The Andros Trophy (Trophée Andros) was the French national ice racing championship. The championship held its 35th and last season in 2023–24.

History

The idea of an ice racing series first became an idea when professional racer Max Mamers (French Rallycross Champion 1982 and 1983 with Talbot Matra Murena) and the owner of the Andros company (jam and compote producers), Frédéric Gervoson, met as rugby fans in 1985. They spent the winter racing with friends on ice circuits.

On 27 January 1990, the idea of a series came to life at Serre Chevalier with the first round of four. The series quickly grew, with a round at Paris (Pelouse de Reuilly) in 1991 creating a five round series; and a seven round championship in 1992.

In 2003, the trophy gained an international aspect with a race at Sherbrooke in Canada, a race that was held for three seasons. For the 2005–06 season, the trophy remained mainly national, the exception being one round held in Andorra. The championship made a switch to full electric cars for the 2019–20 season. The 2023–24 season will be the last, in part due to global warming making it harder and harder to find predictable ice and snow in France.

Series

The series used to run with a number of different races and classes.

Elite Pro Class This is the original and highest class, featuring the most prominent names.

Elite Class Starting in 1994 (named Promotion), this class is for the smaller teams, encouraging them to take part in the Trophée Andros. To partake in this class, there are three conditions: the drivers cannot have finished in the top 20 over the general classification; must never have participated in the Elite Pro Class; and cannot be a professional driver.

AMV Cup The motorbike races for the Andros Trophy first appeared at the 1996 championship final at Super Besse, after an idea of Mamers and Claude Michy. It became a series in its own right in the 1997/98 season with a race at every round from that point.

Trophée Andros Féminin – Sprint Cars Created in 2002, this series combined two categories. The 600cc 6-speed buggy-styled car was shared between a female driver and an experienced driver, who also was the instructor for the female driver. They competed in two different races at each weekend they attended. The Féminin trophy was discontinued as of 2011, with some of the female drivers from the series moving into other categories of the trophée including the main series and the electric cars.

Famous names

The driver with the most championship wins in the history of the series is Yvan Muller, who has won the championship 10 times with 48 race victories. Jean-Philippe Dayraut holds the record for the most race victories with 54, having taken the championship 6 times. Another multiple championship winner is Alain Prost, with 3 championships and 38 race wins. The series always attracts names who were famous in other series before moving to ice racing – including Formula One drivers Olivier Panis, Romain Grosjean and Jacques Villeneuve.

Superfinal On 14 February 1999, the series held a Superfinal at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, on the outskirts of Paris. Using 700 tonnes of ice, an oval track was established around the edge of the stadium, allowing for racing in front of around 60,000 people, with no championship points at stake. The Superfinal was held at the Stade de France for three years, before moving to an oval track at Nœux-les-Mines in 2002. No Superfinal was held in 2003, but returned to the Stade de France in 2004. In 2005, the races were held at Saint-Dié-des-Vosges, and once again at the Stade de France in 2006, 2008 and 2011. Various other locations have been used, but in recent years the Superfinal was almost always raced at Clermont / Super Besse.

Trophy winners Season Rounds Elite (1990–2015)Podiums tropheeandros.comYvan Muller career fiawtcc.comElite Pro (2015–2024) Elite (2015–2024) Elite 2 (2014–2015)

Promotion (1990–2014) Pilot Bike (1998–15)AMV Cup (2015–2024) Féminin and Best Dame Sprint Car Andros ÉlectriqueDriverCar2023–24 5 Aurélien PanisAudi A1 Louis Gervoson Vivien Gonnet - - -2022–23 5 Aurélien PanisAudi A1 Julien Febrau Vivien Gonnet - - -2021–22 5 Jean-Baptiste DubourgRenault Zoe Jimmy Clairet Vivien Gonnet - - -2020–21 5 Jean-Baptiste DubourgRenault Zoe Sylvain Pussier Vivien Gonnet Clémentine Lhoste (Elite Dame) - -2019–20 6 Aurélien PanisAudi A1 Jérémy Sarhy Sylvain Dabert Clémentine Lhoste (Elite Dame)- -2018–19 7 Jean-Baptiste DubourgRenault Captur Dorian Boccolacci Maxime Emery Margot Laffite (Elite Dame) - Christophe Ferrier2017–18 7 Jean-Baptiste DubourgRenault Captur Eddy Bénézet Sylvain Dabert Margot Laffite (Elite Dame) - Aurélien Panis2016–17 7 Jean-Baptiste DubourgRenault Clio Nathanaël Berthon Sylvain Dabert Margot Laffite (Elite Dame) - Christophe Ferrier2015–16 7 Jean-Baptiste DubourgRenault Clio Eddy Bénézet Sylvain Dabert Clémentine Lhoste (Féminin Sprint Car) - Matthieu Vaxivière2014–15 7 Jean-Philippe DayrautMazda 3 Lionel Daziono Sylvain Dabert Marine Mercier (Féminin Sprint Car) - Nathanaël Berthon2013–14 7 Jean-Philippe DayrautMini Countryman Jacques Wolff Sylvain DabertBérénice Demoustier (Dame) - Christophe Ferrier2012–13 7 Jean-Philippe DayrautMini CountrymanLaurent Barbieri Maxime Emery Anne-Sophie Lemonnier (Dame) - Christophe Ferrier2011–12 7 Alain ProstDacia Lodgy Glace Nicolas Bernardi Sylvain Dabert Marlène Broggi (Dame) - Christophe Ferrier2010–11 7 Jean-Philippe DayrautBMW 1 SeriesAndréa Dubourg Sylvain DabertBérénice Demoustier (Dame) Frédéric Bourlange Nicolas Prost2009–10 7 Jean-Philippe DayrautŠkoda Fabia Mk2 Lionel Régal Sylvain Dabert Anne-Sophie Lemonnier (Dame) Laurent Macouin Nicolas Prost2008–09 7 Jean-Philippe DayrautŠkoda Fabia Mk2Eddy Bemezet Eddy Richer Aurélia Marti (Dame) Marie-Pierre Cripia (Féminin) Olivier Dexant-2007–08 8 Alain ProstToyota Auris Olivier Pernaut Maxime Emery Aurélia Marti (Dame) Anne-Sophie Lemonnier (Féminin) Olivier Dexant-2006–07 9 Alain ProstToyota Auris Jean-Baptiste Dubourg Maxime Emery Aurélia Marti (Dame) Audrey Roche (Féminin) Olivier Dexant-2005–06 8 Yvan MullerKia RioJérôme Grosset-Janin Maxime Emery Margot Laffite (Dame) Marlène Broggi (Féminin) Olivier Dexant-2004–05 8 Yvan MullerKia RioYvan Lebon David Baffeleuf Justine Chicherit (Dame)

Margot Laffite (Féminin) Olivier Dexant-2003–04 8 Yvan MullerKia RioSteve Stievenart David Baffeleuf Aurélia Marti (Féminin)Benjamin Riviere-2002–03 8 Marcel TarrèsCitroën XsaraEvens Stievenart David BaffeleufEmilie Petit (Féminin)David Beziade-2001–02 8 Yvan MullerOpel AstraJean-Luc Richner David BaffeleufVéronique Patier (Féminin)David Beziade-2000–01 8 Yvan MullerOpel AstraLaurent Fouquet David BaffeleufPatricia Bertapelle (Dame)--1999–2000 8 Yvan MullerOpel AstraJean-Noël Lanctuit Pascal RoblinPatricia Bertapelle (Dame)--1998–99 8 Yvan MullerOpel TigraPhilippe de Korsak David BaffeleufPatricia Bertapelle (Dame)--1997–98 7 Yvan MullerOpel TigraClaude Millet David BaffeleufJutta Kleinschmidt (Dame)--1996–97 7 Yvan MullerBMW 318i CompactFrédéric Morel-Florence Duez (Dame)--1995–96 7 Yvan MullerBMW 318i CompactJames Ruffier-Caroline Barclay (Dame)--1994–95 7 François ChatriotOpel AstraJames Ruffier-Michèle Mouton (Dame) --1993–94 7 François ChaucheMega Eric Arpin-Patricia Bertapelle (Dame)--1992–93 5 Dany SnobeckMercedes 190 16S -----1991–92 7 Dany SnobeckMercedes 190 16S -----1990-91 5 Maurice ChomatCitroën AX Sport -----1990 4 Eric ArpinPeugeot 205 Turbo 16 ----- The title for the dame was awarded in to best women in a selected class in each season.

See also Andros Sport 01 Sno*Drift Jänner Rallye

References

External links

Official Website