The first regularity special of the day, in the Drôme, between Saint-Nazaire-le-Désert and La-Motte-Chalancon (RS12, 19.97km), had everything to wake up the drivers who had left Valence in the early hours. The sun was low, so they had to be very cautious, and the road was quite winding, in a new version compared to the usual stage in that area. It was a good starter for Pascal Perroud and Guillaume Allais who had already won on Sunday afternoon in the RS10, aboard their 1969 Porsche 911 Turbo. They had the honor and privilege to beat last year’s winners, Philippe and Antoine Cornet de Ways Ruart, in another slightly older Porsche (1965). The Belgians finished RS12 tied with the overall leaders on Monday evening, the Swiss duo Claudio Enz-Cristina Seeberger (Lancia Fulvia Coupé 1.3S), and with the Fiat 128 Coupé of Yannick Villar and Vincent Bourdil. In the final downhill portion, there were patches of ice and snow, so some drivers had decided to start with studded tires, in particular Bruno Saby (Ford Capri), the 1988 winner of the WRC version, who was 4th overall when he left Valence this morning.