Rally
Megève – St-Tropez / Maison de la Literie
from 10 to 13 June 2019

Back on the 5th edition

Monday, June 10, 2019, the sixty crews participating in the 5th edition of Megève – Saint-Tropez – La Maison de la Literie had appointment for the traditional day of administrative and technical checks on the Place de la Marie de Megeve, before to fight, in the pouring rain, during a “gymkhana” played on the Altiport as prologue with a course, very sinuous and narrow, drawn between the cones, which should not be reversed to figure well in the standings set by Breitling, Official Timekeeper of the rally.
In the Classic class, the Scheurer / Rastoder crew (Porsche 911) took first place ahead of the MG B double winners 2017 and 2018 Soler / Dinh (MG B V8); while Haudry / Meyer (Mini Cooper Works) surprised all the cars “Prestige” with a performance quite the measure of their car.

The next day, the first stage included the crossing of a dozen passes of the Route des Grandes Alpes leading to the Lake Geneva and Lake Annecy, starting with the Aravis massif and crossing passes never before taken by the rally since its creation, as the Colombière and a very noticed passage in Joux Plane where were organized the first control of passage and the first test of regularity, disputed in the clouds. The majestic Mont-Blanc, supposed to accompany us all day, however, remained hidden behind a cloudy weather before joining Evian where was organized a lunch on the heights of the famous water city. The afternoon then offered multiple passes mountain passes and as much opportunity to feast behind the wheel, in large series of turns in the Glières massif, gateway to Lake Annecy, THE new destination of the rally, where the finish was judged at the Palace of Menthon with breathtaking views of the azure lake between the peaks.
In the “Prestige”, the very exclusive Lexus LFA V10 from Degeneve / Bourry took the lead while Maurey / Fossey (Austin Healey), experts in regularity, took control of the class “Classic” in Scheurer / Rastoder (Porsche 911).

It is finally under a radiant sun that the second stage started on a course that leads the competitors all day at the summit of the most legendary Alpine passes with first the Forclaz pass before tackling the climb of the mythical Cormet de Roselend before the descent to Bourg-Saint-Maurice before starting the climb to Courchevel 1850, where was organized a new playful gymkhana type on the Altiport and lunch at altitude. In the early afternoon, the Col de la Madeleine will have been traveled, partly in convoy, to compensate for a partial closure due to maintenance work after its recent opening. Once past St-Michel de Maurienne the objective of this was to climb three successive passes to the impressive walls of snow. This was an incredible triptych with Col du Telegraphe, the Col du Galibier and its more than 2600m then the Col du Lautaret to begin the descent to Serre Chevalier and enjoy a well deserved rest after climbing near 10000m of altitude difference during the day.
While the fight raged between the Porsche 911 Scheurer / Rastoder and Austin Healey Maurey / Fossey, the crew Soler / Dinh (MG B V8), always in ambush and aiming for the hat-trick, was forced to abandon , broken engine. Degeneve / Bourry (Lexus LFA) confirmed their leadership in the “Prestige” while Haudry / Meyer tangled in the cones of the gymkhana.

The third and final stage offered a classic route from Serre-Chevalier to Saint-Tropez and offering a large number of anthology tracks from the Tour de France and the famous Monte-Carlo Rally, with turns and laces by the tens. The breathtaking viewpoints of this descent to the Mediterranean offered highlights to be shared at the Izoard and Vars passes where the final regularity test was held before joining the Mercantour National Park which made us the best honor to welcome us to the Col de la Cayolle, land frequented by marmots “waking up” from the harsh winter. A Picnic was organized near this mythical place before reaching the beautiful medieval village of Entrevaux hung on the mountainside, for the rendezvous at the Col de Bleine before arriving on the beaches of the Mediterranean. The competitors then made their entry on the Port of Saint-Tropez then on the Place des Lices among the bowlers and the local elected officials always doing us the honor to welcome us for this triumphal arrival thus completing this 5th edition of Megève-Saint- Tropez – La Maison de la Literie.
The fight for the victory in Classic was held in the ultimate regularity event, perfectly mastered by Maurey / Fossey (Austin Healey) who offered the victory before Scheurer / Rastoder (Porsche 911) and Petitot / Tissot-Petitot (MG B V8). In Prestige, the crews Bourrin / Jeanneney (Alpine A110) and LHomme / Lhomme (Porsche 964) took respectively the second and third steps of the podium during this final stage while Degeneve / Bourry settled their domination and won the event.

Classement général / Final ranking

Classic category
1- F.MAUREY & J.FOSSEY (AUSTIN HEALEY)
2- B.SCHEURER & S.RASTODER (PORSCHE 911 Carrera 3.0L Targa)
3- JP.PETITOT & R.TISSOT-PETITOT (MG B V8 Cabriolet)

Prestige category
1- JM.DEGENEVE & M.BOURRY (LEXUS LFA)
2- D.BOURRIN & W.JEANNENEY (MINI COOPER WORKS)
3- JB.LHOMME & G.LHOMME (PORSCHE 964 carrera)

Téléchargez le classement temporaire / Download the full ranking