It is still over the 1.3km of the highly technical Grattelot hill that 64 pilots will set off during the day to complete three passes in the morning and four in the afternoon if there is no incident involved. Without time or location as it is a demonstration. Exclusively for the pleasure of experiencing excitement for all the drivers who faithfully attend the meeting every year. To also arouse the admiration of aficionados who want safe access to the final hairpin of the track, where the cars are the most spectacular to watch tumble.
With the arrival a few months ago of Cyril Guyot as the new president of the Rallye 16 team, no changes are expected compared to previous editions. “We always start from the bottom of the hill on the D37 at the junction with the Route du Cluzeau for a first part that is initially extremely fast. Before a second part that is much more twisty with two turns that close and which can prove to be very tricky, even if the road is beautiful and the asphalt is in perfect condition,” says the president, who has already participated in the event many times.
Guaranteed show
As for the cars entered, several Renault Clio RS, BMW 318 Compacts, Citroën Saxos or the inevitable R5 Alpine Turbo, which would not miss the meeting for anything in the world. “The oldest car will be a Marcadier Borzoï, which is a small single-seater from 1977. And for the latest, it will be a Toyota Yaris GR from 2021, which should pack a punch. And then we will also have four motorcycles at the start including a Derby 50 racing, a Benelli from 1978 or a 250 Suzuki RGV”, emphasizes Cyril Guyot, who specifies “that half of the participants come from Charente, but also from Périgord, La Rochelle, from the Saintes or Bordeaux region.”
Half of the participants come from Charente, but also from Périgord, La Rochelle, Saintes or the Bordeaux region.
On the practical side, the D37 will of course be closed to traffic this Thursday from 8am to 7.30pm, but local residents will be able to access the town of Vindelle from the D939 via the village of Cluzeau. The public will be able to take advantage of free parking located in a field provided by a farmer from the Rouillac road at the junction leading to Brénat.
The competitors’ car park, located on the Route de La Garenne a stone’s throw from the finish line, will also be completely open to the public to admire the cars up close but also chat with the drivers. Finally, two refreshment points are planned: a refreshment bar selling sandwiches at the last hairpin on the course and another at the start of the race with a refreshment bar and a truck offering hot dogs.
If the event remains completely free, “it is thanks to the mobilization of about 30 partners that allow us not to deprive the public of such a show, but also thanks to the help of the municipality of Vindelle, which gives us all the barriers, without forgetting about forty volunteers mobilized on D-Day to ensure security,” says Cyril Guyot. And since there is also the prospect of good weather for the match, there is no doubt that there should be people at the last hairpin on the Côte de Grattelot to be ecstatic at the passing of the competitors, who will inevitably let their horses go.
