Circuit Reims-Gueux Press Stand an Exciting Sample of Scale Modeling for Slotcar Tracks

Circuit Reims-Gueux Press Stand

Close up of the ranks, filled with people, during the races at Reims-Gueux slot car racetrack

It figures - What it takes to fill the ranks

Amongst the first buildings for Reims-64 was the Press stand. The whole layout is centered around the Grandstands, pits with the restaurants. Now you know we are in France. Being German I presumed the building hosted mainly organization and officials. Only later pictures suggested restaurants were situated on all four floors.

Start and Finish circuit Reims-Gueux with Grandstands, pits and Dunlop Bridge

While pits with restaurant and grandstand with adjoining bleachers had been detailed earlier in, the ranks on the press stand remined empty. Because the backside shelters the top from the eyes of the racers, detailing was postponed until now. Main reason for the delay could have been the fact, that it was not decided how to add seats and tables for the press. Finding appropriate furniture has proven to be extremely difficult. None of the purchased chairs and table would fit the size of the ranks.

Model of the Press Stand with still empty ranks

The solution was to build a combination of benches with tables attached on backside. 32 benches were assembled, over 100 figures painted and railings along the front and stairs made from styrene. A very time-consuming procedure. Filling the ranks was a slow process. Figures and furniture had to be mounted row by row, waiting for the glue to bond. Now the ranks have come alive, and one can imagine how busy it was back in the days.

Preparing Benches with Tables, Railings and painting Figures for the Press Stand at CRG

Slowly the scene is coming alive! More and more figures filling the ranks.

In the end all the signature of all sponsors was attached using decals. All four sides were graphics from different oil companies. What would it look like today?

The Stands are already filled with people and Shell advertising attached to the railing

Now the Pavilion Paul Burette – Andre Réville is back on the track. Another capture closed and another opened. The next step will include adding more banners and more figures/spectators/visitors to the scene. People is what make the races come alive. And adding figures to the layout could be considered story telling. It is interesting to see how the figures start to interact, once they are positioned next to each other, like in real live. 

View from the track towards the grandstands.
Spectators already filling the space awaiting the race with excitement.

The Grandstands including the press stand must have been an impressive sight at the time and is still today. Some information found on a website suggests that in 1953 Circuit was altered. 4 Kilometers of road was paved within three months and the track became a new look by adding the Grandstands, the Pavilion André Lambert, and a press pavilion for journalists, with 12 telephone booths and a telegraph service. And a tunnel connecting the two sides of the track.

That must have been a dream come true for Raymond Roche, the creator of the racetrack and the SACR (Société Anonyme des Circuits de Reims). With the newly established features Reims-Gueux was considered a reference amongst European racetracks for the next 15 years

The fact that one can find new information about the track and sites, keeps the interest alive and modeling the track exciting.