Local Hungarians Enter the Historic Monte Carlo Rally!

What is the Historic Monte Carlo Rally?

The Historic Monte Carlo Rally is one of those wonderfully crazy European events where classic cars, winter weather, mountain roads and people who really love old automobiles all come together.

The rally follows the tradition of the famous Monte Carlo Rally, first held in 1911 under the patronage of Prince Albert I of Monaco. The original idea was partly to promote Monaco as a destination while also demonstrating just how far the relatively new automobile had come in terms of innovation, reliability and design.

More than a century later, the Historic Rally celebrates cars from the great years of rallying.

Competitors traditionally start from different cities across Europe and drive toward the south of France, eventually reaching Monaco and Monte Carlo.

And this isn’t simply a leisurely parade of beautiful old cars.

The competitors face mountain roads, tight turns, ice, snow, rain and whatever else January decides to throw at them.

Tyre choice alone can become a serious strategy.

Winter tyres might give you the grip you desperately need on snow and ice, but then you hit dry pavement and suddenly those same tyres aren’t necessarily your best friend. Each leg presents different roads, weather and challenges.

And just to make the whole thing more interesting, they do it in the middle of winter.

There has also been plenty of controversy throughout the long history of Monte Carlo rallying.

One famous dispute involved cars being disqualified over their headlights. The cars had been fitted with quartz-iodine bulbs that officials determined didn’t comply with the regulations. In an event where the specifications of the cars matter, something seemingly as simple as a headlight can become a very big deal.

Then there are the spectators.

In one notorious incident, spectators put snow onto a section of mountain road before competitors arrived. Cars subsequently lost control on the unexpectedly slippery surface, with competitors crashing and being forced out.

Imagine spending all that time and money preparing a historic rally car, surviving winter mountain roads across Europe—and being taken out because someone thought throwing snow onto the course would be funny.

This is not an easy event.

It takes preparation, navigation, mechanical knowledge, concentration and a little bit of madness.

And now we have local Hungarians taking it on.

That makes it considerably more interesting to follow.