Tour Auto Rally 2015 - Photos, Results, Report

The Tour Auto Rally 2015 was held April 20-25 on the secondary roads and race circuits of France. Since 1992, the retrospective of the Tour de France Automobile race followed the French secondary roads along a handpicked itinerary.

Renewed each year, the route for the 2015 Tour Auto Optic 2ooo finished in the sun in the Cite de l’Ocean in Biarritz. The 233 drivers, who had left the Grand Palais in Paris five days earlier, have memories of a race that took them through the stop-over towns of Vichy, Clermont-Ferrand, Toulouse and Pau before they arrived on the Basque coast. While some came away with victories, all participants remember the sense of shared excitement and the sights of marvelous landscapes.

At the finish of the Tour Auto Rally 2015 there was a winner, the crew of Jean-Pierre Lajournade and Christophe Bouchet in their Jaguar E-Type. Lajournade won the event in 2010 in a Lotus Elan, and this year he clinched his second success in the Tour Auto Optic 2ooo. He emerged victorious after a no-holds-barred battle with Ludovic Caron and Charles de Villaucourt in their AC Cobra 289 who took the flag only 31 seconds behind after 1,907 km.

Other winners in the 2015 event were Philippe Vandromme and Frederic Vivier in a Ford GT40 who came out on top in Group H, snatching victory from the BMW 2800 CS of Arnaud Gauduel and Alexandre Delaye in the final stage. Belgians Christophe Van Riet and Kristoffer Cartenian in their Porsche 911 Carrera RS 3.0 triumphed in Group H, while Frederic Puren and Caroline Bertrand dominated the Index of Performance in their Porsche 356 Pre-A.

Overall victory in the regularity class went to the Alpine A110 1600 S driven by Jean-Francois and Francois Nicoules in front of the similar Alpine A110 1600 S of Georges Henri Meylan and Julien Stervinou.

Once again the spirit of the Tour Auto Optic 2ooo attracted big crowds. This was proved by the large number of spectators who flocked to the finish of the legs as well as the circuits of Magny-Cours, Charade, Albi and Pau-Arnos and the numerous special stages. After no doubt enjoying this wonderful event, organiser Peter Auto will soon turn to 2016 when the Tour Auto Rally will celebrate its 25th anniversary. We’re already excited.

Similar to 2012, 2013 and 2014, photographer Julien Mahiels also documented the Tour Auto 2015, offering the following stunning pictures that show the strong field of entrants and stunning views of the French countryside.

Tour Auto Rally 2015 – Photo Gallery (photos: Julien Mahiels)

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Tour Auto Rally 2015 – Race Results

Overall Competition Class Results
1. Jean Pierre Lajournade / Christophe Bouchet, Jaguar E-Type
2. Ludovic Caron / Charles de Villaucourt, AC Cobra 289
3. Shaun Lynn / Kevin Kivlochan, AC Cobra 289

G/H/I Competition Class Results
1. Philippe Vandromme / Frederic Vivier, Ford GT40
2. Arnaud Gauduel / Alexandre Delaye, BMW 2800 CS
3. Philippe Belin / Stephane Soulet, Austin Mini Cooper S 1300

Regularity Class Results
1. Jean Francois Nicoules / François Nicoules, Alpine Renault A110 1600 S
2. Georges Henri Meylan / Julien Stervinou, Alpine Renault A110 1600 S
3. Ernst Schroder / Phlipp Ruppell, Porsche 356 B

Performance Index Class Results
1. Frederic Puren / Caroline Bertrand, Porsche 356 Pre-A
2. Alexis Raoux / Henri Teisserenc, Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint Veloce
3. Jean-Francois Penillard / Mathieu Verlaine, Porsche 356 Pre-A

Show Comments (15)

15 Comments

Anonymous says:

April 28, 2015 at 1:25 pm

Amazing photos tks
GRAHAM : A : KYLE says:

April 28, 2015 at 3:11 pm

A great selection of photographs Julien, well done. cheers from Sweden…
Steve Campbell says:

April 28, 2015 at 4:50 pm

Awesome pictures!
Roy Walenn says:

April 28, 2015 at 5:28 pm

So GOOD to see so many “living the dream!”
mike says:

April 30, 2015 at 7:25 am

thanks for the great pictures…
Mike G says:

April 30, 2015 at 9:00 am

Beautiful photos! Well done!
gt3spark says:

April 30, 2015 at 10:40 am

Beautiful shots, love it.
Graham Roberts says:

April 30, 2015 at 7:44 pm

I often see the name.Graham Kyle, in the comments section, is that the same Graham Kyle who had a Scimitar GTE in Auckland NZ and worked with Bruce Campbell?
My email address is [email protected].
Graham Roberts
Chuck says:

April 30, 2015 at 10:47 pm

What/where is that race track on Page 11? Looks like an awesome track to drive! Love the pics – beautiful settings.
David Cherrick says:

May 1, 2015 at 10:46 am

These photos are just the best, my compliments to Julien. Fantastic roads, glorious countryside, quaint villages and the best cars! Weren’t the cars of the ’60’s just the best?!
tazio says:

May 2, 2015 at 2:56 am

Sono delle foto molto belle, che mi emozionano. Durante la mia carriera motoristica e sportiva, molte di queste ho potuto guidarle.
Ora mi diverto a restaurarle, Tazio
Donald Callum says:

May 12, 2015 at 10:35 am

Beautiful, evocative photographs.
Patrick Maeder says:

May 12, 2015 at 4:29 pm

Magnifiques photos. Fan absolu de Ludivic Caron et de sa Cobra, j’aurais aimé un ou deux photos de plus. Cela ne retire rien à la séduction de cet album.
Anonymous says:

April 29, 2016 at 2:18 am

Excellent photos, you do Good work. Thnxs for posting.
Arthur E. Lloyd III says:

December 22, 2016 at 5:15 pm

That was really great….thoroughly enjoyed it…!!!