Chris Hall's excellent Rouen adventure page 3

Exiting this corner, the road curves gently to the right before you reach Sanson, where Innes Ireland went off in 1958 or 1959. According to his autobiography 'All Arms & Elbows' (excellent reading; ISBN: 0851840507), the car went over a low bank and plummetted into the valley below. Unfortunately nobody realised he was missing and despite having a broken leg, he dragged himself back up to the track to seek aid. Needless to say he was somewhat disgruntled by the whole affair!! The marshal's hut on the outside is long gone and the road particularly narrow at this point. GPL just doesn't do justice to the section after Sanson, it is amazingly steep through the kink up to Beauval.

12. exiting the left, heading to Sanson

13. Entry to Sanson - position roughly where Innes realised his brakes had disappeared.

At this point, you can turn sharp right and follow the original route ( Chemin D'Etoile ) which is still public road and goes dead straight for almost a mile up to a point about 100 yards after the original Paradis where it joins the start-finish straight. This was used from the circuits inception in 1950 until the original extension was built in 1955 and is the only way nowadays that you can complete a lap of the circuit.

14. looking back, downhill from Beauval

15. the middle of Virage de Beauval

Ignoring this and continuing out of Beauval, there is a straight of nearly 1/2 mile to Gresil. About 2/3 of the way along here, the post 1971 circuit departs to the right, it being cordoned off by a single layer of armco. This, the newest part built, is in the worst condition. Although there is tarmac all the way up to the point where it joins the start-finish straight, in many places it has been ripped up to half it's original width and it appears to have become some sort of plantation. This is the section of track that I'd seen all those years ago, but most of the trees have gone and it is almost an overgrown wilderness. I did, however, find the remains of a gravel trap at one point. This link road joins the start-finish straight at the same point as the 1950 link, but is blocked off by a low bank. Postscript - Following a visit in 2003, the whole post 1971 section had been dug up and might never have existed.

16. looking back toward Beauval

17. Heading towards Gresil: The post 1971 link road heads off on the right but had been dug up by 2003.

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