Bonus to the Coupe de France

This is a traffic jam that no one should shame. While the accumulations of cars on the highways reaching the French coasts at the July-August hinge point remain a moment feared each year by summer visitors, the high concentration of competitors expected when the Coupe de France resumes smells of a return to business for the sports car. A flagship event for the 10 participants regularly counted in the 000 events on the calendar, the National Cup will inevitably attract all eyes as they emerge from an unprecedented lethargy for the competition.

There is no doubt that the relief is great for the organizers who were able to maintain or postpone their event in a very busy new schedule. “What pushed us to be patient in our decision to maintain or cancel the 2020 organization was to see what would happen with the continuation of the epidemic, especially in May, explains Jean-Pierre Roche, president of the organizing committee of the Rally Gap Racing, scheduled for the weekend of August 1 and 2.

We had some organizational difficulties with the loss of private partners and even local authorities. We were a little out of balance, but we found a solution to allow a group of crews who wanted to resume motorsport after this long break, to organize the event on a sporting level, but without funding. financial. However, this allows them to ride in real conditions, for some as they approach resuming the French Championship in September. »

Certain craze

How can we explain these lists of entries reaching values ​​rarely reached for certain events and close to 200 crews? “It must be remembered that at whatever level, in Cup or Championship, the French passion for rallying is important, describes Jean Galpin, winner in 1987 and stakeholder in the organization of the Rallye Cœur de France. The Cup remains the highlight of rallying for non-professional drivers. I had already said, a few weeks ago, that I was not too worried about the recovery, and today the figures prove it right. It's pretty crazy. »

The general accessibility of the Cup, particularly financially compared to other motorsport disciplines, has always been a characteristic of the series and this will once again contribute to this success. “Anyway, everyone had already planned their budget for 2020, analyzes Philippe Vaness, organizer of the Mont-Blanc-Morzine Rally, which will relaunch the asphalt section of the championship. And what's more, people haven't driven since confinement. »

A period of forced inactivity, coupled with modifications to the initial programs, which seems to push the competitors to review their plans during this recovery period, even if it means traveling a lot more, while the drivers prioritize the events of their League above all to aim for qualification for the final where the 240 best crews will be grouped together. Taking place at the end of August, and always a very popular round, the Rallye d'Autun puts forward astonishing figures on this subject.

“We have a huge demand and have already put together a waiting list, explains Raphaël Diard, president of ASA Morvan. There is enormous interest. Many want to participate in the events to score points for the 2021 final. We also have 60%, or more, entrants that we have never seen in the event. This field, with 250 cars at the start, we have never had, and I think we will never have it again. »

The return to action of the Cup could also attract attention beyond our borders. “We should have big names from the championship who will come to participate and also Swiss crews, for a quality field with around 170 competitors, modern and VHC”, continues Jean-Pierre Roche in Gap.

Collective recovery

Needless to say, the pandemic and confinement have been very detrimental to the local, national and international economy. Many traders or businesses have seen their activity reduced, with significant financial loss. So many supporters who were sometimes forced to cancel their participation in the organization of an event, one of the elements which unfortunately led to a large number of cancellations, in addition to the uncertainty linked to the situation around the coronavirus. “We have delayed this choice to allow us to exhaust all recourses within a specific time, admitted the organizers of the Montagne Noire. Alas, we are running out of time. The decisive date of August 1, the very recent collapse of the Tourette road, a Covid file to be compiled and a real gas factory, are all elements which convinced the Organizing Committee to no longer consider the realization of 'an event in 2020.

Events which can also help, at their level, the areas surrounding the rallies on an economic level. “What also motivated our decision was to help French motorsport restart on August 1st, and if we can give the FFSA a helping hand to restart the competition, so much the better. underlines Jean-Pierre Roche. But it also means helping the many partners that we have had for several years who have supported us financially and whom we are not going to call on this year, because many shops and businesses are in difficulty. This is a way to give them a boost to restart more quickly, like the hotel or catering sector around Tallard. »

To remain vigilant

At the time of writing these lines, there remains a major unknown: the health protocol which will govern all the Coupe de France events when it resumes. If physical distancing, maintaining the wearing of masks and limiting the number of people should logically be required, the uncertainty does not make the task of the organizing committees easier.. “I know, through the league and the ASA des Alpes, that we can organize the race on August 1, but I have not received anything in terms of protocol, indicates Jean-Pierre Roche. We should ban technical inspections from the public. For the rest, appropriate signage for the public regarding Covid-19 will be put in place. »

Seeing a resumption of competition attracting so many competitors gives reason for hope for the rest of the season. But caution must be exercised. “It’s a good sign, but there will be a before and an after of this crisis, tempers Hervé Besson, president of the French Rally Cup commission at the FFSA. There is the euphoria of the recovery, but there can be financial concerns, whether for the organizers or the drivers. Officially, the regulations have not yet been published, but the qualifying points for the 2020 final will be retained for 2021.

The FFSA also says it is attentive to the evolution of the situation for next year, both in terms of establishing programs and organizing events, in order to maintain the attractiveness of the competition. “For next year, for the moment, everyone is putting their event back on the calendar, notes Hervé Besson. But there will inevitably be things to review and questions. We all have a role to play and see where to save money, except on security. » With the strong desire to return to the special stages, plethora of grids never seen before, there will be no question of summer holidays for the race this summer. And we can only be happy about it!