The Manufacture Audemars Piguet’s interest in motor racing is definitely nothing new. In addition to close involvement with its Formula 1 racing-driver ambassadors Rubens Barrichello, Jarno Trulli and Sébastien Buemi, Audemars Piguet is also the official timekeeper for historical car rallies such as the Tour Auto, the National Classic Tour (Belgium) and the Audemars Piguet Gtaad Classic (Switzerland).

This year, 100 chronographs have been created within the Royal Oak Offshore: one 60-piece limited edition for the Tour Auto, and another 40 for the National Classic Tour. These new timepieces have been specially designed to appeal to motor sports enthusiasts.

Audemars Piguet has chosen to support two particular teams for this new edition of the Tour Auto

Brand Name : Audemars Piguet

Brand Name : Audemars Piguet

The Blanchard/Cloché-Dubois ladies’ team will be competing in the regularity category at the wheel of an AC Bristol. While this is a first for Céline Cloché-Dubois, Karine Blanchard has been driving the length and breadth of Europe since her childhood, when her parents instilled in her their own passion for classic racing. Karine was indeed part of the “3 girls in a Bugatti” team that took part in the Le Mans Classic race in 2006 and 2008. This is not the first Tour Auto for the Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque team, which already took part in the 2009 edition in order to support the heart surgery foundation after which it is named, racing their Jaguar MK1 in the competition category.

After the technical and sporting verifications conducted on April 19th in the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris, our friends will set off for Magny-Cours, where the first track race will take place the following day. The cars will then head for Vichy, a traditional stop-over on the Tour, followed by the famous Charade racing circuit in Auvergne, before an original stage in Lyon. After a detour via the Bresse track, the AC Bristol and the MK1 will drive towards the Alps and one of the most elegant French ski resort, Megève. The Audemars Piguet teams will then begin their descent towards the C?te d’Azur, via Aix-en-Provence on the Friday, and the Paul Richard HTTT race track. They will savour the splendours of the Mediterranean coastline as they proceed to the legendary Corniche and to Beaulieusur-Mer, the final destination of this new Tour Auto.

We wish both these teams a wonderful journey!