2010 Monte Carlo
Submitted by Simon on Sat, 06/03/2010 - 22:41
Reporting from Monte Carlo:
Update from the finish of the Monte Carlo Historique:
We are about to stroll round the back of the Monte Carlo Bay hotel to the Sporting Club for the prize-giving presentation and dinner with all the competitors under one roof for the first time…about 800 people have to be fed a four course meal with three different wines.
It has been a remarkable week. Lots of snow and ice, two nights at the wheel, umpteen mountain cols, driving a route which Alan Smith says is virtually the same as the 1960 route. He wins third in class, but there are no trophies and no mention, so fails to get a round of applause. Getting the battered Minor to the end amid the Porsche 911s, BMWs, and Lancias has been a hard-fought and determined achievement. The organisers acknowledge that is has been “too tough this year” and promise to make things easier next time …which will be their 100th anniversary.
From the vantage point of Rally Preparation Services we can only agree with this summing up – one of the toughest weeks in rallying yet devised. The girls in the Escort get to the finish with a trouble-free performance from the car that received just two weeks in our workshop (softening the front suspension for more traction and better turn-in, welding the front wings on which improved things greatly, and a few creature comforts and a pair of PIAA lights which made things better for the mountain climbs in the early hours of the morning).
We had to look after a pair of Porsches, the Minor, the Escort and a Lancia Fulvia. The Porsches had regular tyre changes electing for studs on some sections, the Escort ran Vredestein winter tyres and one set has lasted well. With tight road timing service points were limited to rapid re-refuelling and only time for a quick check over.
The next outing for the Escort girls looks like Oxford Motor Club’s 12-car rally in a weeks time – a big contrast from the past few days.
The RPS team now return to the workshop to crack on with the Peking Paris programme.
04/02/2010
Reporting on the Monte Carlo Historique: Simon Ayris and Bill Hitchcock from Rally Preparation Services are part of the the official service support for the five-car team headed by Peter Livanos on the annual Monte, which is running the same route as the modern event but with added concentration-runs at the start.
Our team all started from Turin, which means all crews are climbing Alpine passes very early on. The weather changed as cars left Turin late into the evening and they then spent a long dark and cold night battling their way through a horrendous blizzard. With snow falling thick and fast, all Turin starters were in for a grim time.
Our job could not have challenged the RPS support team more…we had two Porches 911s, one works-spec Lancia Fulvia, a Morris Minor, and a Ford Escort 1.6 Sport.
The Escort is being driven by Heidi Winterbourne and navigated by Nikki Bannister on their first rally. They had to cut the Turini Regularity test which copped them load of penalties, but day two has seen them making better time, with bright sunshine the weather has been less severe.
The night section involved 24 hours of driving on snow and ice over classic cols from the golden era. All Turin starters were collecting a cricket score of penalties, except the Porsche of Yannis Haramis and the Fulvia 1.6 HF of Philip Young and Peter Livanos. These two emerged from the night penalty free, the only two cars from Turin to do so, but the Lancia went out early morning after sliding into a bridge wall and stuffing the radiator.
The girls today though weary are going well, the car has had an alternator change. The Minor cut a passage control on the leg out of Chamberry, missed heavy snow on the Col Grannier, in order to do the Turini, and is going well, we nipped up the back brakes this morning when Alan Smith stopped for a fag-break.
This is a long hard event, hard for competing cars and crews, including the back up support.
It ended with a night haul over the Col Turini……….
(Simon Ayris)
02/02/2010
