Parc fermé
A closed, supervised area where cars are parked and no work on them is allowed – for example overnight or after the finish.
The parc fermé (French for 'closed park') is a sealed, supervised area in which the cars are parked at certain points of an event. Inside the parc fermé a strict ban on work applies: repairs, adjustments and refuelling are forbidden, and only authorised persons may enter.
Typical occasions are the overnight halt on multi-day events, the period before the start, and the phase after the finish, when protests are possible and the cars must remain available for any post-event technical check. The term comes from the FIA regulations and is used unchanged worldwide.
At classic-car regularity rallies the parc fermé is usually handled more loosely than in best-time motor sport; the exact rules – such as whether spannering is allowed in the evening – are set out in the supplementary regulations.
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Related terms
Leg
A major self-contained section of a rally, usually a day's running between two main halts; called Etappe in German.
Stopping zone
Marked area on the route where the vehicle must stop or wait – for example before a time control until the target time.
Regrouping
The deliberate reassembling of the field at rallies, so that all cars arrive at the finish together without large delays.