Reims-Gueux

Reims-Gueux was a motor racing circuit on public roads at Gueux, about 8 km west of Reims in the Champagne region of north-eastern France. It was founded in 1926 as the second venue of the Grand Prix de la Marne. The triangle of country roads linked the villages of Thillois and Gueux and crossed the Route nationale 31 at the La Garenne junction. Two straights, each roughly 2.2 km long, shaped the clockwise circuit. They allowed very high speeds and produced many slipstreaming battles.

The original layout was about 7.8 km long. Some sections were widened before 1932, and before 1938 the straight between Thillois and Gueux was extensively widened. Racing resumed at Reims-Gueux in 1947, and in 1948 and 1949 Formula 1 cars appeared in two non-championship races. For 1952 the circuit bypassed Gueux on the new D26, which cut the length to 7.152 km, and it became known as the Circuit de Reims. An extension with the new Muizon corner followed, and before 1954 the Muizon and Thillois corners were reprofiled with larger radii. That gave the circuit its final length of 8.302 km.

In 1950 Reims-Gueux hosted the sixth round of the first drivers' world championship. The French Grand Prix counted towards the world championship there eleven times between 1950 and 1966, and 1966 saw the final Formula 1 race. Sports car racing continued until 1969 and motorcycle racing for three more years. The circuit closed for good in 1972. Parts of it can still be seen, and an association works to preserve the old pit building and grandstands.