Critérium des Cévennes, 1954-1981

The first Rallye de la Vigne et du Vin in 1954, named after the very popular fair in Montpellier in the mid-fifties, was the birth of the Critérium des Cévennes, as it was called from 1957 onwards. In that year, the Automobile Club de l'Hérault et de l'Aveyron implemented the new concept of a timed rally called Critérium, modelled on one-day cycle races. At that time, rallies were usually very long and went on for several days with extremely short rest periods as in the Coupe des Alpes, Stuttgart-Lyon-Charbonnières and even the Corsica Rally. Gradually, the regulations were refined with a loop of five to nine special stages at night with a repeat during the day. Initially, there were set times for the teams to try to achieve in the special stages, but from 1965 onwards only the time achieved in an individual classification counted.

The Critérium des Cévennes was organised on the last weekend in November, two weeks after the second big road rally at the end of the year, the Tour de Corse, and was often the scene of revenges. Not infrequently, the title of French rally champion went to the respective winner in the Cévennes. Jacques Privat recounts the first 25 editions of the Critérium des Cévennes from 1954 to 1981 (those of 1955, 1958 and 1973 were cancelled). Extensive picture research led to rich finds in the archives of Maurice Louche, but also with other professional and amateur photographers. Each rally is described, there are detailed captures for all the photos, plus the complete lists of participants and results, as well as information about the cars. With a foreword by rally legend Jean Vinatier, winner of the Critérium des Cévennes in 1966, 1968 and 1969..