This was a regularity challenge over two days, designed to test each crew’s ability to maintain a precise average speed over a route requiring complex navigation on public roads. The idea is to provide a competitive event, without encouraging high speed driving.
Participating cars included Jaguars (E-Type, XJS, and Mk1), Porsches (356 and 911), Triumphs (Stag and TR4A), Austin Healeys (3000 and Sprite), Lancia (Fulvia), a Corvette, and of course an MG Midget!
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| Lined up, ready to go. Le Mans start not necessary! |
The target speed was 24mph (apart from a couple of slower narrow lanes), designed to maintain safety and protected cherished, and in some cases valuable classic cars. That’s the idea! Sounds slow... perhaps a little tedious? Unfortunately, as soon as you’ve made a mistake or got delayed, you’ve got to try and make up time. Crews are being timed to the nearest second through several intermediate time controls on each stage, sometimes with secret controls located out of sight. At the end of the event, the team that has visited all these controls and who has the fewest early or late penalties overall is the winner.
Speed tables are used to accurately re-calibrate the speedo in the car, based on a precisely measured circuit (so in our case we were using 23.9 mph tables for this rally). Mrs C was navigating and checking average speed – the tables giving us exact times for precise distances (to the 1/10 mile).
Arguably more important is navigation. The rally used a series of ball and arrow diagrams to describe junctions where a deviation from “the ordinary course” was required, supplemented by clues and instructions that are not always obvious. The diagrams are usually referred to as tulips; not because they look like flowers, but because they first came to prominence in the Tulip Rally (Tulpen rally) of the 1950s. Getting the route wrong makes you hopelessly behind on the average speed, hence the importance of navigation.
“ABW” and the crew came a credible “not last” in our first taste of this type of event. This was despite missing one of the first turns and getting hopelessly off course on the first morning. Gradually we improved our accuracy and reduced the penalty points – even scoring a near-mythical zero on one section (completing the section to the nearest second at average speed). The winning Jaguar MK1 team scored only three hundred penalties over the whole weekend; I think we managed that on one stage!
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| Approaching a control point |
More importantly we had a great time, met some new friends and fellow classic car enthusiasts, and had an excuse to clock up a couple of hundred miles in the car. The navigating and regularity driving was mentally challenging, but good fun. Fortunately there was time to relax and recuperate each evening. To top it all navigator and driver are still on speaking terms.
A great event that was excellently planned and executed by A La Carte Rallies. Bring on the next challenge!
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