The motor race “Ventoux Classic Rally” which is held every two years and gathers about one hundred vintage cars was planned on March 28th and 29th 2020 starting from Orange (84). However, it has been cancelled to protect a couple of Egyptian vultures whose nest is the Nesque gorge, right in the middle of the route.

This species is endangered at the world level and there are only about twenty couples in the South East of France.

Egyptian vulture (c) David Tatin

The 2020 Ventoux Classic Rally will not happen in order to protect a couple of Egyptian vultures who are nesting on the motor race route.

First, the SMAEMV (Mixed syndicate for the Mont Ventoux Development and Equipment)expressed an unfavourable opinion to the rally driving through the Nesque gorge.

The Egyptian vulture is “most endangered on all red lists : be it the world list, the European list, the national list or the regional list” says François Grimal, President of the LPO (League for the Protection of Birds)of the PACA region (South of France).. The noise caused by the cars would have disturbed this protected species.

The Vaucluse prefecture services then asked the organizers either to find a new route or postpone the rally by a few weeks but they decided to cancel the rally this year as they said they had no time to make new arrangements.

We insist on the importance of communication and environmental awareness so that this type of situation be better understood by the various parties.

Egyptian vulture (c) David Tatin