An impressive 90 crews from 12 different countries have taken on the near 1600km Rallye des Princesses in France.
180 competitors gathered at the Place Velodrome in Paris, before striking out on the first 350km stage of the tour, Crews headed towards Saint-Aignan, taking part in four regularity sections while discovering the the Loiret and the countryside around Briare, followed by Cheravent.
The following day, contenders took the Route des Chateaux to the track at La Chatre, where they completed another regularity test before reaching the end of the second stage at Vichy. Day three proved the most punishing of the tour, with crews facing 430km and steep climbs of up to 1860 metres around L’Alpe d’Huez before crossing the Hauts Plateaux du Vercors and the breathtaking Gorges d’Engins.
No fewer than five Alpine passes had to be conquered before descending towards the Cote d’Azur and the beaches of Mandelieu. Contenders then headed for the Font de Broc chateau before reaching the finish line in Saint Tropez, and the awards ceremony at Moorea Beach in Ramatuelle.
In the Historic category, the Ferrari 328 GTS of Nadia Moreau and Valérie Dot held the lead from the off until the final day, before a navigation error allowed Véronique Castilian and Stéphanie Wante to snatch victory in their Porsche 911. The Classic class, meanwhile, was won by Marion Lohio and Sabine Cybulski after dominating the entire event.
Greg MacLeman is a contributor to and former Features Editor of Classic & Sports Car, and drives a restored and uprated 1974 Triumph 2500TC