Party time at the ACM Gala Dinner Parc Fermé fills up
2CV sits alongside Porsche 356
as successful finishers.
Pink
for one Citreon Ladies team
It's a long way to Monte Carlo
Monte
Carlo or Bust - Our Time in Monte Report by Jim Paterson
The
main competitors having reached Monte Carlo on the Concentration Leg
had to head back up to Valence for the Alpine loop. Whilst they did
that we took a day of to visit Monte and sort out a few housekeeping
things with the ACM, and take in a bit of sight seeing. The competitors
were due back a couple of days later so we had a trip over to Italy, as
a taster for the Trans Alpina 2011 in October. We visited San Remo and
headed up the Turini for tea, and Sospel on the way home. It was now
Tom
Dromgoole's turn to feel unwell, following in the footsteps of Douglas.
We met the crews on their
return from the Valence “loop” at the Monte Carlo
waterfront Parc Fermé, opposite the swimming pool, which is
used as an
ice rink during the winter months. By now the full 331 cars, less those
who had
dropped out, had to be packed into the car park. We joined the crews in
the Welcome Tent for a buffet supper before they headed out on the
night loop up into the Maritime Alps, and the Turini, on the final leg
of the event.
Dave Spence, Roddie Main
and John Stuart headed
up into the Maritimes to La Turbie and Moulinet, to
catch some of the cars as they tackled the last section. Film of the
cars passing the Turini summit show the party atmosphere up there as
the event was coming to a conclusion.
It was now
my time to
feel unwell and spent most of my night in the toilet of our hotel room. The ACM club had put Douglas and I up in
the Fairmont, the
hotel that faces the Mirabeau hairpins and forms the Tunnel on the GP
circuit. As we had all eaten different things we started to think it
was something a little more sinister. By morning I was much recovered,
but stayed local as the final scores were calculated and the winners
identified. The Gala dinner at the Monte Carlo Sporting Club was also
in the evening and I wanted to be ready for that.
Douglas
had
taken himself of to Nice for the day, and returned unwell, same as I
had the night before. Disaster, he was confined to bed for the Gala
Dinner evening.
ACM know how to put on a good
show, they have
plenty of experience what with the GP etc. At the Monte Carlo Sporting
Club I met Michel Ferry, ACM Historic Vehicles Committee President,
who told me that
he
was very pleased with the Glasgow start, and will certainly put Glasgow
forward for 2012, but it is not his decision alone, and we will have to
wait to see which locations are selected for next year. Here you see
the winners; Italian team, Mario Sala and Maurizio Torlasco who drove a
Porsche 911 to victory, alongside the runners up.
The
next
morning it was time to head for home, and the competitors cars
were loaded on to
trailers, or driven home, this time on the motorways. The Sierra and
Kia crews headed north ahead of us, and it was John Stuart's turn to
be hit by the dreaded bug, making them call in at Reims for
the
night. Dave then became ill during the night! So it was a pretty sorry
party that set off the next morning, with John no better,
Dave feeling rough and Tom also a bit dickey.
Thankfully Roddie Main was OK.
The
Sierra crew
decided to go for the Tunnel. They must have looked pretty
scruffy
because the UK Border Agency pulled the car in and asked them some very
searching questions, like where had they been? I don't think they
believed Dave's explanation that they had been to Monte Carlo and
wanted proof that they were connected
with the Rally. They wanted to see the registration documents for the
car, asked why they
had gone over by ferry and back by Tunnel, where they were
going
in the UK
etc. Then they asked them to open the boot and pointed to the Mud
&
Snow tyres in the boot. Dave thought they were going to cut them open
to
look for drugs!! The officer examining them then went away for a long
consultation with his colleagues and came back and said "Have
a
nice day
gents - its not you we're looking for". What a welcome home. [mind you
I reckon they were looking a dodgy scruffy bunch by then! Ed]
A
stop at Maidstone Services, to give John some respite as he was feeling
unwell again, brought more trouble for the Sierra. It wouldn't
start because the
alarm went off as soon as the doors were unlocked!
Eventually disconnecting the battery earth lead seemed to
solve
the
problem. Got themselves lost on the M25 because of roadworks and went
away past the M1 junction, eventually turned round to point
north.
The final sting in the tail for the Sierra
crew, heading
for Inverness,
was news that the A9 was closed due to snow and accidents
north of
Dalwhinnie, so they wouldn't have got home anyway. A night
in Carlisle, after some horrendous weather going over Shap,
was the
chosen solution. They battled north
on Friday, the roads slushy and horrible all the way from Blair Atholl
to Inverness, though not nearly as bad as the Route Napoleon!
Eventually they got home 2 p.m. Friday.
Meanwhile
our
plans for the Herald to head for a friend at Laussane were abandoned to
save passing
on our unfriendly bugs, as was a trip to the Retromobile Classic Car
show in Paris. The latter was a blessing as Scotland were playing
France in Paris and accommodation would have been difficult to find at
short notice.
With
Douglas dozing, and me on auto pilot I missed the turning to Paris for
Reims, heading unwittingly to Nancy and Metz! We were heading for the
German border by time the penny dropped and we jumped off the motorway
and asked the satnav for help.
Taking the shortest
route is
not always the best, and we passed over some very odd roads, single
track and hump back bridges etc. The mist was billowing across the
road and I thought we had taken another wrong turn into
Transylvania
and Dracula's castle was about to appear through the mist with the
Count beckoning us in with a wide “toothy” smile!
Eventually we hit the main route into Reims and sought out a hotel to
rest our weary heads.
The final run took us to the
channel and
straight up the M11/A1 to Edinburgh, and Dundee. At least were not
harrased by the UK Border Agency, nor did we miss the M25/M11 turn. The
winds were horrendous, and old cars don't have a great stability to
side winds. Douglas had fitted a "quick rack" which means small turns
on the steering wheel make large turns at the road wheels. Great for
Col bashing, not so good on a motorway in high winds.
Well,
it was all over for 2011.
Never again will we see another Monte Carlo Rally 100th anniversary and
though we all had
gippy tummies, except Roddie (what is his secret?) I wouldn't have
missed it for the world.
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The
main competitors having reached Monte Carlo on the Concentration Leg
had to head back up to Valence for the Alpine loop. Whilst they did
that we took a day of to visit Monte and sort out a few housekeeping
things with the ACM, and take in a bit of sight seeing. The competitors
were due back a couple of days later so we had a trip over to Italy, as
a taster for the Trans Alpina 2011 in October. We visited San Remo and
headed up the Turini for tea, and Sospel on the way home. It was now
Tom
Dromgoole's turn to feel unwell, following in the footsteps of Douglas.
We met the crews on their
return from the Valence “loop” at the Monte Carlo
waterfront Parc Fermé, opposite the swimming pool, which is
used as an
ice rink during the winter months. By now the full 331 cars, less those
who had
dropped out, had to be packed into the car park. We joined the crews in
the Welcome Tent for a buffet supper before they headed out on the
night loop up into the Maritime Alps, and the Turini, on the final leg
of the event. 
It was now
my time to
feel unwell and spent most of my night in the toilet of our hotel room. The ACM club had put Douglas and I up in
the Fairmont, the
hotel that faces the Mirabeau hairpins and forms the Tunnel on the GP
circuit. As we had all eaten different things we started to think it
was something a little more sinister. By morning I was much recovered,
but stayed local as the final scores were calculated and the winners
identified. The Gala dinner at the Monte Carlo Sporting Club was also
in the evening and I wanted to be ready for that.
ACM know how to put on a good
show, they have
plenty of experience what with the GP etc. At the Monte Carlo Sporting
Club I met Michel Ferry, ACM Historic Vehicles Committee President,
who told me that
he
was very pleased with the Glasgow start, and will certainly put Glasgow
forward for 2012, but it is not his decision alone, and we will have to
wait to see which locations are selected for next year. Here you see
the winners; Italian team, Mario Sala and Maurizio Torlasco who drove a
Porsche 911 to victory, alongside the runners up.
The
next
morning it was time to head for home, and the competitors cars
were loaded on to
trailers, or driven home, this time on the motorways. The Sierra and
Kia crews headed north ahead of us, and it was John Stuart's turn to
be hit by the dreaded bug, making them call in at Reims for
the
night. Dave then became ill during the night! So it was a pretty sorry
party that set off the next morning, with John no better,
Dave feeling rough and Tom also a bit dickey.
Thankfully Roddie Main was OK. 
The
Sierra crew
decided to go for the Tunnel. They must have looked pretty
scruffy
because the UK Border Agency pulled the car in and asked them some very
searching questions, like where had they been? I don't think they
believed Dave's explanation that they had been to Monte Carlo and
wanted proof that they were connected
with the Rally. They wanted to see the registration documents for the
car, asked why they
had gone over by ferry and back by Tunnel, where they were
going
in the UK
etc. Then they asked them to open the boot and pointed to the Mud
&
Snow tyres in the boot. Dave thought they were going to cut them open
to
look for drugs!! The officer examining them then went away for a long
consultation with his colleagues and came back and said "Have
a
nice day
gents - its not you we're looking for". What a welcome home. [mind you
I reckon they were looking a dodgy scruffy bunch by then! Ed] 
With
Douglas dozing, and me on auto pilot I missed the turning to Paris for
Reims, heading unwittingly to Nancy and Metz! We were heading for the
German border by time the penny dropped and we jumped off the motorway
and asked the satnav for help.