Return to Châtelaillon for the Autumn Rally

In 2020, the wrath of politics fell on the venerable Autumn Rally. The new coalition at the head of La Rochelle town hall has decided to draw a line under motorsport in the city, erasing with the wave of the hand a history that dates back to the 1950s - Gilles Guillon (special correspondent)

Published on 26/10/2022 à 12:00

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Return to Châtelaillon for the Autumn Rally

Jean-Marie Cuoq celebrates autumn © Damien Saulnier

Originally called the “ rally Dead Leaves", the Autumn Rally was born in La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime) in 1953. Its success was such that in the 1980s, it established itself as an unmissable event in the 2nd division French Championship . Every year, at the beginning of November, the rallymen met at the foot of the towers and ramparts before tackling the special stages. The new municipality decided in 2020 that La Rochelle should no longer be part of the motorsport heritage and deprived the Autumn Rally of its home port.

In 2021, the Sport Automobile Océan team made a strategic withdrawal to Châtelaillon-Plage (Charente-Maritime). This year, the entire rally was transferred to this seaside resort south of the city. The podium took place on the seafront in front of the casino, the racecourse hosts the technical checks and the race starts on Friday afternoon. It's a sort of return to basics, since Châtelaillon was already