Trophée Andros – French Ice Racing Series History & Finale

Originally published December 2016. Last updated September 2026: expanded Tier B guide, facts table, table of contents, internal links, FAQ schema, 2023–24 finale context, and editorial refresh while preserving legacy narrative and images.

Trophée Andros (Andros Trophy) is France’s winter ice-racing championship — silhouette cars on ski-resort tracks between Formula 1, touring-car, and rally off-seasons since 1990. Founders Max Mamers and Andros owner Frédéric Gervoson turned informal winter sprints into a national series that attracted Alain Prost, Yvan Muller, and a generation of cross-discipline stars.

The championship pioneered electric racing with Trophée Électrique from 2010, years before Formula E. After 35 seasons the main Trophée ended at Super-Besse in 2024 with Aurélien Panis as the final Elite Pro champion.

Trophée Andros facts

Inaugural Trophée Andros in 1990

The idea grew in the late 1980s when French rallycross champion Max Mamers met Andros owner Frédéric Gervoson. Unofficial ice meetings preceded the first official championship in January 1990.

The opening round was at ski resort Serre Chevalier, followed by Chamonix, Lans en Vercors, and Chamrousse. Eric Arpin won the four-round title in a Peugeot 205 T16.

The second season started late in 1990 and finished in 1991 — the template for every winter since. The 1991 campaign had five events, including Paris (Pelouse de Reuilly). Maurice Chomat took the title in a Citroën AX Sport.

Dany Snobeck took two championship titles

French touring-car and rally driver Dany Snobeck won the next two seasons with a Mercedes 190. The calendar grew to eight rounds by 1999; the longest season was 2005–06 with nine events before settling on seven or eight rounds in most years.

Michèle Mouton among female champions

Patricia Bertapelle became the first female champion in 1994. Rally legend Michèle Mouton won in 1995 driving an Opel Astra V6. The separate Trophée Andros Féminin class continued with winners including Jutta Kleinschmidt and Marlene Broggi.

Yvan Muller won championships with BMW, Opel, and Kia ice racers

Yvan Muller and Alain Prost — ice-racing royalty

The most decorated Trophée Andros driver is Yvan Muller, the four-time world touring-car champion who collected ten ice titles between 1996 and 2006.

Four-time Formula One champion Alain Prost won the Trophée three times. In recent decades Jean-Philippe Dayraut dominated with six championships and 54 wins — the series win record among drivers.

Electric racing since 2010

Trophée Andros launched the world’s first electric racing support category with Trophée Électrique in 2010, predating Formula E. Christophe Ferrier won three electric titles; other champions included Nicolas Prost, Nathanael Berthon, and Matthieu Vaxiviere.

Electric cars joined the Trophée Andros from 2010

Muller’s first title, Prost’s comeback, Dubourg’s era

Muller won his first Trophée in 1996 in a BMW 318, then six consecutive titles from 1997 to 2002 with BMW and Opel machinery. Marcel Tarres interrupted in 2003 before Muller added three more Kia Rio championships through 2006.

When Muller focused on WTCC, Prost returned to win in 2007 with Toyota and again in 2008. Dayraut took his first title in 2009 and six crowns by 2015, with Prost’s third title in 2012 in a Dacia silhouette car.

Alain Prost scored his third Trophée title with Dacia

Jean-Baptiste Dubourg won the 2016 Trophée Andros title

Jean-Baptiste Dubourg became champion in 2016 with Renault Clio ice machinery after Dayraut struggled with a new Mazda 3. Dubourg added titles in 2017, 2018, and 2019 while stars such as Franck Lagorce, Benjamin Riviere, Adrien Tambay, Olivier Panis, and Toomas Heikkinen filled the grids.

Guest and full-season entries from Sébastien Loeb, Romain Grosjean, Benoit Treluyer, Nico Prost, Andreas Bakkerud, Timo Scheider, and others kept the winter circus global in profile even as calendars stayed mostly French.

Jean-Philippe Dayraut is a six-time Trophée Andros champion

Silhouette V6 cars and seven-resort calendar

Although entries wore production badges, Elite Pro cars were silhouette racers — four-wheel drive with mid-mounted 3.0-litre V6 engines around 340 hp. The Dacia Lodgy “Glace” promo car typified the gap between showroom names and bespoke ice hardware.

Recent grids mixed Renault Clio, Mazda 3, Mini Countryman, BMW M2, Audi A1 quattro, and Peugeot 3008 silhouettes.

The 2016–17 season opened at Val Thorens

Typical venues included Val Thorens (the most visited resort), Alpe d’Huez, Isola 2000, Serre Chevalier, Lans en Vercors, Super Besse, and Andorra. Paris (Stade de France) hosted non-championship or finale rounds; Sherbrooke in Canada held four events between 2003 and 2006.

2023–24 finale at Super-Besse

The 35th and final Trophée Andros season ended at Super-Besse in early 2024. Organisers cited shrinking reliable snow and rising resort altitudes; the last Elite Pro title went to Aurélien Panis ahead of Jean-Baptiste Dubourg and Dorian Boccolacci, with Sébastien Loeb among the farewell grid.

Dorian Boccolacci won the last race on a largely snow-free surface, but Panis secured the championship — his third Elite Pro crown after 2020 and 2023. Dubourg closed a 20-year Andros career as runner-up; the e-Trophée Andros electric category also concluded that winter.

Related reading

• Lånkebanen Race Track — Norwegian rallycross ice
• Arctic Circle Raceway — Scandinavian permanent track
• Circuit Paul Ricard — French GP venue
• Monaco Grand Prix — winter opposite on the Riviera

Photos: tropheeandros.com.