St-Bonnet-le-Froid: Monte Carlo magic at its best!

With few exceptions, the Rallye Monte-Carlo’s annual visit to St-Bonnet-le-Froid has been one of the highlights of the WRC since the creation of the championship. Today’s two competitive loops around the small village have been a magnet for rally fans, with thousands and thousands of spectators braving the sub-zero temperatures and snow to admire their heroes.

We checked: there are 39 villages or small towns called Saint Bonnet in France. The local tourist office wasn’t sure, but we also found out that Saint Bonnet was a former Archbishop of Clermont-Ferrand, at the end of seventh century. His remains, which travelled through the village following his death on the way back from a pilgrimage to Rome, are kept in the cathedral of the city where Michelin has its headquarters, and not very far from the factory where its WRC tyres are made…
The population of this normally sleepy place is just over 220, but today it has been invaded - literally - by rally enthusiast and journalists from all over Europe. Both the start and finish of the stage are just a short walk from the narrow main street which has been closed to traffic for the day, otherwise the inevitable jams would bring the rally to an immediate standstill. The thousands of spectator cars – and buses! - are parked along the country roads that feed into the village, although the Gendarmerie is vigilantly keeping the rally itinerary clear.
Between the day’s two attempts at the 25km classic (SS6/9), Saint Bonnet’s ‘centre’ is packed with people looking for a little shelter from the persistent snow and freezing temperatures(-10°C). At midday, the few bars and restaurants were bursting, forcing customers to spill onto the snowy streets to enjoy their coffee, cocoa or hot wine, and eat their frankfurters and chips. The result is a great festive atmosphere, while the later competitors do their best to pick a path through the crowd on their way to SS10.
Very soon, the cafés will empty, and the plastic goblets, plates and forks will be thrown into bins as everyone heads back to find a vantage point beside the stage itself. And who can blame them for not wanting to miss a moment of the magic? This week’s wintry weather has provided one of the most spectacular backdrops the Rally Monte-Carlo has seen in years!
from  best-of-rallylive