Circuit de Reims-Gueux
A triangle of public roads in Champagne that hosted Grand Prix racing for forty years. The circuit turns one hundred in 2026.
Last updated:
- Opened
- 25 July 1926
- Location
- Thillois · Gueux · Muizon, Département Marne
- Layout
- Triangular circuit, three straights, three hairpins
- Roads
- public roads D 26, D 27 and RN 31
- Length (from 1954)
- 8,302 km
- Final Formula One race
- 3 July 1966
- Closed
- 1972
A circuit that existed only on race weekends
Circuit de Reims-Gueux lies about seven kilometres west of Reims, between Thillois, Gueux and Muizon in the Marne department. It was never a purpose-built facility in the modern sense, but a triangle of public roads: today's D 26 and D 27 and the RN 31. They were closed on race weekends and returned to normal traffic afterwards.
Everything followed from this shape. Three long straights joined by three tight hairpins created one of Europe's fastest circuits, where slipstreaming decided the winner. To understand Reims, forget chicanes: picture three straights and the question of who emerges ahead from the last one.
Four layouts in 46 years
The circuit was rerouted several times, usually to avoid the village of Gueux or lengthen the straights. Sources differ in the third decimal place; the figures here follow the English Wikipedia, which lists each configuration separately.
What raced there
Reims hosted the Grand Prix de l'ACF and Grand Prix de la Marne and spent years on the Formula One World Championship calendar. Juan Manuel Fangio won three championship races here and Ferrari won five times. The final Formula One race took place on 3 July 1966.
Racing continued for another six years on a smaller scale: sports cars until 1969 and motorcycles until 11 June 1972. That sequence explains why sources cite 1966, 1969 or 1972 as the end, depending on the category in question.
Why it disappeared
Economics, rather than an accident, ended the racing. The circuit closed permanently for financial reasons in 1972. A course made from closed public roads could not be upgraded to the safety standards demanded in the 1970s at a cost anyone could sustain.
What remains today
An unusual amount. Parts of the pits, grandstands and scoreboards remain visible from the public roads, because the circuit is still a road. Several structures were protected as monuments historiques in 2009, and a non-profit association cares for their preservation.
Visitors find no mere memorial, but the original: the same road and the same pits, simply without the barriers.
One hundred years
On 12 and 13 September 2026, a local association marks the centenary on the D 27 with a vehicle parade, exhibitors and demonstration runs on a specially prepared straight. The anniversary year runs from September 2026 to September 2027.
Circuit layouts
| Period | Length | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1926–1951 | 7,826 km | Original triangular circuit |
| 1952 | 7,152 km | Shortened layout |
| 1953 | 8,372 km | Rerouted around Gueux |
| 1954–1972 | 8,302 km | Layout used until closure |
For the centenary, a numbered edition carries the circuit's data, engraved in 316L stainless steel and limited to 100 pieces.
View 100 Reims