Cultivating its feminine side, Richard Mille is the title
partner for the second year running of the Rally des Princesses - the only international road rally
exclusively for women. In this edition, despite the stormy weather, 90 crews
representing nine different nationalities faced-off in the spirit of friendly
competition between Paris and Saint-Tropez.
Just moments before the starting gun went off on the elegant
place Vendôme in Paris, where all checks were completed the evening before,
there were doubts as to whether the crews assembled for this 2016 edition of
the Rallye des Princesses would depart at all. But that would be
underestimating the resourcefulness and enthusiasm of the woman who created and
organized this event, Viviane Zaniroli who said: “The Princesses have once again
acquitted themselves of challenges which, while very handsome, were
particularly demanding. Despite exceptionally difficult racing conditions for
this time of year, they showed extraordinary spirit in persevering with the
adventure.”
After starting off under torrential rain on May 29, the
contestants were to see sunshine only on Thursday, June 2, for the final leg,
which took them from Pont-Royal to the place des Lices in Saint-Tropez. Special
recognition is due to those who took part in convertibles, and slogged on for
several days, drenched, in a state of utter discomfort.
It is something of an understatement to say that this
regularity-based rally conducted on public roadways, in which both “Historic”
automobiles — pre-war collectors’ cars (Austin Healey) and more recent
“Classic” category vehicles (Ferrari, Porsche, Jaguar, etc.) participate
constitutes a genuine sporting challenge. In order to cover over 1,600 kilometers
and complete several highly technical tests, the participants must bring together
concentration and precision. The level of difficulty is highly demanding, and
the 20 first cars exhibit particularly deft handling, both on the part of the
driving team and their mechanics.
How could Richard Mille be indifferent to the combination of
elegant antique automobiles, technical performance, sportsmanship and fair
play? The brand presented its first ladies’ watch more than 10 years ago. Since
then, the RM 007, RM 037, RM 07-01 as well as the Michelle Yeoh tourbillon and
RM 19-02 Tourbillon Fleur, among others, have come to enrich what is today a
broad collection.
Richard Mille explains, “Creativity is at the heart of every
one of our calibers, extending even to their technical qualities. Creating
watches for the ladies’ collections opens an entire vista of new ideas that we
see as so many exciting challenges to be met.”
Today, it is the brand’s clientele that wears Richard Mille
watches at the wheel as they are invited to take the drivers seat of a Porsche
956. Although elegance and atmosphere are integral to the Rallye des Princesses:
charming stages that traverse magical countryside, chic evening wear and
striking disguises, a gentle arrival between the Lubéron river and the Baie des
Canoubiers, the race owes its prestige just as much to the sportsmanship and
fighting spirit that reign among its crews.
The ladies competing in the Rallye des Princesses Richard
Mille certainly showed no lack of competitive spirit and determination. This
year’s edition will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the most difficult
since the event’s creation, not only due to the excruciating weather
conditions, but also because of the technical course chosen by its organizers.
The winning team for 2016 was Marie-Christine Perin and Véronique Morel-Lab
(Austin Innocenti n° 70). In the ‘Classic’ category, first place went to the
Caterham manned by Servane Gabillon and Chantal Duc Dodon. Hats off, ladies!
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