If you are ever in the neighbourhood of Reims, look for the signposts to the little village of Gueux. From 1926 to 1966 14 Grand Prix' took place on this blistering fast circuit. Before WW2 the German Auto Unions and Mercedes' drove right through the village with a thundering noise, followed by 12-cylinder Alfa's, Bugatti's and Delahayes. That must have been pretty spectacular. After the war, in 1952, a curve was built to avoid the village and in fact the circuit was now three long straights in a triangle form. If you visit you can feel the history in the old buildings, carefully preserved by Les Amis du Circuit de Gueux. They were all here: Fangio, Caracciola, Nuvolari, Jo Siffert, Hermann Lang, Moss, Hawthorn. And if you drive the old circuit, which is now open roads, and you arrive at the Muizon curve, remember that here Luigi Musso lost his life on 6th July 1958. A promising 33-year-old Italian driver, Musso was keen to have the price money of the French GP, traditionally the highest of the season. And Luigi needed some money as he was in debt. The rivalry between him and Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins within the Ferrari team was intense and came to a climax when Musso crashed in Reims, chasing Hawthorn. This period in racing was a sad one. Within a year Peter Collins and Mike Hawthorn would also die behind the wheel of a car. Racing was unbelievably dangerous those days. When visiting Reims you can feel the old days, which will never come back again.
