After taking place at Charade and Le Castelet, 1976 marked the return of the French Grand Prix to Le Mans.
On the motorcycle side, the factories MV Agusta, Suzuki and Yamaha had officially withdrawn from Grands Prix. Actually, Agostini, Sheene and Cecotto had them, under the cover of private teams or importers.
MotoGP was then called 500cc, Moto2 250 or 350cc and Moto3 125cc.
On the driver side, Marc Marquez could resemble Johnny Cecotto, a Venezuelan kid of just 19 years old, who won everything in his path in 250 and 350cc.
During that time, the fantastic 4 were only three; Sheene, Read and Agostini, with perhaps Marco Lucchinelli, the new Italian revelation in the role of Vinales.
During that time, Suzuki did not make a comeback but dominated the premier category. With the exception of Cecotto with an importer Yamaha and King Ago on his MV 4 “Marlboro”, all the tenors were equipped with one.
At that time, the colorful boxes in the colors of the sponsors were just huts and cement. The word hospitality had no meaning.
In those days, pilots were men, more than billboards, and passion often replaced the necessary money.
At that time, Bridgestone had not yet bought Firestone and had no experience in competition, but the men of Michelin were already there.
At that time, there was no Traction Control but just a handle of throttle to turn, with the hand and the “cojones”.
At that time, the names were Sheene, Read, Agostini and Cecotto, of course, but also Lucchinelli, Finlay, Estrosi, Villa, Bonera, Ballington, Ferrari, Palomo, Pons, Sarron, Soussan, Fernandez, Fau, Newbold, Herron, Bonera, Bianchi, Pileri, Ferrari , Lansivuori, Korhonen, Mortimer, Rougerie, Katayama, Mortimer, Coulon (Philippe, not Guy), Choukroun, Boinet, Husson, French, Pileri, Braun, Nieto, and many others.
At that time, there was no electronic gate to access the paddock and rub shoulders with your idols. So simple enthusiasts, Damien Follenfant et Gilles Contesenne, took these extraordinary, completely new photos, which we are happy to share with you.
Today, obviously, here is the paddock of this 1976 French Grand Prix, hoping that you will enjoy these documents as much as we do!
