Photo : Frédéric Barbini

 

Among the most prestigious hillclimb races in Europe, the "Mont-Dore - Chambon sur Lac" is a must on the French motorsports calendar. At each edition, the competition rages in all the classes while the spectators take advantage of a show put on by the best experts available in a magnificent setting. To enhance the festivities, the organizers host demonstrations about things that are not necessarily related to the hillclimb.

Such was especially the case in 1979. That year, the spectators watched a foreign car among the usual contenders. The car, which had traveled the Mulsanne Straight for 24 hours two months before, was one of the queens of global endurance. That August 5, 1979, Henri Pescarolo drove in the Puy-de-Dôme the Rondeau M379 he shared in Le Mans with Jean-Pierre Beltoise. The two men, true icons of French motorsports, had finished in 10th place overall at the 47th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, won by Bill Whittington, Klaus Ludwig and Don Whittington in Kremer Racing's Porsche 935 K3.

Though its colours would change in 1980 (from ITT OCEANIC to ITT Le Point), the Mont-Dore spectators were indeed looking at the next car to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. That Rondeau (No. 003 chassis), in a demonstration among the Massif Central volcanoes, would go on to win in La Sarthe in the hands of Jean Rondeau and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud. The chassis pursued its career in Le Mans in third place in 1981 (Migault/Spice) then 10th in 1982 (Yver/Sotty/Guitteny).

Pierre-Yves Riom / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO