Founded in 1950, the Rallye du Var has more than seven decades of continuous history, making it one of the longest-running rally events in France. Its November slot at the tail end of the motorsport calendar has given it a particular character as a season finale, drawing both title contenders wrapping up championship campaigns and high-profile guest entrants seeking competitive outings outside the pressures of a full season programme.
The event's location along the Côte d'Azur hinterland provides technical tarmac stages typical of southern French roads — narrow, twisting routes through pine forests and coastal hills that reward precision and car balance. Sainte-Maxime and the broader Var region offer a scenically dramatic backdrop that has contributed to the event's reputation within the French rally scene.
The Rallye du Var has attracted an exceptional roster of high-profile drivers across its history, functioning partly as a showcase event where world-level talent mingles with domestic French competitors.
Sébastien Loeb, the nine-time World Rally Champion, won the event three times — in 2000, 2009, and 2014 — making him the most successful driver in the modern era of the rally. His 2009 victory came in the Citroën C4 WRC immediately after clinching that year's world title, with his wife Séverine Loeb serving as co-driver in place of regular navigator Daniel Elena. In 2017, Loeb returned to the event driving a restored 1997-specification Peugeot 306 Maxi Formula 2 car. Despite the twenty-year age disadvantage of his machinery, Loeb led for much of the event before dropping behind eventual winner David Salanon, ultimately retiring on the penultimate stage with an engine failure.
Four-time Formula One champion Alain Prost and Renault F1 driver Robert Kubica, winner of the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix, have both contested the rally, illustrating its appeal to drivers from outside the conventional rally ecosystem.
Among other notable winners: Didier Auriol, the 1994 WRC champion, won in 1987 and 1988; François Chatriot won three consecutive editions in 1985, 1986, and 1989; and Dany Snobeck claimed victories in 1982 and 2008 — the second coming 26 years after the first, when the veteran driver beat significantly younger rivals including a podium-placed Loeb. Jari-Matti Latvala won in 2011, becoming the first non-French driver to win the rally and also recording his first-ever victory on asphalt.
In 2016, Hyundai WRC driver Kevin Abbring and co-driver Sebastian Marshall won the event in a Hyundai i20 WRC, making Abbring only the second foreign driver to win the Rallye du Var after Latvala's 2011 breakthrough. Defending champion David Salanon had led the running before an accident on stage 10 at Pignans ended his challenge.
David Salanon won the 2017 edition, partnered with Jérôme Degout, with Sylvain Michel and Yohan Rossel completing the podium. Yoann Bonato took his first victory in 2018 after early leader Sylvain Michel was eliminated by an accident on the third special stage.
As the closing event of the French Rally Championship calendar, the Rallye du Var carries institutional weight within French domestic rallying that few other national events can match. Its longevity since 1950, its European Championship history spanning nearly two decades, and its consistent ability to attract world-class guest entrants have cemented its place as one of the most important tarmac rallies outside the WRC structure. The event's willingness to accommodate guest entries in non-homologated or historic machinery — exemplified by Loeb's 2017 appearance in the Peugeot 306 Maxi — adds a dimension of historic exhibition that enriches its competitive programme.