The Huy branch of the Royal Motor Union

In the early 1950s, the Royal Motor Union of Liège was an extremely important automobile association, from a sporting point of view, at the forefront of rally organisation, and notably in charge of the Liège-Rome-Liège race and the Tour de Belgique.

Local branches also existed, including one in Huy. And it was this very branch that would create the unmissable "Douze heures de Huy" rally, beginning in 1954.

The "10 heures Condroz-Hesbaye" (Condroz-Hesbaye 10-Hours Race)

Only a few die-hard fans will know that in 1953, an initial rally, known as the "10 heures Condroz-Hesbaye" (from the name of the two geographical regions surrounding the town on the Meuse) already existed. This proved to be a kind of trial run for its organisers and, according to "Les Sports" newspaper, a stroke of genius.

The essential difference was that this regularity rally involved just one person on board.
Competitors had to follow a route composed of 4 loops, some 500 km in total, at an average of 50 km/h.
The circuit was dotted with control points, most often set up in local bistros. Penalties were only applied for lateness, which explains why, at the end of this first event organised by the Huy branch, of the 63 drivers who set off, 49 received no penalty!

1954: creation of the "Douze heures de Huy" (Huy Twelve-Hours Race)

With this in mind, the organisers decided the following year to continue the adventure under the name of "Douze heures de Huy". This race would count towards the "1st Belgian Sport & Tourism Gala", overseen by the RACB, which would become the Belgian Championship in 1956.

To separate the drivers more easily, the organisers decided to make the rally a little more difficult:

• the rally would begin on 4 April at midnight and end at noon ;
• there would still be 4 loops, of 154 km, meaning more than 600 km of track ! ;
• the average speed increased to 55 km/h until 7.00 am, then 50 km/h until arrival at the finishing line ;
• A special closed-roads stage was introduced, with an average speed of 60 km/h: the famous Poudreries de Clermont.

66 competitors set off on this maiden race, and despite the presence of several drivers who would later become well known, such as Georges Hacquin and Olivier Gendebien, the rally was won by Gilberte Thirion in a Porsche 356, who had, it is true, shone in her first race at the "Paris-Saint-Raphaël" rally in 1952.

A widespread success

If the race remains in the public memory, this is of course thanks to its unique feature of having no navigator, but also, and above all, because the event was hugely popular with the public. It was the automobile event of the year, at a time when owning a car was still seen as a luxury. So just imagine all those sports cars, zooming along the paved (or even just gravelled) roads of the Huy region, fighting each other for victory!

The absence of a navigator required the organisers to publish the circuit map one month in advance, so that the drivers could explore and memorise the route. This undeniably created a sense of excitement in the days and weeks leading up to the race.

Finally, it should not be forgotten that many local amateur drivers took a great interest and participated in the "Douze heures de Huy", much to the pride of their friends and neighbours, who came along to cheer them on.

1969 : the last year

Over the course of the years, the "Douze heures de Huy" became unmissable and unique. However, in 1966, the fatal accident of "Vittel" in the second round of the Poudrerie de Clermont special stage called the race into question.

The rally continued for a few more years, but without great enthusiasm, and 1969 proved to be the last year of the event.