BACK TO THE FUTURE
Remember… We are on Sunday, November 3rd, 1985.
The day before Jean RAGNOTTI crossed triumphantly the podium of arrival of the 2nd “Critérium d’Alsace” set up at the “Place Kléber” in the heart of Strassburg. In this autumnal Sunday, the Alsatian capital shivers, but soon
the temperature soars around the “Place de la République”. The stars of the rally have a date with the first road show!
Jacky JUNG (already him) on the initiative of this event remembers “I wished to bring the rally to people of the city, because in my opinion most of the city people did not go on the stages and kept their urban habits. Thus I said to myself if the city dwellers do not go to the rally, let us bring them the rally in town. It was in a way the beginning of what we call now a road show”
The driving artist RAGNOTTI displays his talent, embarking aboard his Maxi 5 the major of the police for passages quite across in front of the Prefecture of the Bas-Rhin. The facetious Jeannot even goes out of the moving car, to run after it a few meters, before re-hanging, hilarious, the wheel. The news of France 3 presented by Christian Daniel will make the opening of its subject with pictures in slow motion of the blue Renault waltzing on a symphony of Beethoven.
Other drivers are not outdone. François CHATRIOT, although having given up, draws figures of eight at the wheel on his reserve car. As for Alain OREILLE, 3rd of this event, never a Renault 11 will have passed so fast (and on 3 wheels) in front of the Opera of Strassburg.
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Drivers of this area also have a tremendous time here, whether the inhabitant of Franche-Comté Serge ZELE, or Guy DEYBACH coming from La Bresse at the wheel of its Porsche 930 turbo, all were intend to be pleased without constraint of timing, for the biggest enjoyment of the spectators massed around the circuit.
The operation will be renewed on 1986. It will see Didier AURIOL, the first French World Champion, making spin with his rare Austin Metro 6R4. It will be the last time that the group B will appear in a city in France, the International Federation has pronounced their ban for the benefit of the group A.
30 years later, they return to the Vosges mountains, for a show which promises right now to be very lively!
And as a wink of eyes in the past, this first Vosges Rally Festival will start with a super stage on the Champ de Mars in Epinal whom rally cars will find having walked on it for the first time in 1987 already!
