[Oldies] The Jerez de la Frontera Grand Prix..... before! (2/2)

The Jerez Grand Prix….. before!

Some Spanish enthusiasts take us on the web in what were the competitions in Jerez before the construction of the current circuit…
A big thank you to them, whose names we will cite at the end of the article, starting with Jaime Barriga Rodriguez who very kindly allowed us to dig into his personal archives to write this article.

It’s the weekend, so let’s take advantage of this for a little trip down memory lane…
Article published in two parts due to the large number of photos.

(The first part is accessible here)

Second part: urban circuits

Faced with the success of these semi-nautical events, Francisco Pacheco Romero (1917 – 2010), with the help of his son and José Garcia Cauqui Torrent, created the Moto Club Jerezano.
The stated objective of the thing is to take advantage of the construction of a new straight avenue in Jerez to organize a motorcycle race in the city!
He then received support from the soldiers of the El Tempul camps, which, especially at that time and in the context of the time, was far from negligible...
Commander Prado and Captain García-Morato, both great motorcycle enthusiasts, will therefore provide the club with almost infinite logistics: soldiers, trucks, straw bales, barriers, etc.
The chosen route then takes the name of “ Constancia Circuit"

The project took shape and the first edition took place in 1957 under the name “ Merced Prize "
In 1963, the event received the Trofeo Nuestra Señora de la Merced and took the name “ Premio International Nuestra Nuestra Señora de la Merced"
He will join the Spanish championship.
At the end of the 60s, the circuit moved slightly a few streets further north, in the San Benito Police Station.

In the 1970s, the route moved again to integrate the Polígono Industrial El Portal, located a little outside the south of the city.
The event is then, for the first time, sponsored by the local Porto brand, Tio Pepe, and Spanish television will cover the event, also for the first time.

We let you enjoy the photos and remind you that it was on this last circuit that the only victory for Eric Offenstadt's goal took place, in 1980, driven by Hervé Guilleux and prepared by Emmanuel Laurentz (see at the end of article).

First circuit:

San Benito County:

Benjamin Grau on Derbi

Derbi factory in the paddock (1972)

Angel Nieto on Derbi 50 (1972)

The same on the 125… (1972)

The Swedish Borje Jansson, on Yamaha (1972)

Nieto behind Grau (1972)

Ricardo Tormo, broken fairing…

Polígono El Portal:

Angel Nieto, Derbi 250, 1973

Victor Palomo, 1973

Grid 125, 1974

Grid 750, 1974

Korhonen in the lead, followed by Benjamin Grau and Victor Palomo

Benjamin Grau, Derbi 125, 1975

Benjamin Grau, Ducati 750, 1976

Patrick Fernandez on Yamaha, 2nd in 1976 behind Grau

Enrique Escuder on Moped!

Jump on a fitting!

Grau, Derbi 250, 1980

Ricardo Tormo, 125 Morbidelli

Eric Offenstadt’s GOAL

Hervé Guilleux, 1980

About what will ultimately be Eric Offenstadt's only goal victory, Emmanuel Laurentz, Hervé Guilleux's faithful mechanic, told us the details of this folkloric adventure in Andalusia...

At the end of 1980, Hervé and Emmanuel took the road to Jérez, for a non-world championship race (the Spanish round of which then took place in Jarama), aboard their Citroën C35.

This is still the time when packs of several dozen wild dogs roam the Spanish plateaus and the Jérez “circuit” is in fact made up of only a few roads weaving between houses and trees, including a departmental road filled potholes.
In all, a course of 4,650 kilometers made up of several straight lines exceeding 1000 meters interspersed with right-angle turns.

The paddock (or rather the parking lot of a small industrial area bordered by vacant lots) is well filled and there we find Sito Pons, Joan Garriga, as well as Alberto Puig, Dani Pedrosa's current mentor.
Although entered in the 500cc category (against the 500RG and TZ), the tests did not go too badly for the little But 350cc, which obtained the 5th time.

Thirty minutes before the start, we set off the bike to go to the pre-grid but Emmanuel then hears a whistle that is unfortunately too identifiable: “Vilo! » he shouts at Hervé.
It was then a frenzied rush from Emmanuel, Hervé, and two friends.
Removal of the fairing, exhausts, carburetors, engine axles, cylinder heads, cylinders: everything comes together without losing a single second.

We open the crankcases and Emmanuel “throws in” a completely out of breath crankshaft that was lying around somewhere in the “poor man’s box” hauled by the team.
The bearing centering pins are poorly positioned but no one notices.
Emmanuel tightens everything and begins reassembly.
In the same way, the plastic water pump gear gets in the way but, in a hurry, we close everything and fix the motor in the frame, asking Hervé to put his helmet back on.
Oil, water, start up and we push the bike as the barrier lowers.
Less than thirty minutes to change the crankshaft; bet won!

The motorcycles set off and Emmanuel waits for the end of the first lap.
To his great surprise, he discovered the Goal, about fifty meters ahead of everyone, but also a worrying and gigantic cloud of blue smoke!
Nobody understands why the bike smokes so much but, obviously, it runs well.

Lap after lap, Emmanuel's nerves are put to the test but the goal continues without weakening and, after 12 laps, an improbable victory takes place!

The whole team celebrates the event properly then heads to Italy for the next race which takes place in Mugello.

Arriving there, Emmanuel was concerned about the enormous smoke from Jerez and began dismantling the victorious motorcycle.
Not a drop of oil left in the box! Not a drop of water in the radiator!
In fact, the slightly offset bearings had allowed the engine to suck up all the gear oil.
There was no risk of it tightening! And fortunately, since the water pump gear, mounted at an angle, no longer had any teeth and the boiling water had escaped from the circuit.

There are days “like that”, when the “barraca” doesn’t leave you!

And then, even if we talk about the French who then made the trip to Andalusia, let us also mention, among others, Jacky Hutteau, Jacques Bolle, Patrick Plisson and Thierry Noblesse, drivers who experienced the “picturesque” of these races in Spain.

The first could tell you how, for example, the number of laps in races varied, depending on who was in the lead...

Construction of the current circuit:

The current Circuito de Jerez, although not finished in terms of stands, buildings or control tower, was inaugurated on December 9, 1985, on a wet track, with a touring car race.

In April 1986, he received his first Formula 1 GP then his first Spanish motorcycle GP a year later.
A video showing some images of the construction and the first F1 GP is available.

It will be necessary to wait 1992 so that the layout receives its first big change, in this case the addition of a new bend and a straight line of 600 meters to replace a chicane as well as a total re-surfacing. Its length thus increases to 4 meters.
Amenities are improved (press room, pit lane, air-fences)
In 1994, the route received a new chicane intended only for F1.

Finally, in 2002, the UFO was built which overlooks the starting straight.