Crews made up of vintage sports car enthusiasts will take the wheel on the most beautiful roads in France from June 3 to 8.
By Auto Point
The female teams compete on the principle of a regularity test.
© Richard Bord / Richard BordPublished on
Subscriber-only audio playback
QWho said women aren’t interested in cars? Not Patrick Peter, the “serial organizer” of events around vintage cars (Tour Auto, Le Mans Classic, etc.), who took over the Richard Mille Princess Rally last year reserved for 100% female crews, a concept developed since 1999 by Viviane Zaniroli. In fact, the then totally innovative idea of a rally reserved for women dates from 1929, and the creation of Paris-Saint-Raphaël by Count Edme de Rohan-Chabot. It was already a marathon run over 4 to 5 days, over distances ranging, depending on the edition, from 1,000 to 2,500 km. Very complete, it included timed special stages as well as driving tests or pure navigation sections. The latest editions of this original event run until the 1970s have revealed women drivers who have pursued brilliant careers in mixed motorsport, such as the French Michèle Mouton or the Belgian Christine Beckers.
From Paris to Nice via Beaune, Megève, Alpe d’Huez and Les Baux-de-Provence
In order to optimize safety while favoring conviviality, the format chosen by the organizers of the Richard Mille Princesses Rally now focuses on the principle of regularity tests which requires crews to respect as precisely as possible an average speed fixed at the ‘advance. Thus, the emphasis can be placed on the tourist character of the route and the beauty of the places crossed. For the 2023 edition, contested from June 3 to 8, the caravan of racing cars dating from 1946 to 1985 will leave, as usual, from Place Vendôme in Paris. After checks on Saturday June 3, the crews will start on the 4th in the early morning towards Beaune, then they will head towards Megève, Alpe d’Huez, Les Baux-de-Provence, to end their journey in Nice.