Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Dijon-Prenois circuit was built in the late 1960s in a context where France lacked safe permanent circuits, while motorsport was booming. Burgundy, in economic development, wanted to acquire modern equipment to attract international competitions such as Formula 1. This project was initiated in 1967 by François Chambelland, a former rugbyman and wrestler, and supported by Claude Bourillot, an experienced car driver and president of the Fédération française de sport automobile, providing institutional and sporting legitimacy.

Studies for the route began in 1969 with the collaboration of personalities such as the pilot Jean-Pierre Beltoise. Work began in December 1969 on a wooded site in Prenois, and the circuit was inaugurated on 26 May 1972 with an initial route of 3,289 km, increased to 3,800 km in 1975. The circuit hosted major endurance events, such as the 500 and 1,000 km of Dijon, as well as World Sports Car Championship races (FIA-SCC).

In the years 2020, the circuit hosts historical events (Grand Prix historique de Bourgogne, Grand Prix de l'Age d'Or), national competitions (Super Series FFSA, Swiss championship) and motorcycle races. In 2009, he hosted the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), and in 2017, he was re-certified Grade 2 by the FIA for three years. The circuit is also famous for hosting five Formula 1 French Grand Prix and two Swiss Grand Prix, with highlights such as the first win of a turbocharged single-seater in 1979 by Jean-Pierre Jabouille.

Before World War II, the 6 Hours of Dijon were already organized in 1927 and 1928. After the war, the circuit hosted endurance and tourism events, with notable victories such as those of Henri Pescarolo and Gérard Larrousse in 1973 on Matra MS670B, or Alain Prost, who won his first Grand Prix in 1981. The circuit record in Formula 1, set in 1984 by Alain Prost, is 1 min 5 s 257 in the lap.

In addition to the car competitions, the circuit also hosted the arrival of the 24th stage of the Tour de France cyclist in 1987, demonstrating its versatility and importance in the French sporting landscape.

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