Out of 219 crews authorized to take part in the 27th Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique (RMCH), 215 cars arrived in Valence on Friday afternoon, and perfectly parked on Champ de Mars in the heart of the Drôme capital. Some had set off from Monaco, others from Bad Homburg in Germany, Torino and Reims. They had to cover between 400 and 800 km, depending on their starting city, and had to pass a number of compulsory checkpoints on the concentration route chosen by their crew.

The first car arrived in Valence just before 1pm. The Ford Escort RS2000 (1979) of Dane Henrik Bjerregaard and Czech Jaromir Svec, winners of the RMCH in 2022. They had set off from Monaco at 7pm on Thursday evening, with race number 2 on the doors. They were therefore the first to be fitted with their Tripy-R, the electronic box with GPS and timing that will enable the organisers, in the control room of the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM), to record their performances and above all their averages on the 17 regularity stages (SR) on the very tough menu of this 2025 edition.

All the other cars entered then lined up at the entrance to the Parc Fermé. Finally, as the sun set over the Drôme, everyone but four cars had checked in, including the 1959 Austin Healey that had travelled all the way from Germany, and the Alfa Romeo Giulia TI of the two-time Belgian winners (2017, 2024), Michel Decremer and Jennifer Hugo, who left Reims on Thursday evening with the number 200.

Streaming on Champ de Mars

From 3pm onwards, the ACM streamed the arrival of the competitors live on its YouTube channel, with on-site commentary in minute detail by Alexandre Khaldi, the well-known motorsport presenter, and Gerry Mestre, Chairman of the ACM Historic Car Commission. It was a sequence that was closely followed by all regular ACM followers on the social networks as they awaited the start of the first part of the Classification Event at 7.30am on Saturday morning. The four regularity stages will provide an opportunity to sort out the former winners, the new contenders and some genuine rally champions, such as Frenchman Bruno Saby, Italy’s Maurizio Verini, Spain’s Luis Climent Asensio and American John Buffum, among several big names in this 27th edition.

Everything that happens on the roads of the Drôme and Ardèche, in the villages of Isère and Vercors, will be reported in real time on the official website and social networks of the ACM until the grand finale on Tuesday evening on Col de Turini, shortly before midnight. The next stream is scheduled for Sunday at 3pm in the village of Saint-Bonnet-le-Froid, in the heart of Haute-Loire. The line-up for this Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique has never been better, spicier or more exciting, a bit like the cuisine in many restaurants, Michelin-starred or not, of the beautiful host-city of Valence. More than ever the rally’s operational HQ, where crews will return on Saturday evening after a great day’s driving.