• The Passeig del Mar in Palamós hosted the starting ceremony of the XX Rally Costa Brava Històric by Motul, the regularity rally for historic vehicles that will be held until Sunday.
  • With 132 teams registered and the FIA Trophy for Historic Regularity Rallies at stake, the event is presented as the most contested and interesting in recent years.
  • The teams will face three long days, divided into 20 regularity sections and more than 1,000 kilometres of route, with the start and finish of each stage in Palamós.

After many months of waiting, the XX Rally Costa Brava Històric by Motul is now underway. The start of the first stage was accompanied by a large crowd and a great atmosphere from the Passeig del Mar in Palamós, the epicentre of the rally for the seventh consecutive year.

The teams have a demanding route of more than 1,000 kilometres ahead of them, half of which are regularity sections. A three-day adventure for classic and historic cars and motorcycles.

One of the great attractions of this edition is the FIA Trophy for Historic Regularity Rallies, the most important trophy in this discipline, a fact that will allow the spectators to enjoy the best specialists in historic regularity rallies coming from a dozen European countries, and also from Argentina.

132 teams are registered in this edition, a record entry list since the event is held in Palamós. Female participation in this event also breaks all previous records, with the presence of 9 female teams, 12 female drivers and 36 female co-drivers. One more example of the great results achieved by the #MotorDona program promoted by Club RallyClassics which seeks to promote the participation of women in classic motorsports events.

The high level of the registered teams makes it very difficult to make predictions, although all eyes will be on the Belgians Yves Deflandre / Patrick Lienne (Porsche 911), winners of the Rally Costa Brava Històric by Motul in 2022, as well as on the 2022 European champions Patrick Lambert/Yves Noelanders (BMW 2002 Ti) and 2021 Stanislaw Postawka/Anna Postawka (FSO Polski Fiat 125P).

On the other hand, the Catalan specialists arrive with the intention of recovering the title that flew to Belgium last year. Tere Armadans / Anna Vives (Porsche 911 SC), Juan Pedro García / Sergi Giralt (Autobianchi A112 Abarth), Joan Pedragosa / Josep Beltri (BMW E21), Eduard Poveda / Joan Jordán (VW Golf GTI) or Josep Maria Vidal / Miquel Molist (Autobianchi A112 Abarth), all of them with podiums or victories in past editions of the event, will be some of the names to consider.

Among the classic motorcycles category, the duo Carles Fortuny / Carles Jiménez (Yamaha XT600) will try to retain the title they achieved last year, the first on motorcycles after winning four times in cars.

As a sign of the equality that awaits, after the first four stages of the rally, held on Thursday evening, the first six teams are separated by only 10 points, that is 10 seconds. This is just a first appetizer, since Friday’s leg will present the first major tests of endurance and navigation over almost 12 hours of driving and on Saturday the winners will be decided with another marathon stage.

 

The unrivalled appeal of the Passeig del Mar in Palamós

For yet another edition, the rally’s activities are concentrated along the Palamós promenade, the location of the parc fermé, the starting podium and the different complementary activities. Spectators will be able to enjoy all stage starts, scheduled from 3:00 p.m. on Friday and 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.

On Saturday, the vehicles participating in the “Rally-Sprint” Costa Brava Històric will join the event, with the presence of dozens of local teams, many of which will compete in the rally for the first time.

Another highlight of the weekend will be the parade of the rally vehicles through the streets of Palamós, scheduled for Saturday at noon. In addition, there will be a village with driving simulators, different shops and vehicle exhibitions from Friday to Sunday. The rally activities will end with the prize-giving ceremony on Sunday at 11 am.

 

The XX Rally Costa Brava Històric by Motul is possible thanks to the collaboration of Ajuntament de Palamós, Secretaria General de l’Esport i de l’Activitat Física de la Generalitat de Catalunya, Diputació de Girona, Patronat de Turisme Costa Brava Girona, FIA, FECOTUR, Motul, Hotel Trias, Vilajuïga, 9 moments, Blunik, Garatge Internacional, Montjuïc Watches, Ca L’Enric, Suprametal, MiRally, L’Esportiu, Àgora, News Classic Racing and Integral Apps.