Circuit Paul Ricard
The colourful Paul Ricard Circuit at Le Castallet near Marseille, France, was first built in 1969 with finance from the eccentric drinks magnate Paul Ricard, who created what essentially became Pernod Ricard. Ricard built the circuit with the challenge of figuring out what would it be like to build a highway!
With innovative facilities it was considered by some to be the safest motor racing in the world at the time. The circuit had three possible layouts, a large area of industrial park and also an airstrip. In combination with the usual good weather conditions in Southern France, the airfield made the track popular for testing purposes in winter.
The original track was dominated by the mile-long Mistral Straight that was followed by the high-speed Signes corner. Aquired by Formula One promoter Bernie Ecclestone, in 1999,the track has since been rebuilt into a very advanced test track. It is now known as the Paul Ricard High Tech Test Track (Paul Ricard HTTT).
A landing strip is also part of the facilities to accommodate private jets. The new track has also hosted a few races, the most important being a round of the FIA GT Championship. Other GT championships have run races here, most notably the Ferrari Challenge and races organized by Porsche clubs of France and Italy.
RS Academy has over 35 days track access per year at Circuit Paul Ricard.
