I've mentioned before that I was in Rouen a few weeks ago. Thought I'd show you what Rouen looks like today..
Never shared pics like this before, so apols if this doesn't work out well (there appears to be a sizing issue too - kinda spoils the pic of Nouveau Monde). They were taken on a camera phone, so pic quality ain't great. I took with me some pages I downloaded some time ago from a GPL site called lugnutsracing.com (don't look, its gone..). Chris Hall visited Rouen in the early 2000s and did a more comprehensive summary of the track than I was able to.
Most of the track is still there, but the section between Gresil and Scierie was destroyed when a new motorway was built at the start of the 70s. I think Scierie might technically be under the roundabout that greets you as you exit the Autoroute. However, as you enter the circuit (then as now, actually public roads) from the Autoroute out of central Rouen, a familiar sight greets you..
Then, sadly you come down to where the pits used to be. According to Chris's article, they were only demolished a few years ago... As you can see, the area is used for timber storage...
Turning towards the track at the pit exit, this is pretty much where the S/F line was, and you can see the dip for the first right hander. All this downhill section towards Nouveau Monde has (I think) been widened, and has the centre bollards most of the way down, which make it a very leisurely descent - hard to imagine the speed the 60s racers could achieve, and how badly that ended for some at Six Freres.
The left hander that will catch you out braking for Nouveau Monde
This next pic needs no introduction...
The apex of the corner near the red sign is all broken tarmac, with large pieces of the layer below clearly visible. Did wonder if it dated from the 60s........Note how much narrower this side of the track is - properly scary at any speed!
Sansom, where Innes Ireland once crashed through the barriers and disppeared (no-one saw it happen), appears to be more cambered than in the track we know. As you exit Beaval (see pic below) in GPL, you'll be trying to straighten it up and get on with it, but that's where things start to change.
After the Autoroute was opened the circuit turned right into the forest, and that's what you see on the left hand side of the picture. The next pic shows the small grass banking that stops you taking this turn..
and the next, more shocking pic, shows you how there's nothing to turn into anyway, as the forest has swallowed the track. In his article, Chris Hall suggested if you visit that you scrape some of the moss off the visible tarmac to save it for posterity a little longer. I duly obliged...
There is a higher grass banking blocking off the path of the 67 track - it was tempting to go up there for a look at GPL speeds, but the weather and a large group of Sunday cyclists helped persuade me not to risk it, so that's where the picture show stops. You can follow the road away from the track and into the town of Grand-Couronne, but I turned round and had another look at the circuit in reverse before heading into Rouen for a coffee.