The aerial view and the circuit layout may look tame, not impressive at all…. wrong!
Because that's without counting the average speeds, which are much higher than usual. At 90 or 100 km/h the curve looks tame on a discovery lap, but when you pick up the pace and come barrelling in at over 160 km/h, the same harmless curve turns into a corner that jumps right in your face, with a blind apex and double camber on top of it = suddenly it's not so funny!!
You've just tackled the legendary Pouas corner, which sets up your entry onto the straight and therefore your top speed … Welcome to Dijon-Prenois!
As at Val de Vienne, the Team turnout is fairly limited: Yann and his Civic, Mike and his M3 … plus the co-drivers.
A first for Yann, a return to Prenois for Mike, who has already driven this track, but a first in the E92.
A former F1 circuit, with the longest straight at 1,100 m and probably one of the highest top speeds in France (approx 250 km/h, you see Corvettes hitting 300 km/h on this layout). It still hosts historic grands prix, and in 2017 the German DTM came and let its pack loose here!
So this is the favourite stomping ground of the queen of circuits, the 911, and more particularly the 991 GT3 RS, which will split you in 2 between 2 corners just when you thought you were going fast. If it isn't already the case, humility will be mandatory, just like your helmet.
On this type of track, the differences in driving level, performance and grip will be even bigger than on "normal" tracks. So watch your mirrors!
Luckily we didn't come in pedal cars, but with our "track-ified road cars". Let's be honest, we'll be mobile chicanes. That won't stop us having fun, because on this day there were no beginners, just novices on this layout.
Editor's note: Not that beginners are a problem, but they can get overwhelmed by the mass of information saturating their brain, so it's also up to the more experienced drivers to look out for them. We all started somewhere ;-)
At Prenois, unlike bigger tracks like the Bugatti or Spa, the corners come thick and fast at a high average speed, which gives this track a very particular rhythm. As everywhere, you need to stay calm to sharpen your concentration and avoid the breath-holding effect this kind of rhythm brings on.
As a former F1 circuit it takes a lot of guts in certain places, and that's what we love too: challenging yourself more than others! Here's a lap:
-On the straight, depending on your car, you push up to 6th, 7th… 210 just out of Pouas… 230… a GT3 blasts past… 240… the end-of-straight board is coming up…
-250 km/h at the board: I stamp on the brakes like a wild boar for barely 1 sec of heavy braking that seems to stretch time, trail off and pivot towards the 1st apex at mid-kerb, I feed the throttle back in to run wide and pick up speed again, and aim for the 2nd apex, hugging the right on exit to go into the Sablières
-Straight away you head left again from the bottom of the dip, trying to take the 8% climb as close as possible to the big humps placed on the kerb of the 1st left-hander of the Sablières, then dive back right for the 2nd one, taking the straightest line possible, on constant throttle so as not to unsettle the car too much at the top of the crest, with a blind but fairly natural apex, hugging the right to be well placed in the 9% descent for the left-hander of the Bretelle.
-As soon as the car pivots into the Bretelle left-hander, you get back on the throttle, unwinding the wheel as early as possible to let the car run out right onto the exit kerbs, and flat out towards the Parabolique…
-That damn Parabolique, Prenois's nemesis for many. The theory of turning in late so you can unwind earlier on exit is easy; doing it with the right timing is another story, because there's a bump that will quickly punish anyone who forgets it and send them into the wall. As you get pushed left on the 14% climb, you tend to add steering to come back, and that's exactly when you hit the bump. Better to let it run a bit wider, and once past the bump on exit, cross the track to go right.
-the markers for the double left of the Bretelle aren't hard, nor is the 1st left, but the line to hold so you don't lose time in the 2nd isn't obvious, because you need to avoid the exit kerb on the right, which unsettles the car
-Then begins the 5% descent towards the bottom of Pouas, through the Combe corner, which can be taken fairly fast with just a touch of brake, and you exit by crossing over and running the kerb under the car, then it's flat out towards Pouas, where you keep 2 wheels outside and 2 inside the limits
-You go into Pouas after a good stab of the brakes with the wheels straight and a late, progressive turn-in. Look far ahead and feed in more and more throttle once the car is on its line, according to how much you unwind the wheel. Aim well for the outside and unwind as early as possible to get as much throttle on as you can on the climb. It's not intuitive, but working with your eyes helps with that too.
In short, a brilliant track: fast, exhilarating and demanding for drivers. In hot weather, constantly running at max power can quickly heat the cars up, but the fairly high speeds allow good cooling. The circuit isn't particularly abrasive, but some cambered lines load the front left tyre heavily, which can die prematurely… the Civic finished with its DZs down to the canvas, and the M3 with its PS Cup 2s starting to tear chunks off the shoulder.
Team Lupos's advice for Prenois:
-check your fluids carefully (as always)
-check your consumables, pads / discs / tyres, and bring spare parts if possible
-where you look matters
-the cambers mean you need to manage the weight transfers from throttle / brakes a bit more finely, depending on the car
-watch your mirrors!
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