Rowing meets rally car racing

By Melissa Bray

It took the skill of FISA media commission member Patricia Lambert and the ingenuity of her father, Belgium Rowing Federation President Georges Lambert to bring rowing to the historic Monte-Carlo Rally.

Normally the stickers plastered on the sides of the classic Porsches, Saabs, Fiats, Minis and other classic cars read multinational fuel companies, well-known tyre companies and car products. But on the side of Patricia Lambert’s 1964 Porsche 356 was emblazed the Belgian Rowing Federation logo complete with oar.

“It was the idea of my father who sponsored me,” says Lambert who had to deal with a huge amount of curiosity from spectators interested in rowing. “We were especially well received in Reims (the start of the rally in France) which has a big rowing club and also in Monaco where there’s rowing.”

Lambert, along with her co-pilot Pat Poncin, had to deal with snow and ice conditions which were especially prevalent as the rally follows many secondary routes. “We drove with spikes on and sometimes it’s like skiing – very slippery,” says Lambert. “Like rowing you need a lot of technique to get around those icy corners.”

This is Lambert’s ninth time doing the rally and she is excited to do it again next year.

“You see people along the roadside all the way,” says Lambert, “even through the night like at four in the morning.”

The race includes “regularity” sections where the cars are given a certain average speed and have to maintain that through a section of the race. There is also a point A to point B section where cars must finish in a certain amount of time. Lambert says despite it being a race people want you to stop for a chat. “We were also stopped once by deer and another time by a group of joggers.”

Lambert finished 154 out of 320 entries and was the second all-women’s team to reach Monaco.

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