This weekend's traditional Easter races or Coupes de Paques at Nogaro hosted the season opening rounds of the FIA GT1 World Championship, the FIA GT3 European Championship and the Classic Endurance Racing (CER) series. For the former it was all change at Nogaro as the series was disputed for the first time by GT3 specification cars. The direct result is that the World Championship is disputed now by illustrious names like Ferrari, Porsche, BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and McLaren. Similar cars also compete in the European Championship, which is aimed more at gentleman drivers, who want to compete at an international level. Changeable weather made for very exciting races, particularly on Sunday when the track was never entirely dry. Leading the support events was the CER with a field of three dozen historic GT and sports racers that competed in all the major events during the 1960s and 1970s. Among the highlights out on track were machines varying from a Ford GT40 and a Porsche 935 K3.
Our photographers ventured to the South of France to capture the season opener. The result is a concise report, illustrated by a spectacular 200-shot gallery.

Enjoy the links:

2012 Coupes de Paques - Report and Slideshow