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It was one of the most eagerly-awaited moments of the 26th Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique: the ritual stop at La Remise, in Antraigues-sur-Volane, at midday on Sunday in the heart of the Ardèche, to celebrate 60 years of loyalty to the Monte-Carlo Rally in all its forms.
There have already been 60 years of warm, gourmet meals offered to five generations of drivers, that’s also three times twenty years of infectious good humour! Thank you to Yves Jouanny and his family, of course, and thank you for the tons of apple pie that you’ve been preparing and offering over all these years! By the way, in the entrance to La Remise, there’s still a real pedal car from the 60s, and more precisely from 1964, to commemorate the year La Remise opened.
And because Yves Jouanny never shies away from making the slightest sacrifice to mark his sacred alliance with Automobile Club de Monaco, this year a stretch of tarmac in front of La Remise has been painted in red and white, the traditional colours of the Principality…
Nobody could have predicted it, but it happened on Sunday morning in RS5 of the 26th Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique: a venerable 1972 Citroën SM clocked up at zero, having perfectly respected the average speed between Lyas and Pourchères (19.8 km) for the first 100% Ardèche stage of this 2024 edition.
The authors of this genuine feat? Antoine Raymond and Gilles Olivier, who are experienced enough to perfectly exploit the famous Maserati V6 engine (2.7 litres, 170 bhp) of this beautiful old-timer. Also on the RS5 podium were a Greek team in a 1978 Ford Fiesta XR2, and two French teams in German cars, tied for 3rd place: David Arragon and Elodie Soubigou (BMW 320), Xavier Bernard and Werner Blanc (Porsche 924). As for the overall leader after this surprising RS5, it was still the Belgian duo Decremer-Hugo in their Opel Ascona.
Just before the start of this RS5, a particularly festive time check was organised by Privas town hall, early in the morning. It was a welcome worthy of the Ardèche’s reputation for conviviality, with a huge number of fans out in the sunshine to greet and applaud the 220 or so crews still in the running. And off to La Remise d’Antraigues-sur-Volane, after RS6…
Fans feared that the star crew Saby-Giraudet, with the winner of Rallye Monte-Carlo 1988, in a Ford Capri 2.6l bearing number 38, would have to retire due to a mechanical problem. They finally arrived on Sunday morning in front of the legendary La Remise, in Antraigues-sur-Volane, and were able to sample the famous apple tart made by the Jouanny family, on the 60th anniversary of this ritual stop for Rallye Monte-Carlo. Thanks to a makeshift repair to its transmission, the Capri…ciosa is still rolling!
Among the 221 crews who set off from Valence on Sunday morning, between 8.00 and 11.40, for the first part of the Common Leg, there were nothing but enthusiasts, 15% of them women, most of them co-drivers. So here’s Part 1 of a gallery of portraits that will continue until the end of this 26th Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique…
Ladies’ honour: there is only one all-female crew in this 2024 edition. Barbara Hemmerle, from Liechtenchtein, and Isabelle Godin, in a 1975 Alfa Romeo GTV bearing number 100. They are the ideal crew to mark the the 70thanniversary of Madeleine Pochon and Lise Renaud’s winning the Ladies Cup at Rallye Monte-Carlo in 1954.
They are a couple in town and in the car: Lydia and Olivier Campana, still faithful to Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique, are driving a 1979 VW Golf GTi carrying number 50. Needless to say, their sights are slightly higher than the Best Monegasques Cup!
Last but not least, one of the great veterans of this 26th edition should also be honoured: American John Buffum was for a long time the best driver in the history of US rallying, until the repeated exploits of the late stuntman Ken Block. At nearly 80 years of age, in a beautiful 1980 Ford Escort RS2000, John is back on Rallye Monte-Carlo, six decades after finishing 19th… in 1969!
Belgium’s festival on the 26th Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique continued on Saturday in RS4, the final regularity stage of a fine day of rallying in the sunshine. Thanks to the Opel Ascona 400 of Michel Decremer and Jennifer Hugo, flying the colours of Radio Monte-Carlo.
They were excellent all day, and they were rewarded at the end: the Belgian duo Decremer-Hugo won the most beautiful regularity stage of the day, in the Vercors massif, via Col de l’Echarasson where, for the first time in the rally, there was some snow in places. But not on the road, which was perfectly dry. And on Saturday evening, they were on top of the overall standings!
Between La Cîme du Mas and Col Gaudissart (17.4 km), the crew of the number 25 Ascona did slightly better than the rally’s benchmark crew, made up of Bruno Saby and Denis Giraudet, in their 1970 Ford Capri 2300 S. Quite a performance, given the CVs of the two men, the first one a winner of the WRC version of Rallye Monte-Carlo, in 1988, and the other a legendary co-driver who has navigated many of the best drivers of his generation in the world’s greatest rallies.
In this stage set in a breathtaking background, the places of honour were taken by the Renault 5 Alpine of Jean-Pierre Verneuil and Jean-Marc Piret, tied in 3rd place with the Morris Mini Cooper S of Ferrucio and Carlo Nessi, not to forget the Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV of the youngest competitors in this 26th edition, Julien Picoreau and Camille Béal. Both are only 23 years old, so they weren’t even born when the first edition of Rallye Monte Carlo Historique took place.
After a particularly festive final checkpoint from 5pm in Saint-Jean-en-Royans, all the surviving competitors arrived at Champ de Mars in Valence, from 6.30pm onwards. With the exception of a few crews who dropped out en route, due to a variety of mechanical incidents, this was a very fine day of historic rallying.
Belgium, with a strong presence on the entry list for this 26th Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique, continued showing its colours in RS3, the first timed section on Saturday afternoon. Thanks to Maxime Castelein and Filip Deplancke in a rare 1964 Sunbeam Tiger bearing number 203, who took the flag from compatriots Jean-Christophe Henderickx and Karl Thybergin (Alfa Romeo), the winners of RS2 at the end of the morning.
It was between Ventavon and Chabestan (20.1 km), in the first regularity stage of the afternoon, after the welcome lunch break in Digne-les-Bains (Alpes de Haute-Provence). The Castelein-Deplancke tandem finished tied at the top of the timesheets with two Italians in an Austin Mini Cooper S, Giorgio Schon and Francesco Gianmarino.
Also in the Top 5 of this RS3 appeared a Renault 5 Alpine, the one entered for Patrice and William Lamotte, as well as the Fiat 128 Rally of a Greek crew, and another Belgian crew, aboard an Opel Ascona 400 already spotted in 3rdplace in RS1: Michel Decremer and Jennifer Hugo (see photo above), two passionate regulars of Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique.
Three Italian cars in the Top 4 of RS2, following the win for a Lancia Fulvia in RS1. The colours of the peninsula shone once again in RS2 between Chaudon-Norante and Digne-les-Bains (15.9 km), via the formidable Col du Corobin (1211 m). It was the same special stage that the WRC competitors had tackled on their way back to Monaco, last Sunday morning, in the opposite direction.
It was Alfa Romeo that shone in RS2, thanks to the GT 1300 Junior, a 1968 car entered by Belgium’s Jean-Christophe Henderickx and Karl Thybergin, with number 235 on its doors. The car only took 30 penalty points, which was very little on this very complicated. And it was slightly better than the Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV of Julien Picoreau and Camille Béal (see picture below), tied for 2nd place with yet another Lancia Fulvia and a BMW 323i.
As the first two RSs of this Classification Leg had taken place in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, it was in the prefecture of the 04 department, in Digne-les-Bains, that the crews were able to rest and eat, at the stroke of midday. Once again, this welcome pause in a Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique was well attended by hundreds of passionate spectators of all ages, proving once more its immense popularity. Before setting off for the two other RSs to be covered in the afternoon, on the way up to Valence…
There were plenty of people lining the roads on Saturday morning for the start of the Classification Stage of the 26th Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique between Monaco and Valence. The sun was shining, the cars were superb, and fans were treated to a beautiful three-hour parade of over 200 cars that are part and parcel of the legend of the “Monte”. As luck would have it, a Lancia Fulvia opened the show, taking over directly from last year’s victorious sister car.
There was something for everyone, with more than 220 cars produced between 1911 and 1983 by some of the world’s leading manufacturers. And the hors d’oeuvre was particularly successful: the magnificent Regularity Stage number 1, with 15.9 km to cover between Soleilhas and Castellane, overlooking Lac de Chaudanne.
At this very precise game of regularity, it was an Italian crew, made up of Fabio Loperfido and Simone Calosi, who achieved the average time closest to that set by the organisers. It was in the Lancia Fulvia 1.3 bearing number 243, which had left Monaco more than three hours and a half after another Fulvia, the number 1 of Swiss title holders Claudio Enz and Cristina Seeberger.
Tied with the Lancia in this RS1, with only 50 penalty points collected, the surprise came from a Latvian crew, Karlis Mikelsons and Normunds Vuguls, in a 1979 Mazda RX7, ahead of the Opel Ascona 400 of Belgians Michel Decremer and Jennifer Hugo, tied in 3rd place with the Fiat 128 Rally of a Greek crew.
Last but not least, a British crew, composed of David Pengilly and Mark Denham in a Porsche 911 carrying number 89, took the start of this stage in suits and bow ties. Very classy.
Of the 233 crews authorised to take part in the 26th Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique, 225 arrived safely in Monaco on Friday, but eight had to retire on the way. Most of them were exhausted at the end of a much longer journey than expected, on some very busy roads. This Concentration Leg was a never-ending story, especially for the last arrivals: the five brave crews who set off from Glasgow on Wednesday had more than 2,000 km to cover, and it took them two whole days. All the others, who set off on Thursday from Bad Homburg (Germany), Milano (Italy) and Reims, took an average of 24 hours, night included, to cover between 900 and 1200 km, depending on the starting city they had chosen.
Patricia Lambert, whom we met on Friday in the Parc Fermé at the port of Monaco, was there for the very first edition. This year, she is in a little 1968 Fiat Moretti 850 S, number 220, bearing the colours of a cancer charity. Her driver, a Belgian like her, is Didier Lodewyckx. And like most of the crews who finally arrived in the Principality on Friday, Patricia was “very happy to see the sea”…
Saturday morning, the first cars will leave Monaco at 7am, heading to Valence for the Classification Leg. Valence, the unchallengeable and undisputed host-city of Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique over the past few years. There will be four Regularity Stages (RS) to contend with, starting with the magnificent SR1 “Soleilhas – Castellane (15.9 km)”, then SR2 “Chaudon Norante – Digne-les-Bains (15.9 km)” via the formidable Col de Corobin (1211 m), before the lunch break in the prefecture of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.
In the afternoon, it’s back up to Valence via the SR3 “Ventavon – Chabestan (20.1 km)”, before crossing the Vercors massif with the SR4 “La Cîme du Mas – Col de Gaudissart (17.4 km)” on the menu. The final checkpoint is scheduled for Saint-Jean-en-Royans, around 5pm, after which all the competitors are expected on Champ de Mars in Valence from 6.30pm. It promises to be quite a day.
Three European cities, Bad Homburg, Milano and Reims, for over 200 crews entered in the 26th Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique, the day after the first five starts from Glasgow on Wednesday. It’s fair to say that this 26th edition really got underway on Thursday, with several hundred kilometres to negotiate on the Concentration Route for all these superb cars, and one and only goal: to reach Monaco on Friday afternoon…
In a rally where 43 makes and drivers of 29 nationalities are taking part this year, the entry list looks like a Tower of Babel.First, there were fifteen crews setting off early this afternoon from Bad-Homburg, close to Wiesbaden and Mainz. The stars of that German start were a 1961 Volvo 544 Sport and an Autobianchi A112 entered by a Ukrainian team, but also a Polski Fiat 125 entered by a Polish team, as well as Porsches and Volkswagens.
From Milano, at the end of the afternoon, last year’s winners, Switzerland’s Claudio Enz and Cristina Seeberger, took the first start in their Lancia Fulvia 1.3S carrying number 1 on its doors.And there were 130 other crews leaving Milano after them, all cars ‘born’ between 1911 and 1983. That’s more than half the field, with far fewer kilometres to cover to reach the port of Monaco than their rivals lined up in Bad Homburg or Reims.
Maurizio Colpani and Claudio Quarantani also set off from Milano, in a superb 1981 Ferrari 308 GTB on a cool, grey day, but in the sumptuous setting of Piazza del Duomo, There was something for everyone, with Ludovic de Luca and Fabien Moinier in a small Peugeot 104 ZS Coupé built in 1976, as well as Porsches, an Alfetta GTV, a R5 Alpine and even an antique 1961 Volga!
Milan was also the starting point for Bruno Saby, winner of the 1988 world championship version of Rallye Monte-Carlo in a Lancia Delta HF in Martini Racing livery. He drives the same 1970 Ford Capri 2.3S as last year, and on his right hand-side sits a hell of a co-driver, Denis Giraudet.
All these starts were made possible by the involvement of volunteers from the Automobile Clubs of Germany (AVD) and Italy (ACI), the Reims Champagne Véhicules Historiques Sportifs (RCVHS) association and all the ACM’s special envoys.
Finally, most of the Franco-French crews chose to set off from Reims, where Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique is still as popular as it was in the last century. More than 80 of them took part in scrutineering, before setting off from the capital of Champagne. Most of them dreaming of drinking a cup of Champagne next Wednesday during the gala evening of the 26th Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique.
The event will take place in Salle des Etoiles at Sporting Monte-Carlo. But before this happens, there are hundreds of kilometres to cover, from Saturday morning (start of the Classification Stage) to Tuesday evening (Final Stage around Col de Turini), while trying to respect the averages calculated and imposed by the organisers. Once again, given the quality of this year’s field (233 cars allowed to start, to be precise), the suspense will be total, right to the end.
© ACM
