Monegasque couple Olivier and Lydia Campana take the lead after the first day of the Monte Carlo Historic Rally

Between the weather conditions and the retirements recorded, the first day of regularity stages was eventful on Tuesday.

This first day of regularity stages held many surprises for the drivers competing on Wednesday, due in particular to the very difficult road conditions. First, crew number 155, Gordon Glen / David Glen (Opel Kadett GTE), retired definitively before the start of the first classification stage.

This was followed by the retirement of crew Nikolaos Koliopoulos / Konstantinos Piperos (Volkswagen Golf GTI number 164) after going off the road in SR1.

The good news came from Monaco, as the dynamic duo of Olivier and Lydia Campana took the overall lead for the first time in their careers.

Their performance earned them a friendly and encouraging phone call from Daniel Elena, a Monegasque seven-time winner of the Monte Carlo Rally in the WRC with Sébastien Loeb.

"Driving on open roads is a real joy and a pleasure, with the same passion for motorsport still evident in the Valence region, which bodes well for some great events in the future," commented Olivier Campana last night.