In this 17th edition Rallye des Princesse Richard Mille, despite the stormy weather, 90 crews representing 9 different nationalities faced-off in the spirit of friendly competition between Paris and Saint-Tropez.
After starting off under torrential rain on May 29th, the contestants were to see sunshine only on Thursday, June 2nd, for the final leg, which took them from Pont-Royal to the place des Lices in Saint- Tropez. Special recognition is due to those who took part in convertibles, and slogged on for several days, drenched, in a state of utter discomfort.
It is something of an understatement to say that this regularity-based rally conducted on public roadways, in which both “Historic” automobiles—pre-war collectors’ cars (Austin Healey) and more recent “Classic” category vehicles (Ferrari, Porsche, Jaguar...) participate constitutes a genuine sporting challenge. In order to cover over 1,600 kilometres and complete several highly technical tests, the participants must bring together concentration and precision. The level of difficulty is highly demanding, and the 20 first cars exhibit particularly deft handling, both on the part of the driving team and their mechanics.
The ladies competing in the Rallye des Princesses Richard Mille certainly showed no lack of competitive spirit and determination. This year’s edition will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the most difficult since the event’s creation, not only due to the excruciating weather conditions, but also because of the technical course chosen by its organisers. The winning team for 2016 was Marie-Christine Perin and Véronique Morel- Lab (Austin Innocenti n° 70). In the ‘Classic’ category, first place went to the Caterham manned by Servane Gabillon and Chantal Duc Dodon. Hats off, ladies!
