Ardenne Rally Festival Replicas take you back in time!
With almost a hundred teams that have already registered for the first edition of the Ardenne Rally Festival on Thursday 2nd, Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th of May in Vresse-sur-Semois, DG Sport has already succeeded in arousing the curiosity of many a rally fan. There will be many original cars at the start, but some replicas will also ensure that everybody can browse through the history of rallying...
And the term 'replica' doesn't have to be negative! As previously announced, a selection committee went through the many registration requests, to retain only the most beautiful cars. After all, not everyone has the means to acquire a Gr. 4, Gr. B, Gr. A or a WRC… but passion goes a long way and can be used to achieve beautiful things, completely in the spirit of the cars of the past!
For the younger spectators, these replicas also provide a nice picture of rally history and an overview of the different rules that were followed. One can jump from a rally car from the 60s to a first-generation World Rally Car, in just a few minutes! A beautiful time machine, in short…
During the demo runs, the oldest 'clones' will be represented by a Mini Cooper ex-Mäkinen, Renault 8 Gordini ex-Nicolas or a Simca Rallye 3 ex-Snobeck, followed by a Talbot Sunbeam Ti ex-Jacquemin, Talbot Sunbeam Lotus ex-Toivonen, Lancia Fulvia HF ex-Munari, Fiat 131 Abarth ex-Andruet, Ford Escort Mk1 ex-Mikkola, Alpine A110 ex-Thérier, Vauxhall Chevette ex-Jimmy McRae, Lancia Stratos ex-Waldegard, Triumph TR7 V8 ex-Pond, Porsche 911 SC ex-Beguin, Porsche 911 SC RS ex-Toivonen and Droogmans, Opel Ascona B ex-Biasion, Ford Escort Mk2 ex-Brooks, Mikkola, Vatanen, Waldegard and Airikkala, Renault 5 Alpine Gr. 2 ex-Ragnotti, Renault 5 Turbo ex-Ragnotti and Saby, etc.
The Audi Quattro, whose four-wheel drive system revolutionized rallying, will of course be represented as well, with copies of cars driven by Walter Röhrl, whether it is a Quattro A2, a Quattro Sport or 200 Quattro. Recent rally history is also highlighted, with twins of the Peugeot 306 Maxi ex-Delecour, Opel Astra GSI ex-Loix, Renault Clio Maxi ex-Munster, Toyota Celica GT-Four ex-Sainz, Toyota Corolla WRC ex-Sainz, Auriol and Loix, Subaru Legacy Turbo ex-Colin McRae, Subaru Impreza 555 ex-Holowczyc, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo6 ex-Mäkinen, etc.
During three days, you will be able to admire many pages from the great history book of rallying. Enjoy!
