Circuit de Charade

Circuit de Charade at a glance

Location

Saint-Genès-Champanelle, Puy-de-Dôme

Type

road course

Length

3.975 km (2.47 mi)

Turns

18

Direction

clockwise

Surface

asphalt

Opened

1958

Owner

GCK Group (Circuit de Charade)

Address

Route de Pratlong, Saint-Genès-Champanelle

Website

charade.fr

Track map and layout

The modern Circuit de Charade, opened in 1989, is a much-reduced 3.975 km (2.47 mi) loop with 18 corners carved from the western end of the legendary 8.055 km original, tucked into the volcanic hills southwest of Clermont-Ferrand. It keeps some of the old circuit's character, tight, twisting and constantly changing direction over broken volcanic terrain, but without the long high-speed sections that made the 1960s Grand Prix layout so feared. The full historic 48-corner circuit, which wound around the extinct Puy de Charade volcano on public roads, is largely gone as an active racing surface, though sections remain visible as public roads around the site. Today's shorter track is popular for its technical, low-grip character, close to a mini Nürburgring in spirit if not scale.

Named corners and sections

• Rosier. A demanding downhill right-hander early in the lap that tests braking stability on the circuit's volcanic-rock surface.

Configurations

Events and race weekends

Circuit de Charade's public calendar runs a series of open trackday and classic car meetings through the year rather than a single headline race. The long-running Charade Classic gathering brings themed displays of pre-war cars, supercars and marque anniversaries to the paddock, while the Trophées d'Auvergne historic race weekend in July fields multiple grids of period racing cars over several days. The circuit also runs regular open-pitlane trackdays for cars and motorcycles throughout the season.

Getting there and parking

The circuit sits in the hills about 15 minutes southwest of Clermont-Ferrand city centre. Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne Airport, on the northern edge of the city, is the closest airport with domestic and some European connections, roughly 25 minutes' drive. Clermont-Ferrand's main SNCF station has direct and connecting rail services from Paris (via Vichy or direct TGV/Intercités), with a taxi or hire car needed for the final leg into the Charade hills.

• Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne Airport (CFE) · about 25 min drive

Parking

General parking is available on site for trackdays and event weekends, typically included with entry; arrive early for the larger Charade Classic and Trophées d'Auvergne dates.

Clermont-Ferrand's train station has direct services from Paris Gare de Lyon in around 3.5 hours; from there it's a short taxi or hire-car ride up into the hills to the circuit.

Hotels and camping near Circuit de Charade

Most visitors base themselves in Clermont-Ferrand, 15 minutes away, which has a full range of hotels and the wider appeal of the Auvergne region's volcanic landscape (the Puy de Dôme and Chaîne des Puys are visible from the circuit itself). There is no significant on-site camping culture at Charade comparable to France's big endurance venues.

Where to look

Clermont-Ferrand city centre, about 15 minutes' drive away, has the widest hotel choice; smaller village accommodation is available closer to Saint-Genès-Champanelle and Royat for those wanting to stay near the circuit.

Track days, driving experiences and lap records

Charade is a well-known French trackday venue, running open-pitlane sessions and coached driving days for both cars and motorcycles through most of the year, alongside its classic car and historic race weekends. Its tight, technical, low-grip modern layout makes it a favourite for drivers wanting a demanding circuit rather than outright top speed.

Who runs days here

• Auto Trackday (Charade calendar)car
• GP Days (Charade experiences)both

Typical cost: Open-pitlane car trackdays typically from around €200-€350 per day

Lap records

Spectator guide

As a trackday and club-racing venue rather than a major national or international series host, Charade does not have large permanent grandstands; viewing is mostly from banked general-admission areas around the compact modern circuit, which sits in a natural amphitheatre of volcanic hills giving good sightlines across much of the lap.

Seating

Limited grandstand seating near the pit straight for larger event weekends; most spectating is from general-admission hillside areas.

Best places to watch

The high ground overlooking the circuit's tighter hairpin sections gives views across several corners at once thanks to the volcanic terrain.

Weather

• May-September: warmest months for event weekends, highs typically 20-26°C in the Auvergne hills

History of Circuit de Charade

A mountain circuit unlike any other

Circuit de Charade opened on 27 July 1958 in the volcanic hills southwest of Clermont-Ferrand, laid out on public roads winding around the extinct Puy de Charade. At 8.055 km (5.005 mi) with 48 corners, it was often compared to a faster, twistier Nürburgring, climbing and dropping through the Auvergne countryside with almost no room for error on a surface pocked with volcanic rock.

Four French Grands Prix

The circuit hosted the French Grand Prix four times, in 1965, 1969, 1970 and 1972, and quickly earned a reputation among drivers as both thrilling and unforgiving. Jim Clark won in 1965 and 1969; the volcanic rock strewn near the track's edges was a recognised hazard, and in the 1972 race a stone thrown up by another car struck Helmut Marko's helmet visor, blinding him in one eye and ending his Formula 1 career on the spot. Earlier tragedies, including the death of Ivor Bueb in 1959 and marshal fatalities during a 1980 touring car race, underlined how dangerous the long original layout had become by modern safety standards.

Shrinking to a safer circuit

As safety requirements tightened through the late 1970s and 1980s, the full-length circuit became increasingly unsuitable for top-level racing, and in 1989 a much shorter 3.975 km (2.47 mi), 18-corner circuit was built using the western portion of the original site, with permanent pit facilities and closed access rather than public roads. Most of the old full-length course reverted to ordinary public roads around the extinct volcano, with only fragments still recognisable as part of the historic Grand Prix lap.

Charade today

The modern circuit has built a strong reputation as a technical, driver-focused trackday and club-racing venue, hosting the Trophées d'Auvergne historic meeting, the long-running Charade Classic gathering and regular open-pitlane days for cars and motorcycles. Ownership has passed through several hands, including the GCK Group, and the circuit remains one of France's most distinctive smaller venues thanks to its dramatic volcanic setting.

Frequently asked questions

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