The last regularity stage (RS16, 22,33km) was like a dessert, like a reward after a week of effort and vigilance at the wheel. It allowed all competitors of the 25^th Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique to touch the Holy Grail of rally drivers all over the world: driving at night, just for fun and pure pleasure, in this famous Col de Turini which has unleashed passions for so long. It was very cold outside, but once again the marshals of Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM) were there, in position, forever faithful, to ensure the safety of 227 competitors until very late at night.

History will remember that an Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV from 1973, an Opel Kadett GTE from 1978 and a Renault 5 Alpine Turbo from 1982 finished tied at first place, just like a perfect final bouquet on the Turini closing night.

And that the Lancia Fulvia N.242 of a Swiss duet, Claudio Enz and Cristina Seeberger, then descended quietly to the port of Monaco to show up at the last time check point and seal its overall victory. A well-deserved victory… pending and subject to the publication of the official final standings, this Wednesday at noon.

The last night of the 25^th Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique began with a monument, the RS15 between Col de Braus and Lantosque (34.35km). There were indeed some traces of black ice, in Col de Castillon, but not enough to really bother the 227 crews who survived this formidable 2023 edition. A Lancia Fulvia was aiming for overall victory but it was another model of the legendary brand that stood out in this SR15, the Beta Coupé 1800, from 1975, entered by Italians Maurizio Aiolfi and Carlo Merenda. It did better than the BMW 323i of Spaniards Luis Climent Asensio and Victor Buades Castillo, once again at the forefront, with Czechs Jan Schmied and Pavel Kacerovsky in 3rd place, in a 1976 Skoda 130 RS.

Passing on their passion for motorsport to their children is the dream of many passionate dads. Some succeed and sometimes even the student surpasses his master! In the Alfetta GTV N.40 carrying the colors of the Flaujac Foundation, here come the Caminitis, Stefano the father and Pasquale the son, over 10 participations in Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique. In real life, the Master is Pasquale (he is a lawyer) but once in the right-hand seat… he becomes the student again and leaves responsibility for the hoop to his kartman of a father!

In the small Autobianchi A112 N.123, an Argentinian crew would not miss the Monegasque meeting for anything in the world. So crossing the Atlantic does not scare them. Here again, for the Lukasiewicz family, Enrique, the father, takes care of the steering wheel, while his son Martin navigates. But perhaps not for very long… There is also a tiny Lotus Élan with which Dr Jacques Roucolle goes from one historic event to another, with his daughter France as a co-driver, to whom he inoculated the virus. This proves that the pool of enthusiasts is not about to dry up!

Another Porsche won a regularity stage in this 2022 edition of Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique on Tuesday, in RS14 (18.45 km), which brings the provisional record of the Stuttgart brand to five wins in this 25th edition, before the grand finale in Col de Turini. After the 911 of last year’s Belgian winners, in RS1, then the 356B of a Finnish couple in RS9, then the 911 Turbo of Perroud-Allais in RS10 and RS12, it was the turn of a 911 SC from 1979, that of Norway’s Soren Jensen and Jakob Knudsen, which took the honors in the very last stage of the Common Leg, on the way back to Monaco. It was the third time in four months that a Monte-Carlo Rally passed through the famous Colle Saint-Michel, after the E-Rally in October and the WRC cars in January. But this time in the other direction, between Thorame-Haute and Le Fugeret.

He left quietly for the heaven of rally co-drivers, last Friday, as the Concentration Leg of the 25^th Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique ended: Joseph Lambert, a three-time winner of the event (2007 in a Porsche, 2010 and 2012 in an Opel Kadett) was part of the history of the event, and part of the history of rallying in Belgium and especially in Luxembourg, his native country, 73 years ago. In the Principality, he also won the Alternative Energies version, before the E-Rally, alongside Bernard Darniche. To his credit, he also has the Tour de Belgique, the Costa Brava Rally, three times, the Liège-Rome-Liège, the Portugal Historico, the Andalucia Classic, the Asturia Classico, the Spa Rally, the Trophée des Alpes, the Ardennes Roads, the Asturias Rally, etc.

Joseph Lambert then became the ‘master of the roads’ for several beautiful events in which he had taken part before: the Liège-Rome-Liège, the Marathon de la Route, the Classic Spring Roads, the Göhltal Classic, the Ostbelgien Classic in which he traced the route of the 2022 edition. It was the final rally of the year counting for the FIA Trophy for Historic Regularity Rallies. His own son Patrick, co-driven by Yves Noelanders, was crowned. The loop was complete. Farewell Joseph!

The result of the RS13 between Montauban-sur-l’Ouvèze and Laborel, an 18.92 km long stage in a beautiful setting, going up and down famous Col de Perty (with a few patches of snow on the way down), did not upset the overall standings for the 25th Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique. At the end of that stage, the first rows of the results sheet were monopolized by crews that were relatively discreet since the start. With ultimately an arrival in the charming village of Laborel, home of an authentic Museum of Rallye Monte-Carlo. As usual, the welcome was warm and friendly, especially for the winning Spanish crew in a 1981 BMW 323i, Luis Climent Asensio and Victor Buades Castillo. They were more efficient, in this stage, than Frenchmen Etienne Goldet and Frédéric Neymon, in a 1977 Alpine A310 V6, followed by two Norwegian crews, one in a Lancia Fulvia HF and the other in a Porsche 911 SC.

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.

© Scuderia del Grifone

An historic driver, Maurizio Verini, won RS11 on Monday afternoon, between Crupie and Saillans (23.75 km). An Italian and European rally champion in the mid-1970s, Verini drove a Fiat 124 and even wrote a book about that car. He took the start of this 25th Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique in another coupé produced by the Italian brand, a pretty X1/9 dating back to 1976. And in this RS11 the Italian crew completed an almost perfect copy, thanks to his co-driver Enrico Merenda: just 20 penalty points, ten less than Raymond Durand and Sébastien Chol, in 2^nd place aboard their Opel Kadett GTE from 1977. As for 3rd place, it was shared by a 1979 VW Golf GTi and a superb 1982 Audi Quattro, entered by Norwegians.

After the victorious 1960 Porsche 356 B in the SR9, this morning, a more recent Porsche, the 911 Turbo of Pascal Perroud and Guillaume Allais, produced in 1969, took the laurels in the RS10, between Eygalayes and Verclause. It was the longest special of the day (36.93km) and this precise Porsche had worked up an appetite by taking 2^nd place in RS8, earlier today. In this RS10, Perroud and Allais beat the Italian Mini of Giorgio Schon and Francesco Giammarino who had won RS8 earlier today. The podium of this long and tough stage was completed by a 1975 Lancia Beta Monte-Carlo driven by a Polish crew, tied with a 1955 Alfa Romeo 1900 Super, entered by two Italians with fancy names, Francesco Liberatore and Paolo Calabrese.

Barely arrived in the parc fermé in Valence, Jean-Claude Andruet spoke of his reunion, half a century after his legendary victory in a blue Alpine Renault. And indeed, given his smile, the idyll has never died out! Still on the attack, the former French judo champion (one more string to his bow) and seller of golf carts, among other activities, is ready for Tuesday’s final Leg and closing fireworks, in Col de Turini. With an Alpine that was fixed somewhat miraculously, Sunday evening, at the CH of RS7, thanks to a mechanic who lived nearby…