The 26th edition of the famous “Tour Auto Optic 2000” has again underlined Larbre Classic’s experience, after the 1974 #267 Porsche 911 RSR 3.0L entered by the French team finished second in the Competition class, with Cooper MacNeil and Gunnar Jeannette at the wheel.
The adventure began on Monday 24 April within the sumptuous surroundings of the nave of the Grand Palais in Paris, with technical and administrative checks followed by a public presentation of the 242 competitors.
Organised by Peter Auto, the ”Tour Auto Optic 2000” is a not-to-be missed event for automobile specialists and enthusiasts, each year gathering a unique selection of exceptional vehicles.
Benefiting from more than 25 years of experience at the top level of the sport with Larbre Competition, the “Classic” department of the organisation, managed by Jack Leconte, provides high level maintenance and services for classic cars.
Following the launch in Paris, MacNeil and Jeannette covered around 2,500 kilometres to arrive in Biarritz six days later, with prestigious stopovers in Saint-Malo, Haute-Goulaine, Limoges, and Toulouse.
Entered in the H1, H2 and I class dedicated to cars manufactured between 1972 and 1981, the two Americans competed in timed events taking place on four circuits and over 11 special stages on closed roads.
Amongst the tracks visited by the #267 WeatherTech Porsche was the Val-de-Vienne circuit where Larbre Classic is based, as well as the Le Mans Bugatti, Albi, and Pau-Arnos tracks.
By the end of this glamorous Paris-Biarritz event, only three minutes separated experienced Le Mans racers MacNeil and Jeannette from the #251 Ligier JS 2 DFV class winner.
For its third participation in the “Tour Auto Optic 2000”, the #267 Porsche 911 RSR 3.0L proved that it was still a competitive force, well supported by the faultless performance of its drivers on their first attempt at the event and the magnificent work of Larbre Classic.
Cooper MacNeil: “The Tour Auto was a truly amazing experience. Gunnar and I were in the car for about 15 hours each day driving on little roads through the French countryside. The special stages were essentially hill climb sections where you had to go flat out on a road you didn’t know, with changing grip conditions throughout. It is truly an endurance event in every regard and that’s what we love, so it was a good fit for us. We visited four circuits throughout the week and never finished off the podium during each eight-lap race.
“Our WeatherTech 1974 Porsche RSR prepared by Alex Job Racing and supported by Larbre Classic ran flawlessly throughout the whole week. Both myself and Gunnar never put a wheel wrong and hardly made any navigation errors. It was amazing to drive this car through France and I look forward to doing it again next year!”
Gunnar Jeannette: “Cooper and myself had a wonderful and adventurous experience during our first Tour Auto. Our WeatherTech Racing 1974 Porsche RSR had completed the rally several times before us, but without Jack, Cyril and everyone at Larbre Classic this result would not have been possible. I’m very proud of our performance together and the good memories we had will be with me for the rest of my life. I hope that we can come back in 2018 and try for an even better finish!”
Jack Leconte, Managing Director: “Larbre Classic is delighted with the performance and reliability level shown by its Porsche 911 RSR 3.0L on the 2017 Tour Auto. We were equally happy to welcome this famous motorsport event on our Val-de-Vienne facilities.
“From Paris to Biarritz, Cooper and Gunnar continued to move up the classification and were rewarded with a first podium on one of the greatest endurance events in the world.”
