Miramas Postscript

Miramas track in France which was the subject of a leading article in February, is not quite so derelict as we implied, as Cyril Posthumus has reminded us The Kleber-Colombes Tyre Company was involved in a long distance record run there in 1963 involving a Ford Taunus 12N which covered 300,000 km at an average speed of 106 kph and this decided them to develop the old track in 1970 as a test-centre, described as one of the finest in the World. The various test facilities, include the original 5 km oval on which speeds of up to 200 kph are possible and four other areas including a 1,365-metre acceleration and braking straight and an asphalt flood area 80m long and 6m wide, a skid pan and irregular asphalt area for cornering tests embracing a bead-unseating test rig, a twisting 600 in asphalt circuit that can be hosed-down, and a 20 km sinuous endurance course and an aquaplaning section —W B