The seventh round of the French Rally Championship 2nd Division takes place this weekend in Hautmont (Nord).

Le Rally Charlemagne Golden Palace, as every year, hosts a huge field of competitors. Part of the French Rally Championship 2nd Division, the northern event has once again attracted Sébastien Loeb in his nets.

It's become a tradition. In Northern France, this weekend, the Charlemagne Golden Palace Rally is the event that the entire town of Hautmont has been patiently awaiting. With 138 modern competitors at the starting line, the event has once again been a resounding success in terms of entries. While quantity sometimes doesn't equate to quality, that's certainly not the case this time. Sébastien Loeb and Laurène Godey, winners of the Vosges Grand Est Rally last June, are competing this weekend in a... Porsche 992 GT+. This is the first time the nine-time World Rally Champion has tried such a car in competition. The Rally2 class is also very well represented with the reigning champion Mickaël Reydellet, co-driven by Anthony Hamard in the brand new Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 of the first mentioned, but also by the recent winner of the Ypres Rally, Stéphane Lefebvre, also driving a Japanese car and with Olivier Ural on his right.

This article might interest you

ERC

• 10/07/2026
• 19:00

French Rally Hope Team FFSA – A successful debut

Charlemagne Golden Palace Rally: Other contenders for victory

To reduce the battle for victory to just these three crews would be inconsistent. Indeed, Fabien Ponchant, the two-time winner of the French Hill Climb Cup Final, this time partnered with Stéphanie Lemoine in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, could very well be in the mix. The driver from northern France, winner of the Rallye de la Lys earlier this year – his first rally victory – arrives at the start of the Charlemagne Golden Palace brimming with confidence. Also noteworthy is the presence of Adrien Van Beveren, co-driven by Andy Malfoy in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, and Eddie Lemaitre and Thomas Chauffray, in a brand-new Porsche 992 GT+, who will also be eager to shine and revive their campaign in the French Rally Championship 2nd Division. As a reminder, the provisional leaders of the championship Jordan Berfa and Benjamin Gary are not making the trip, just like their current runners-up Tony Cosson and Kevin Millet.