Trackday @ Pau-Arnos

The circuit owes its existence to the decline of the Lacq natural gas and oil field, which had dominated the local economy since the 1950s: by the early 1980s reserves were dwindling and local driving school magnate Bernard Téulé (a native of Arnos) proposed a privately-built racing circuit as a means of economic renewal. Construction took place in the first half of the 1980s and the circuit officially opened in 1986, exploiting the natural contours of the valley with sharp elevation changes, blind crests and a technical mix of fast and slow corners. Immediate FFSA and FFM homologation enabled both car and motorcycle racing from the outset. The French Superbike Championship became Pau-Arnos's headline fixture from 1989 to 1994, cementing its two-wheeled prestige. Today the circuit hosts the French national motorcycle and car championships, FFM Coupes de France Promosport, the French Trophée Tourisme Endurance and a substantial trackday programme drawing riders from south-western France, the Basque Country and northern Spain.