The race was created in 1970 by Jean-Louis Guillemard and Jean-Michel Barrault as the Course de l'Aurore, organised by the daily L'Aurore until 1979. The first edition had twelve competitors.
In 1980 Le Figaro bought L'Aurore and became the organiser, with the fleet capped at fifty. Since 1990 all boats have been one-designs.
The race name followed its partners: Afflelou (2003-2008), Suzuki (2008-2011), Éric Bompard (2011-2016), Urgo (from 2017), then Paprec, main partner in 2022 and title partner since 2023. It is run by OC Sport Pen Duick (Groupe Télégramme).
It is sailed in three or four legs over 1,500 to 2,500 miles and counts for the French solo offshore racing championship. The 57th edition, in May-June 2026, was won by Nicolas Lunven.