Day 4: Princesses at the foot of the Alps

With 360 kilometers to cover between Divonne-les-Bains and Aix-les-Bains, and a side trip to the Bresse circuit at midday, the competitors of this 10th Annual Princesses Rally dug into the real thick of things today. In order to reach the shores of Lake Bourget, our Princesses had to maneuver through a few complicated mountain passes. And for those who felt the urge to test their skills on the Bresse race track, the excitement was all the more vibrant. By the end of the final Regularity Sector, in the Grand Colombier mountains, everyone was starting to get a pretty good picture of the Alpine treks to come. First up to Serre-Chevalier and then down to Cannes. So the Princesses all took advantage of the soothing spa at the Domaine de Marlioz just as soon as they arrived in Aix-les-Bains.

The ‘little Brits’ managed splendidly.

No tripmaster, no chronometer on their 1972 MGB Roadster, but the brilliant Brit’s Annelis Winter and Angie Dillon got along just fine. These charming ladies are thrilled to have joined in this, their first experience with the Princesses.

Numbers & letters.

Game show host, Armand Jamot would certainly love to play navigator for any of our lovely Princesses. While ladies are the only ones allowed at the wheel, men can co-pilot, calculating averages and reading the maps. This was the game of Pallois Michel Albira, who rode along side his charming wife Claudine in their 1970 Toyota Célica who proudly exclaimed, “I finally figured it out! Thanks to my Belgian friend, Gilbert, who explained the ins and outs. Now we’re getting much better scores.” Everything is relative when your first day you rack up 400 penalty points after blowing a fuse!

With love from Russia.

As announced, a 100% Russian team joined this 10th Anniversary Princesses’ Rally aboard a dashing Mazda MX-5. Sadly, for professional reasons, Elena Vassilieva and Maria Tsibulskaya, two well known journalists from Moscou, had to pack their bags and head for home. But they promised they’ll be back next year – and stay til the end!

Luana and Maurizia: pedal to the metal!

Luana Belmondo and Maurizia Purini accumulated delays right from the beginning of the event, on Sunday at the Place Vendôme. Today, the Romans had to wait for over an hour while their devoted mechanic struggled to repair a broken accelerator cable on their Panhard Junior that had a nasty habit of getting stuck!

The Panhard Slow Pokes.

No sign of the three Panhard Junior at the Bresse track clubhouse where we stopped for lunch. But they’re not being lazy. The ‘Mikli Girls’ stopped to help each of the teams that ran into trouble. First they waited for Luana and Maurizia. Then Florence (Dehaine) and Eva (Jaehrling) waited for Valérie (Benaïm) and Hermine (de Clermont Tonnerre). And lastly, the three teams opted to improvise their own little picnic in the countryside before wandering down side roads to Aix-les-Bains. That’s also one of the great things about the Princesses Rally: freedom, friendship and ‘farniente’.

Very… beastly?

After the doe and the buffalo (really not clever beasts), a herd of cows paid us a visit on the afternoon’s last RS, right in the middle of the Grand Colombier Massif. Rather outlandish indeed, the lopey troop had the not so bright idea of moseying across the road just as several Princesses were due to arrive, throwing their schedule completely off.

Bruno Saby drops in for a visit.

Two-time champ of the Monte Carlo rally and former hero of the Paris-Dakar, the famous French driver Bruno Saby came by to applaud the Princesses as they pulled in to Aix-les-Bains. It was a nice chance for him to see several dear friends, including Patrick Zaniroli and most of the organizing committee who were there back in the days of the African deserts and dunes.

Playing push-push.

As if Carmen Mangold and Anne Goudenege’s broken radiator and over-heated engine wasn’t enough, today the no. 17 Volvo Amazon completely broke down in the Grand Colombier Massif. Anne, the navigator, had to get out and push… uphill! Not a good sign for the rest of their travels through the Alps!

In the Princesses’ own words:

Carine Sicart (Fra/Lotus Seven): “We really had fun today. All the instruments were operating smoothly and I’m starting to feel the osmosis with Michelle. I think it show in our performance as well.”

Maurizia Purini (Ita/Panhard Junior): “Luana and I truly enjoy this rally. The ambiance is absolutely super. Today we went to buffalo school, but it was neat. On the road, we’re already thinking about next year, because we’re sure to join in again!”

Sylvie Damay (Fra/Citroën ID 20): “We only got three penalty points this morning. But then things started going wrong, and we had a bad scare when we met another rally car head on. I barely had the time to slam on the breaks…”