Rouen-Les-Essarts

Rouen-Les-Essarts was a motor racing circuit in Orival, near Rouen in France. It opened in 1950, ran on public roads and was driven clockwise. Until 1954 it measured 5.1 km, and in 1955 major works extended it to 6.542 km. The name Les Essarts comes from a village that was absorbed into the commune of Grand-Couronne in 1874.

The track had a few medium-length straights, a cobbled hairpin called Nouveau Monde at its southernmost point, and a few blind corners through a wooded hillside. The road climbed from Nouveau Monde at 56 m to Gresil at 149 m, with gradients of more than 9 per cent. Six Frères was a fast downhill curve.

In the Formula One World Championship, Rouen-Les-Essarts hosted the French Grand Prix five times: in 1952, 1957, 1962, 1964 and 1968. In 1952 Alberto Ascari won for Ferrari on the 5.1 km layout. The later races used the 6.542 km track: Juan Manuel Fangio won for Maserati in 1957, Dan Gurney won in 1962 and 1964 for Porsche and Brabham, and Jacky Ickx took victory for Ferrari in 1968. Jo Schlesser lost his life at Six Frères during that 1968 race.

The circuit was later altered when a new motorway was built across it, which brought a new section of track and cut the length to 5.543 km. A permanent chicane was added at Six Frères in 1974, and that part of the circuit became known as Des Roches. Formula Two continued to race here until 1978, after which the track was used for French championships. It closed in 1994, and in 1999 the grandstands and pits were demolished. The hairpin was asphalted as well.