The Rallye Gillet is a motorcycle touring event that was originally established in 1923 by the Gillet Herstal marque itself. At that time, participants had to register with Gillet in order to receive a rally booklet listing all of the brand’s dealerships. The aim of the tour was for each participant to make their way toward Dinant, stopping at as many Gillet dealerships as possible along the route to collect stamps and signatures in their rally booklet.
Image taken from the book 'Les Motos Gillet Herstal' by Yves Campion
Even in those days, the event attracted an astonishing 1,000 motorcycles at the start, and prizes worth more than 60,000 francs were awarded—an enormous sum for the time. The Rallye Gillet was a major event and continued to be organized by Gillet Herstal until 1928.
In 2003, a group of enthusiasts of the marque came up with the idea of reviving the rally. Since then, the Rallye Gillet has once again been held every three years in Dinant. This year’s edition, which took place on Sunday, May 3, also attracted several members of AMAL, some of whom own one or more motorcycles from the Belgian marque. For this 8th edition of the revived Rallye Gillet, an impressive 140 Gillet motorcycles from many different countries made their way to Dinant, where participants gathered at 7:00 a.m. at the Citadel.
After enjoying a coffee, a croissant, and a briefing from the organizer, it was time to set off. The morning ride followed an exceptionally beautiful, signposted 70-kilometre route toward the Abbey of Maredsous.
Unfortunately, around 10:00 a.m., shortly after the first lubrication stop, it began to rain. By the time we arrived at the Abbey of Maredsous two hours later, the heavens had truly opened. Everyone was pleased to be able to enjoy lunch indoors and stay dry while heavy rain poured down outside.
When we set off again at around 2:00 p.m., the rain had eased somewhat, allowing us to complete the remaining 65 kilometres mostly in dry conditions.
All in all, it was a wonderful Rallye Gillet, very well organized and made successful through the efforts of many dedicated volunteers. Bringing together 140 motorcycles of a single marque for one event is in itself an impressive organizational achievement.
AMAL would like to thank the organizers of the Rallye Gillet and is already looking forward to the next edition in three years’ time.
More pictures in the gallery below:
