Every two years, an unique spectacle can be seen on the Circuit de la Sarthe. Hundreds of collectors come from all over the world to take part in one of the most famous events in the world of retro cars — the classic Le Mans, organized by Peter Auto. AutoClassicNews asked company founder Patrick Peter about how to organize the race, finding a compromise with the locals, the prospects for the development of the retro car market in the coming decades.
-How did your passion for retro cars begin?
-I’m from a generation that was interested in cars from our childhood.
The car was a subject of wonder and a symbol of freedom. We were looking forward to turning 18 so we could get our driver’s license. Besides that, I was passionate about sailing boats, and it was only at the age of thirty that I started working in the automotive industry with the organization of the « Coupes de l’Age d’Or » in Montlhery. Most of the ‘historic’ cars racing with us today are from my youth.
-We know you as a race organizer, but have you ever participated yourself?
-I don’t have a great track record of races. I’ve never raced in moderns. In Historic, I have mainly raced in endurance events, but I stopped in July 1996 after an event at Silverstone that I was organising with the BPR, and in which I was racing in a Historic support race.
-Most retro races take place in Italy, France, Germany, England. In your opinion, what is the reason for this?
-These four countries are the countries where the automobile industry has developed in Europe since the beginning of the twentieth century. There is therefore a very particular culture of the automobile in these countries, and collectors began very early on to use cars in a sporty way: races, rallies… For a very long time, they have adopted common technical regulations (FIA Annex K), which has greatly contributed to the development of these events.
—And what do you think, in which countries in the next 5-10 years retro racing / rally will begin to develop actively?
-There are many other countries in which these events have been developed. This is the case for Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Holland… Of course, there are races in the USA but the regulations are different from those used in Europe, and I think this is a hindrance to the development of these events in the USA. Alongside this, there are countries that did not have a car culture, and are now interested in it, such as the countries of the Middle East. However, for the time being, it is mainly European grids that will be rolling there in winter.
-How has racing changed in the last 20-30 years? How do you think they will change in the future?
-Like all sports, Motorsport has become enormously professional. With the Historic races, we want to remain strict on sporting fairness and therefore on compliance with particularly technical regulations, but we do our utmost to ensure that our race weekends remain moments of fun, pleasure… This is not necessarily the prerogative of modern racing. So I remain very optimistic for this type of event. We are starting to use synthetic fuels, and therefore we will be «politically correct», and there will always be collectors who want to drive, just as there are lovers of sailing boats or sport riding.
-You are hosting one of the largest and most prestigious retro events in the world — the historic Le Mans. Tell us why you chose the format — every two years and are there any significant differences between the organization and other events cited by your company?
-When we decided to organise Le Mans Classic, we had two circuits to choose from: the Bugatti, which is a permanent circuit of 4.2 km, and the Grand Circuit of 13.6 km, which is the one used for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The objective being to make a retrospective of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, it seemed obvious and essential to me to use the Grand Circuit, because it is the one on which all great collectors want to use their cars. The Hunaudi?res straight, Mulsanne and Arnage are legendary names in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the event would probably never have had the same success on the Bugatti circuit.
This circuit has a major drawback, which is that it takes a national road, and that to close it it must therefore be installed 13km of rails, fences, roundabouts, etc., and also the obligation to close for safety reasons the shops that are installed on the Hunaudi?res straight. Some of these stores are very big, and the total is almost 1 000 jobs that therefore cannot work while racings. In 20 years, we have managed to negotiate a Saturday closure (every two years), then got Friday afternoon, and now the full two days Friday and Saturday closure (always every two years), but it will be extremely difficult to get more.
-You recently announced that you are planning to hold a «Princess Rally» in the USA. Could you tell us why you chose California as the venue?
-In fact, the rally will be called «Rallye des Princesses Richard Mille», named after one of our loyal partners, and Richard Mille USA’s headquarters are based in Los Angeles, so for a first edition California seemed ideal to us. This does not mean that all editions will take place in California, we intend to introduce other states.
-What is the American market interesting for you?
-The U.S. market is huge, with a lot of cars collectors. The market is also attractive for some of our partners. The difficulty is that the technical regulations are much more permissive than in Europe.
-Why did you decide to export this particular rally, and not, for example, Tour Auto or the Peter Auto racing series?
-We decided to export the Rallye des Princesses, because it is a regularity event, not a speed event. The technical regulations of the cars are therefore much simpler, whereas for the Tour Auto and for the circuit events, the European and American technical regulations are very different.
-In one of the interviews you quoted your son: «Daddy, this gentleman told me that I’m very lucky to have a father who makes dreams come true», do you have any dream related to retro racing and cars?
-I believe that these dreams are very simple and at the same time very strong. It’s being able to get behind the wheel of your car on the Le Mans circuit, 50 or 60 years after it made a name for itself on the same circuit with a well-known driver. It is to discover the landscapes and heritage of France during the Tour Auto. It is spending a week in a car with your wife, your son, your daughter… These are magical moments, when time stands still, and we give, I believe, to our pilots the opportunity to forget about everyday life.