What a race! An epic, incredible course, mixing very fast portions and very technical rocky areas. The first impressions of the pilots are all positive on this terrain which is really ideal for hosting the King of France locked by ARB. Nicolas Montador was not mistaken in his choice and vision. Chris Bowler was able to highlight the geography of the place to offer a tailor-made race track with just the right amount of difficulty to satisfy everyone. Now the waiting is for 2025!
Photography by Paolo Baraldi, Story by Nicolas Stevenin
After months of hard work, Nicolas Montador, Chris Bowler and all their teams saw their dream come true: the King of France 2024 locked by ARB took place from June 13 to 15, 2024 in the south of France, on the coast Mediterranean near Spain in the Aude department.
A real success confirmed by the 40 crews present on site. We had the pleasure of welcoming teams from 10 different countries: France, United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Malta, Portugal, Italy, Poland, Belgium, Netherlands. Between the members of the organization and the teams who came on site, nearly 500 people gathered.
First of all, the chosen site was beyond all expectations, the Château de Lastours estate (in the Corbières near Narbonne) is simply fantastic and we thank all the staff for their warm welcome. Everything is there: fantastic landscapes, rocky hills from which you can see the Mediterranean, deep and rocky valleys, fast tracks with winding sections. The race route of around twenty kilometers made it possible to run 4x4s and Unlimiteds on all types of areas.
The drivers were able to express their talents both in terms of crossing but also in fast driving. The special stages traced by Chris Bowler were varied and alternated over valleys and tracks, everything that makes our discipline the most complete off-road competition and the most demanding in terms of driving. The two most extreme zones, the Gigglepin and the WSR, delighted the competitors. The WSR Rocks is a jocker zone which must be climbed once each race day, while the Gigglepin Rocks is an integral part of each stage lap and must be traversed downhill on the first day and uphill on the second.
Then, the spectators who came on site were able to benefit from a giant screen which broadcast the competition live, but also had access to the paddock to meet the crews, see the vehicles and chat with drivers, co-drivers and mechanics. The race was broadcast live on Facebook. With one camera at the start, two others located on the slopes and a drone, such video coverage has never before been offered at this type of competition in Europe!
The race takes place over three days with the traditional technical checks of the 5 vehicle categories (Stock, Modified, Legend, SSV, Unlimited) and administrative checks beforehand. The routes are mostly similar except for the Stock and Ssv categories which do not have the extreme crossing zones to pass.
We had 22 crews in the premier Unlimited category and most of the best European drivers made the trip.
To define the starting order for the first day of racing, two prologues were organized on Thursday June 13, one during the day, the other at night. On a track of just under 3 km, the drivers set off one after the other and gave everything in order to be able to start the next day in the leading pack.
Friday, first day of racing with a special stage of around 20 km on the program. For the Modified, Legend and Unlimited categories, each driver had to pass the jocker zone and its infernal climb into the rocks once.
On Saturday, the different teams returned to the slopes, this time with the Gigglepin zone which had to be done in the direction of the climb whereas the day before, the pilots had to descend it.
If some were waiting for the crews of Gigglepin, Reul Sport Offroad or even Crazy Germans, it was a trio of Portuguese drivers who took the podium in the Unlimited 4400 category. 1st OnOff Racing, Flavio Aquino, second M,S Espiteaventura Antonio Oliveira and third Tufao Evo Racing Team with Andre Henriques.
The race was very selective and did not spare the cars, here to win you not only had to be skilful behind the wheel but also not have any technical faults on the vehicle.
In Modified 4500, Diego Mendes climbs to the top of the podium followed by Red Baron and Tuff 4x4.
In Legend, it is once again a French crew which takes the lead. Aymeric Syre is ahead of another French crew Catalan’D66 led by Paul Molinero and finally, the third is JD Offroad Racing driven by Jan Klingenberg from Germany.
In the Stock class, we had three French competitors. Mathias Armand continues his exploits by once again taking the top spot on the podium, he is followed by Yohan Chinot from the Luberon team. And finally EETP completes the steps.
For the SSV, the Italians from Skyworks take the first two places followed by the Frenchman Noah Jaquet, the youngest in the event.
In the end, all the drivers are unanimous in saluting the exceptional race that Nicolas Montador and Chris Bowler have built. Whether in terms of the route, its variety, its difficulty, its technicality or even the Château de Lastours area on which they were able to ride and the general atmosphere, everyone appreciated their visit. Many crews are already ready for next year and are returning just two days after the finish of this 2024 edition.
We would like to warmly thank our sponsors, without whom this first edition on the Château de Lastours estate would not have been possible and we are already looking forward to seeing them next year: ARB Europe, WSR, Vision X Europe, Gigglepin, Pro Eagle, Spidertrax, KS Tuning, Access Cars, Loo Créations, Offroad Lifestyle, Journal du 4x4.
We also thank our hosts at Chateau de Lastours, all our teams present on the slopes and our media and video partners Poly-Son.
We are already working on the 2025 edition. With the experience accumulated this year, we promise that the next race will still be full of surprises and novelties.
