bis 1992 500 km of Magny-Cours
F3000 1:27.802[24] Czech Republic Tomas Enge Lola B02/50 2002 Magny-Cours F3000 round
SR1 1:29.780[25] Netherlands Dome S101 2002 FIA Sportscar Championship Magny-Cours
DTM/ITC 1:34.918 Italy Giancarlo Fisichella Alfa Romeo 155 V6 TI 1996 ITC Magny-Cours round
GT1 1:35.313[26] United Kingdom Jamie Campbell-Walter Lister Storm 2002 FIA GT Magny-Cours 500km
SR2 1:35.812 Italy Lucchini SR2-99 2002 FIA Sportscar Championship Magny-Cours
500cc 1:39.273 Australia Wayne Gardner Yamaha YZR500 1992 French motorcycle Grand Prix
250cc 1:41.418 Italy Loris Reggiani Aprilia RSV 250 1992 French motorcycle Grand Prix
N-GT 1:41.441[27] France Christophe Bouchut Porsche 911 (996) GT3-R 2000 FIA GT Magny-Cours 500km
125cc 1:46.674 Italy Ezio Gianola Honda RS125R 1992 French motorcycle Grand Prix
Grand Prix Circuit: 4.271 km (1991)
F1 1:19.168 United Kingdom Nigel Mansell Williams FW14 1991 French Grand Prix Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours (1991).svg
Group C 1:25.823[28] France Philippe Alliot Peugeot 905 Evo 1 Bis 1991 430 km of Magny-Cours

Weather and climate[]

The Nevers area has an oceanic climate that is still influenced by its far inland position. With a yearly precipitation of over 800 millimetres (31 in) on average, Magny-Cours is theoretically prone to rain affecting proceedings, although in the Formula One era, it often evaded the rainfall. There was one notable exception, when both the qualifying and the race of 1999 saw a fully wet track. With the Grand Prix being held in the middle of summer, tyre wear through high asphalt temperatures was possible. Magny-Cours' main event post-Grand Prix era, Superbike World Championship is being held in autumn and as a result sees colder temperatures.

hideClimate data for Nevers (1981–2010 averages)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 17.2
(63.0) 		23.5
(74.3) 		26.7
(80.1) 		30.0
(86.0) 		31.0
(87.8) 		37.5
(99.5) 		38.7
(101.7) 		39.2
(102.6) 		35.1
(95.2) 		30.2
(86.4) 		23.5
(74.3) 		19.5
(67.1) 		39.2
(102.6)
Average high °C (°F) 6.7
(44.1) 		8.3
(46.9) 		12.4
(54.3) 		15.4
(59.7) 		19.4
(66.9) 		22.8
(73.0) 		25.5
(77.9) 		25.2
(77.4) 		21.4
(70.5) 		16.7
(62.1) 		10.5
(50.9) 		7.1
(44.8) 		16.0
(60.8)
Average low °C (°F) 0.2
(32.4) 		−0.1
(31.8) 		1.8
(35.2) 		3.9
(39.0) 		7.9
(46.2) 		10.9
(51.6) 		12.8
(55.0) 		12.3
(54.1) 		9.1
(48.4) 		7.0
(44.6) 		2.8
(37.0) 		0.8
(33.4) 		5.8
(42.4)
Record low °C (°F) −25
(−13) 		−21.8
(−7.2) 		−13.8
(7.2) 		−7.5
(18.5) 		−4.8
(23.4) 		0.2
(32.4) 		3.4
(38.1) 		0.3
(32.5) 		−1.2
(29.8) 		−8.9
(16.0) 		−12.3
(9.9) 		−16.8
(1.8) 		−21.8
(−7.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 62.0
(2.44) 		57.8
(2.28) 		54.3
(2.14) 		68.7
(2.70) 		80.1
(3.15) 		70.1
(2.76) 		61.8
(2.43) 		60.9
(2.40) 		67.5
(2.66) 		77.6
(3.06) 		70.1
(2.76) 		73.2
(2.88) 		804.1
(31.66)
Average precipitation days 12.0 10.0 10.3 10.7 11.5 8.8 8.3 8.3 8.4 11.0 11.6 11.7 122.7
Average relative humidity (%) 87 82 78 74 77 76 74 77 80 85 87 87 80.3
Mean monthly sunshine hours 65.5 85.6 147.7 170.3 197.9 223.2 235.0 227.5 180.0 121.0 65.4 54.9 1,774
Source 1: Météo France[29][30]
Source 2: Infoclimat.fr (humidity, 1961–1990)[31]

References[]

  1. ^ "Magny-Cours". race-game.org. 2006. Retrieved 2009-11-16.
  2. ^ "Magny-Cours". race-game.org. 2006. Retrieved 2009-11-16.
  3. ^ "FIA reveals 18-race calendar for 2008". formula1.com. 2007-07-27. Retrieved 2007-07-27.
  4. ^ "Motor racing-No 2009 French GP at Magny-Cours, says Ecclestone". uk.reuters.com. 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2008-05-25.
  5. ^ "Ecclestone: No more races at Magny-Cours". autosport.com. 2008-05-12. Retrieved 2015-09-07.
  6. ^ "12 races on the 2010 Superleague Formula by Sonangol schedule". Archived from the original on 2010-01-15. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
  7. ^ "Stage 3: Toucy to Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours". Paris–Nice. Amaury Sport Organisation. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2014.
  8. ^ "Magny-Cours". race-game.org. 2006. Retrieved 2009-11-16.
  9. ^ "French Grand Prix". bbc.co.uk. 2007-06-29. Retrieved 2009-11-16.
  10. ^ "2007 Formula Renault 3.5 Series Magny-Cours Session Facts". Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  11. ^ "2003 F3000 International Championship Magny-Cours Session Facts". Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  12. ^ "2011 F2 Round 4 Results". Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  13. ^ "2007 F3 Euro Series Magny-Cours Session Facts". Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  14. ^ "2020 Formula Renault 2.0 Euro Magny-Cours Session Facts". Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  15. ^ "World SBK 2021 Motul French Round, 3 - 5 September 2021 Results Superpole Race" (PDF). Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  16. ^ "2021 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Magny-Cours Session Facts". Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  17. ^ "FIA GT Championship Magny-Cours 2003". Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  18. ^ "2021 F4 France Magny-Cours Session Facts". Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  19. ^ "World SSP 2020 Pirelli French Round, 2 - 4 October 2020 Results Race 2" (PDF). Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  20. ^ "FIA GT Championship Magny-Cours 2004". Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  21. ^ "Fanatec GTWC pwrd by AWS Sprint Cup Round 2 Championnat de France FFSA GT Race 1 Magny-Cours" (PDF). Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  22. ^ "Supersport 300 Motul French Round, 3-5 September 2021 Race 1 Results" (PDF). Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  23. ^ "500 km Magny-Cours 1992". Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  24. ^ "2002 F3000 International Championship Magny-Cours Session Facts". Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  25. ^ "FIA Sportscar Championship Magny-Cours 2002". Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  26. ^ "FIA GT Championship Magny-Cours 2002". Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  27. ^ "FIA GT Championship Magny-Cours 2000". Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  28. ^ "Sportscar World Championship Magny-Cours 1991". Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  29. ^ "Données climatiques de la station de Nevers" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  30. ^ "Climat Bourgogne" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  31. ^ "Normes et records 1961-1990: Nevers-Marzy (58) - altitude 175m" (in French). Infoclimat. Retrieved December 30, 2015.

External links[]

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