The original circuit, established for the 1926 Grand Prix de la Marne, measured 7.816 km (4.857 mi) and formed a triangular layout of public roads between the villages of Thillois and Gueux, over the intersection of Route nationale 31. The start and finish line sat on road D27, approximately 1.6 km east of the Gueux village centre, where it would remain for the circuit's entire lifespan.
The original layout was defined by long flat-out straights, a few slight kinks, two tight angular corners, and a sharp hairpin. This configuration was extremely hard on engines, brakes, and fuel consumption, placing a premium on mechanical reliability as much as outright speed. The two main straights were approximately 2.2 km (around 1.25 miles) each — comparable in length to the fastest sections at Monza and Montlhery — producing top speeds that were extraordinary for the period.
Minor track-width improvements were made before the 1932 French Grand Prix at the Garenne-Gueux and Thillois corners, producing a published circuit length of 7.826 km (4.863 mi). The circuit remained essentially unchanged in this form until 1937.
Racing at Reims began in 1926, when the Grand Prix de la Marne relocated from the 22 km square-shaped Circuit de Beine-Nauroy east of Reims to the new Gueux layout to the west. The triangular course quickly became known for intense slipstream battles on its long straights, as cars drafted each other through the flat-out sections before the sharp, slow corners.
Significant infrastructure improvements were made before the 1938 Grand Prix de France, including extensive widening of the Thillois-Gueux straight, a process that reportedly required felling trees and demolishing structures along the road. The French Grand Prix was held at Reims-Gueux in both 1938 and 1939, during which the German Silver Arrows — the Mercedes and Auto Union teams — dominated in the manner they did across all of European Grand Prix racing in that period.
Racing resumed at Reims-Gueux in 1947. The 1950 season, the first year of the Formula One World Championship, included a round at Reims, which was won by Juan Manuel Fangio. It became clear after that event that the circuit required further extensive renovation to comply with the demands of accelerating Formula One technology.
For 1952, the track was reconfigured to bypass Gueux village via a new section of road, the D26, shortening the circuit from 7.826 km to 7.152 km. At this point the circuit was renamed "Circuit de Reims" and the original Gueux configuration effectively ceased to be used for top-level racing.
Further modifications in 1953 and 1954 extended and re-profiled the revised layout, producing a final race circuit of 8.302 km that remained in use through 1966. The last Formula One race at Reims came in 1966; sports car racing continued there until 1969, with motorcycle racing persisting until 1972.
Reims-Gueux closed permanently in 1972 due to financial difficulties. A planned historic race in 1997 was cancelled, and in 2002 portions of the circuit infrastructure were demolished. The old pit building, grandstands, and some track remnants survived and can still be visited today. The organisation Les Amis du Circuit de Gueux works to preserve the remaining structures and supports historic meetings using the 1952 circuit d'essais layout.
The original Circuit de Gueux was one of the defining racing venues of the interwar period in France. Its two long straights made it among the fastest circuits in Europe, and its slipstream battles — where top speeds and perfect drafting technique determined race outcomes — became legendary. The circuit's arc from a 1926 public-road triangle through to a major Formula One venue and eventual abandonment traces the full trajectory of European road circuit racing across five decades.