Lost Circuit Reims

Lost Circuit Reims
Circtuie Reims de Geuze
Reims France

Story and Images© by Patrick Wheeler
Contact Photographer For Information on Photos of this Story

Out near Reims is a hilly region that grows a mildly legendary vine that becomes and even more legendary wine ... welcome to the terroir of the champagne region of France ...

However, I get ahead of myself, on the flat, just outside of town, at a spot the young man at the hotel said "why go there, you will just be disappointed, it is just ruins, you drive by and it is gone" howevier if you stop to wander the poppies and daisy littered wheat fields, is a lovely historical spot ...

In a country littered with history and mind-numbingly old and gorgeous churches and gathic cathedrals and fortified farms and villages and roman ruins and etc ets, there is also a ruin of slightly more recent vintage ...

The circuite de Reims, of Circtuie do Geuze, was an exceedingly fast track in its day. My traveling companion this day tells me as lad in the uk he watcxhed the very first televised race on a grainy b/w television and the country was spellbound, in part as an anglo won, apparently a bit of a tartar, the yound scion of a wealthy family died later in the year, but here in his moment of gloy the track was momentarily in the upper echelons of the racing world

Today there is talk of attempting to revive the track, folks like historical racing, done much slower and in less anger, and it brings tourism and much needed economic vibrancy to regions, however for the moment, the grasses hold sway

The track is in a flat section, and in a triangular layout the speeds the old cars could reach were tremendous before they came down the straight ...

And the straight is exceedingly narrow, hard to imagine the racers and cars of legend battling it out over here on such a narrow strip, now it is a motorway and you whizz by and hardly notice

They have apparently retouched some of the historical advertisiments ... but tastefully, and amazingly enough some of these images are still in use today ...

Love the fireman's sign ...

The Elf, of course, but love the Tarmacadam enterprise of Albert Cochery from back in the day when Msr Macadam's invention was still referenced by name and the Macadam surface was a wonderful thing to those used to dirt and gravel tracks. The Huiles of IGOL is new to me, and likely sadly gone However the last image, world record, the Panhard 8 cylinder, vroom! You can hear the ghosts still racing by as the fans scream their satisfaction ...

The French are known for the yellow hadlamps on older cars, yellow light has some unique properties in driving and I for one miss seeing more of them on the road, much more I will see of this unique cat's eye headlamp imagine, they are still a going concern in france

, at least this image which admittedly is hard to improve on, see like a cat in the dark and yellow cat's eyes, perfect example of the marketing art, back when marketing was more than re-packaging dress with 'new' labeled on it ...

And indeed Dunlop is stil a going concen, and to paint themselves on the underside of the tribune stands was a minorly brilliant piece of marketing. Loved that the assigned seating numbers are still largely visible.

But sadly indeed little is left of the track, and the great arts of Msr Macadam as implemented by Msr Cochery are no longer in evidence and have given way to farmer's fields ...

But what farmer's fields these are ... this is the top of the much still beating heart of the champagne district ... and the vines cover every square millimeter possible and at all times of the year folks are out working up and down the hills ...

An open door to a barn and a small sign indicating Vente Direct and Degustation says to this transplanted Northern California boy that the game is afoot ... winery tasting, even at 9:30 in the morning, well, it is cultural , No ???

We meet the proprioetaire and his young son-in-law who are very happy to give us a tour ... are shocked, and I mean shocked, at my suggestion that I buy a few bottles without tasting the offering a bit more, the bottle is cold and the sparkles evervescent as they should be, and the ambiance could not be improved on, this is a working farm, no apologies and only minor concesions in space to share a bit of their floor to sell ...

And in keeping with the spirit of motoring, they have collected the badges of many of the historical touring cars and club events that have passed through and stopped to quaff a bit of the bubbly ...

Tiny towns with stone churches abound and in the grape processing industry here is no indication of economic crise at all, the peaceful bucolia and chirping birds and all is well with the world and has been for centuries upon centuries, or is that the glass in my hand talking?

The small town, almost a Hameau, of Hautvillers is credited with housing the abbey where the good father Dom Perignon was credited with having a celestial vision / visitation and seeing the bubbles for the first time, much to the delight of his brothers (and dare I say, if even much subsequently, his sisters). But no time to dally ... rush rush, there are kilometers to go before this day ends ...

Oops, but a small farmer's market, the bar is open, the bicyclists out pre-enacting the Tour de France (coming through in two day's time) indicates a coffee must to sourced and enjoyed while one watches the birds again ...

Down over the hill in Epernay we see what real sophistication and the true levels of money that the large Champagne houses are able to wring from their monopoly on the greatest of the grand vin terroirs and the name ...

The entire street is paved in gold huge stone, almost literally paved in gold, and the gentlemen in black suits and earpieces seem to indicate dignitaries and heads of state are expected any moment ...

But well out into the country the vinyards give sway back to the wheat fields and poppies ...

And a small roadside tavern where the construction worker's trucks are parked three deep is not to be missed, the self-help salad counter yields wonders

And the farmers Pomme with an Andoule sausage is not to be missed, the waitress's sparkling eyes are not just the fog left from other sparkles earlier in the morning ...

sigh, for a live well lived in letters, wine and food ... and although will have many a special meal this trip, my favorite starts and ends here ... too bad I was not crass enough to ask the young lady to pose with me, my traveling companion, and a plate of food ... but trust me on this one ...

But the open road awaits ... and the gathering storm clouds indicate a motor-route should be sourced soon if I wish a warm bed this night ...

But one more stop for a lovely grain silo over the fields of wheet in central middern France, something tells me I am certainly _not_in Kansas and never was ...