Reims 12 hour race
The Reims 12-hour race was a sports car endurance race that took place on the Circuit de Reims-Gueux in Reims .
The event
As early as 1926, a race was held in Reims over a period of 12 hours. Roger Gauthier won the Coupe d'Or on a Bignan . The Reims 12-hour race was then held from 1953 to 1967. The first race in 1953 was won by Peter Whitehead and Stirling Moss in a Jaguar C-Type . In the last race in 1967, the two French guys Guy Ligier and Jo Schlesser were victorious in a Ford GT40 . In 1964 and 1965 the race was part of the sports car world championship .
The race had an unusual course. It started at midnight and ended at noon. This endurance race is the only one in motorsport history that began in the dark and ended in daylight. In 1956 it was driven twice in one weekend; a special case in international sports car racing. On Friday, June 29th, sports cars with a displacement of up to 1.5 liters drove the full 12-hour race distance. One day later, the cars with a capacity of up to 3 liters competed. After the second race, both events were added together to form an overall ranking.
Overall winner
| year | team | Overall winner | vehicle | Round | championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 |
 Peter Whitehead
|
Peter Whitehead Stirling Moss
|
Jaguar C-Type | 243 | was not part of any championship |
| 1954 |
Jaguar Cars Ltd.
|
Peter Whitehead Ken Wharton
|
Jaguar D-Type | 222 | was not part of any championship |
| 1956 1 |
 Auguste Veuillet
|
 Richard von Frankenberg Claude Storez
|
Porsche 550RS | 246 | was not part of any championship |
| 1956 2 |
Jaguar Cars Ltd.
|
Duncan Hamilton Ivor Bueb
|
Jaguar D-Type | 267 | was not part of any championship |
| 1957 |
 Ecurie Francorchamps
|
Olivier Gendebien Paul Frère
|
Ferrari 250 GT | 241 | was not part of any championship |
| 1958 |
Ecurie Francorchamps
|
Olivier Gendebien Paul Frère
|
Ferrari 250 GT | 256 | was not part of any championship |
| 1964 |
Maranello Concessionaires
|
Graham Hill Joakim Bonnier
|
Ferrari 250LM | 296 | Sports car world championship |
| 1965 |
 North American Racing Team
|
 Pedro Rodríguez Jean Guichet
|
Ferrari 365P2 | 285 | Sports car world championship |
| 1967 |
Ford France
|
Jo Schlesser Guy Ligier
|
Ford Mk.IIB | 296 | was not part of any championship |
1 to 1.5 liter displacement, 2 to 3 liter displacement and overall rating
literature
- Peter Higham: International Motor Racing - A Complete Reference from Formula 1 to Touring Car . Guinness Publishing Ltd., London 1995, ISBN 0-85112-642-1 .