Hosted for over 20 years, the Rallye des Princesses Richard Mille is one of those events that you just know you’re going to enjoy from the moment you arrive. Using the effortlessly chic Place Vendôme in Paris as the event’s starting ground, hundreds of classic cars and their eager, female-only crews began to fill every empty space in preparation for the official start.
Spanning some 1,600km, the crews would experience a truly unforgettable journey, discovering some of the most beautiful roads in France as they descended towards the French Riviera. The only thing stopping them from a glass of Aperol in Nice would be a series of challenges and activities along the way! As the French flag dropped, signalling the official start of the Rallye, the competitors headed southbound to the Ain region.
The choice of car used in the Rallye des Princesses is pretty simple, anything launched between 1946 and 1985, meaning the ladies have more than enough choice when it comes to picking the winning machine. Variety in vehicular form is exactly what makes this event special, with each car being divided into seven groups with three speed averages – low, intermediate, and high. As a flurry of classic Porsche 911s, Ferraris, Minis and just about anything in between made their way to the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region, the magnitude of the journey would begin to sink in for some.
Of course, no Peter Auto event is complete without at least one or two excursions to the racetrack, so the ladies travelled to Vaison circuit for their first of many regularity challenges. Speed isn’t simply the name of the game when it comes to events like this, timing is everything, and discipline ensures the adrenaline doesn’t get the best of you! As the teams headed further south, they were gifted with some of France’s very best driving roads, including the legendary 21-bend Oisans climb, with the destination of Alpe d’Huez in sight.
After hundreds of kilometres and multiple regularity stages, the ladies had the Riviera in their sights. Over the passes, twists and turns and along the small mountain roads, the Princesses were really putting on a show for the spectators, with the top three being separated by just 10 points! “Intense, competitive, emotional, a fantastic route, a human adventure, great friendships” – just some of the words used to describe this unique event as the ladies made it to the finish line in Nice, 1,600 kilometres of intense rallying down, it was time to grab a well-earned glass of fizz. After an extremely close fought battle, the number 41 team of Ambre Boucherie and Stéphanie Wante would take victory driving a stunning Chevrolet Corvette C3 Stingray from 1968!
Attention now turns to France’s most famous circuit, ahead of Le Mans Classic which arrives for another year on 29th June to the 2nd July. To find the full list of Peter Auto’s busy event calendar, click here!
Photos: Laura Evrat & WHamdi. B
