12 replies to this topic

[Doug Nye]

Can anyone confirm or deny that there was indeed a Belgian Tour Automobile Rally run in 1964?  And if there was, does anyone have detail results for it?

 

DCN

[Vitesse2]

There's a post on the Caradisiac forum which claims there was one - with a photo of Yvette Fontaine in a Mini.

 

http://forum-auto.ca...0.htm#t15557619

 

No result noted here, but dates of 13-15 November:

 

https://www.ewrc-res...on/1964/?nat=25

[Doug Nye]

Thanks all - Pete Stowe has mailed me a scanned report.  Such service...

 

DCN

[Hugo Boecker]

J.P.Delsaux gives the winners in his book "100 Ans de Sport Automobile Belge"

16th Tour de Belgique 14./15. November 1964  - Mosbeux / Mombaerts  Lotus Elan

Edited by Hugo Boecker, 08 December 2018 - 16:17.

[BRG]

Was this similar to the French Auto-Tour?  A mix of races and rally sections?  If so, what venues were used?

[Doug Nye]

Broadly similar to the French Tour it would appear.  But the brief 'Autosport' report merely mentions an 1800km non-stop route, with only the Houyet hill-climb and a series of Zolder circuit races specified.  There must have been many other timed stages/events.

 

DCN

Edited by Doug Nye, 11 December 2018 - 19:49.

[BRG]

An 1800km route would have to incredibly sinuous to fit into little Belgium!  I wonder if strayed into neighbouring countries?  Of course Belgium has endless rally stages but few circuits. Although given Belgium's propensity for closing any road they fancy to compete on, they could have used temporary road circuits including of course the established road tracks like Chimay, Mettet and Spa.

 

If the 1964 Tour used Zolder, it must have been the first event there as I understood that the track only really opened in 1965. 

[Tim Murray]

My understanding is that the current Zolder circuit opened in 1963. A round of the European Touring Car Championship was run there in that year:

http://www.touringca...963 Zolder.html

[Doug Nye]

According to the 'Autosport' report which Pete Stowe has pointed out to me they also competed on the Namur hill-climb before arriving at Zolder, where "...six laps were to be accomplished (sic) by every car..." - organisation of the events there is criticised...

 

DCN

Edited by Doug Nye, 11 December 2018 - 22:35.

[nexfast]

My understanding is that the current Zolder circuit opened in 1963. A round of the European Touring Car Championship was run there in that year:

http://www.touringca...963 Zolder.html

 

The circuit was officially opened on July 19, 1963. First competition though is the one you mentioned on August 25th.

[Peter Morley]

Jean Paul Delsaux has more information on Belgian races than anyone that I can think of, I must have his contact details somewhere if you don't have them?

Peter

[Rob Semmeling]

The circuit was officially opened on July 19, 1963. First competition though is the one you mentioned on August 25th.

A small correction: Zolder was officially inaugurated on Wednesday 19 June 1963. Following bicycle races on 22 June, the first actual motorsports event on the new 4.181 km race course - penned by Dutch designer John Hugenholtz - was the international Ereprijs van Zolder for motorcycles on 14 July. The first auto races were held on 25 August and comprised the Grote Prijs van Zolder for Formula Junior racing cars and the Bekers van Terlaemen for touring cars and GTs.

Returning on-topic, the Tour de Belgique typically included a series of hillclimbs - for example at Bomerée, Spa-Barisart and Tros-Marets - special stages, and circuit races, which in the early 1970s took place at Mettet, Chimay and Zolder, as well as Nivelles in 1971, 1972 and 1974, the last three years the event was run (the 1973 Tour was cancelled).

[nexfast]

A small correction: Zolder was officially inaugurated on Wednesday 19 June 1963. Following bicycle races on 22 June, the first actual motorsports event on the new 4.181 km race course - penned by Dutch designer John Hugenholtz - was the international Ereprijs van Zolder for motorcycles on 14 July. The first auto races were held on 25 August and comprised the Grote Prijs van Zolder for Formula Junior racing cars and the Bekers van Terlaemen for touring cars and GTs.
 

 

Absolutely, my mistake, wrote July instead of June, I wonder why (age, perhaps...). And should have been more precise about competition as Motorsport competition. Thanks for the correction.