Reims-Gueux
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| Location | Gueux, west of Reims, France |
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| Time zone | GMT +1 |
| Coordinates | 49°15′14.67″N 3°55′50.02″E / 49.2540750°N 3.9305611°ECoordinates: 49°15′14.67″N 3°55′50.02″E / 49.2540750°N 3.9305611°E |
| Major events |
Grand Prix de la Marne French Grand Prix 12 Hours of Reims, |
| 1926 Original circuit | |
| Length | 7.816 km (4.856 mi) |
| Turns | 8 |
| Lap record | 2:27.8 ( Juan Manuel Fangio, Alfa Romeo 159,1951, Formula One) |
| 1952 Variation | |
| Length | 7.152 km (4.444 mi) |
| Turns | 5 |
| 1953 Variation | |
| Length | 8.372 km (5.187 mi) |
| Turns | 7 |
| Lap record | 2:41.0 ( Juan Manuel Fangio, Maserati, 1953, Formula One) |
| 1954 Variation | |
| Length | 8.302 km (5.158 mi) |
| Turns | 7 |
| Lap record | 2:11.3 ( Lorenzo Bandini, Ferrari 312, 1966, Formula One) |
The circuit Reims-Gueux was a Grand Prix motor racing road course, located 7.5 km west of Reims in the Champagne region of north-eastern France, established in 1926 as the second venue of the Grand Prix de la Marne. The triangular layout of public roads formed three sectors between the villages of Thillois and Gueux over the La Garenne / Gueux intersection of Route nationale 31. The circuit became known to be among the fastest of the era for its two long straights (approximately 2.2 km in length each) allowing maximum straight-line speed, resulting in many famous slipstream battles.
Motor racing started in 1926 with the second Grand Prix de la Marne, relocating the race from the Circuit de Beine-Nauroy to Reims-Gueux. The original 7.816 km circuit placed the start/finish line on road D27, approximately 1.6 km east of the Gueux village center, where it would remain for the duration of the circuit. Gradual improvements in track width to a few sections including the Garenne-Gueux / Thillois corners prior to the 1932 Grand Prix de France contributed to a new published circuit length of 7.826 km after which the circuit remained essentially the same until 1937.
Organizational changes prior to the 1938 GP de France saw extensive widening of the Thillois-Gueux straight. The process was reported to have felled trees and demolished structures to make the circuit yet faster, concluding the Grand Prix era with the 1938-1939 championship editions of the French Grand Prix.
Racing at Reims-Gueux resumed in 1947 with the 16th Grand Prix de Reims, effectively ending the Grand Prix de la Marne series except for a last edition in 1952. 1948 and 1949 saw the first Formula 1 cars at Reims-Gueux for two non-championship rounds. By then temporary grandstands were established fixtures at the Gueux / La Garenne and Thillois corners and after hosting the sixth round of the inaugural 1950 World Drivers' Championship, it became clear that the circuit needed further extensive renovations to comply with the accelerating Formula 1 technology.
For 1952, the track was re-configured to bypass Gueux via the (then) new D26 section, shortening the circuit from 7.826 km to 7.152 km (4.444 mi) after which it was renamed "Circuit de Reims" or commonly referred to simply as "Reims". Improvements continued in preparations for 1953, the inaugural year of the 12 Hours of Reims series, which featured a new D26 track extension from the Virage de la Hovette (Annie Bousquet corner) to a new purpose built intersection with the La Garenne straight (Muizon corner) about 1.2 km west of the previous Gueux / La Garenne junction, resulting in a new preliminary circuit length of 8.372 km (5.187 mi). The last major modifications were before the 1954 season, re-profiling the new Muizon corner from the previous year and the Thillois corner to a larger and faster radius, which established again a shorter and final circuit length of 8.302 km (5.158 mi). This public road circuit had previously been made up entirely of straights with a few slight and very fast kinks and slow corners; with the addition of these 3 fast sweepers and the extension of the main straight, this circuit, which was already very fast- was now even faster than it had been before, by about 10-15 mph per lap.
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