Ardenne Rally Festival A promising lineup for the demo runs
Although the Ardenne Rally Festival is now a double event, and the epicentre is now located in Alle-sur-Semois, there is no doubt that the demo runs reserved for iconic rally cars still form the main part and will attract a great deal of attention! On Friday, May 29th and Saturday, May 30th, the great history book of rally sport will be intensively leafed through once again, much to the delight of the many fans.
Although registration is still open, the – provisional – entry list is already impressive. The cars already confirmed ensure that all decades are represented, from the 1960s to 2015! As a result, a varied and high-quality spectacle can be admired on the demo stages, with a Mini Marcos 1300 GT side by side with a Skoda Fabia R5!
From the early years of the World Rally Championship, we are already certain of the presence of the queen of rally cars: an Alpine A110 in the roaring 1800 Gr.5 version, an original DAF 55 and 66 Marathon, a Citroën DS 23 IE and even a Simca Rallye 3!
The 70s remain the era of spectacular rear-wheel drive cars, featuring, of course, the Ford Escort Mk1 and Mk2 alongside the Opel Kadett GT/E and Ascona A and B, Mercedes 500 SL or even a Porsche 914! Emerging from the transition period from Group 4 to Group B were the Renault 5 Turbo 1, Porsche 911 SC RS, Opel Ascona and Manta 400—cars that on gravel only could eat dust against the four-wheel-drive Audi Quattro! The history of the World Rally Championship took off rapidly, which is perfectly illustrated by the presence of monsters like the Audi Sport Quattro S1 E1 and E2!
In the mid-eighties, rallying was brought back down to earth when Group A regulations replaced the powerful Group B. It was the era of the Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evo, Audi 200 Quattro, Volkswagen Golf 2 GTi, and BMW M3 E30, after which performance soared again, as demonstrated by the Ford Escort RS Cosworth, among others!
Subsequently, the World Rally Cars followed, such as the Skoda Fabia WRC or Ford Fiesta WRC, and in their wake, the first R5 cars, such as the Skoda Fabia, made their appearance.
All those cars, and quite a few others, will be present at the 2026 edition of the Ardenne Rally Festival. It is still an incomplete, but already very attractive list of cars that have written rally history in the hands of the greatest champions and that will participate in the demo runs in the region around the Semois.
We probably don't need to ask you what you have planned for Friday, May 29th and Saturday, May 30th? See you in the beautiful rural setting in and around Alle-sur-Semois!
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