52 years after his first participation, Henri Pescarolo is back at the Tour Auto with his historical partner Motul, this time in a 1974 BMW 3.0 CSL. He joins Michel Périn, a co-driver with a great track record.
The 2021 Tour Auto was marked by the presence of a fabulous Matra MS650, and the 2022 edition will be marked by that of its emblematic driver, Henri Pescarolo. In 1970, the man at the green helmet ranked second in the Tour de France behind the other Matra driven by late Jean-Pierre Beltoise. A loose wheel nut in the La Coubre special stage, then a puncture in the Ventoux hill climb delayed the Pescarolo-Rives team who lost 4’15” at the finish (over 10 hours of timed sectors).
Victory in 1997
In 1997, 27 years and four victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans later, Henri Pescarolo returned to the Tour Auto, which had in the meantime become a historic rally. With the same co-driver, journalist Johnny Rives, but this time aboard an AC Cobra, the public’s favourite lost time at the start in a spin on the Linas-Montlhéry circuit. This was the start of a mad dash that none of his rivals (Pearson-Wang in a Ferrari 250 LM, McErIain-Merifield in a Ford GT40, Bellm-Birch in a Lotus Elan) were able to contain.
Back in 2022
Henri Pescarolo, who will celebrate his 80th birthday on 25 September, will once again take part in the Tour Auto this year. He will be accompanied by co-driver Michel Périn, a four-time Dakar winner with three recent Tour Auto experiences (2017, 2018, 2021). The two men will share the cockpit of a BMW 3.0 CSL, a model that Henri Pescarolo has known for a long time, having driven it four times in 1973 and 1974 in the European Touring Championship with the Schnitzer Motul team
Thanks to Motul, BMW and Atelier46 support, the presence of this French motor sport icon will be one of the great attractions of the Tour Auto 2022 to be held from 25 to 30 April, from Paris to Andorra via the cities of La Baule, Limoges, Bordeaux and Pau.
