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Farewell Blighty as we head for Europe

Tynecot where school students learn of our past mistakes.

Thiepval in late afternoon sun


Terry looks for source of smoke

Porsche looms out of the mist

Terry finds lunch at a friendly boulangerie



View from the col

Graeme Gallaoway's Anglia
Dolomiti Sfida -  22 September to 9 October 2017

Our biennial tour of Europe headed for the usual start town of Reims where six of our seven crews mustered for this years Dolomiti Sfida, the Dolomite Challenge. Our seventh and final crew would join at the next town on out trip.

The roadbook said our trip would cover 1875 miles heading as far east as Slovenia, travelling across ten countries, over some of the highest and famous passes in the Alps. For those starting in the UK, the home to home trip would be closer to 3500 to 4000, with one crew reporting 4270 miles on the clock.

Viaggio a Reims - Travel to Reims. 22 September

Crews made their way to Reims using several methods. I met up with my co-driver John Stuart in Galashiels and headed for Newcastle to board the Amsterdam ferry. Here we met Dave and Maureen Spence in their BMW 325Ci Sport, Roddie and Sylvia Main in their Mercedes 320SL, Richard and Yvonne Bartniczek in their Alfa Ro
meo Spider seen on several of our previous continental tours. We all enjoyed our first meal care of DFDS ferries saying farewell to Blighty in the distance.
 
Meanwhile Joe Norman and Terry Clark took the direct Dover Calais ferry in their Porsche 911 Turbo, another crew and car seen on previous sorties to Europe. Taking the tunnel crossing was our final UK crew Mag and Don Campbell in their Ferrari 328, a regular having completed every continental tour since the inaugural 2009 tour.

Arriving in Amsterdam on the morning of the 22nd most took the direct route to Reims. I got stopped after passport control and breathalaysed. Now not having had the pleasure before I provided a short puff into the device. Wrong said our friendly policeman. All I managed to do was throw the unit into tilt mode which kept bleeping and making other stange noises. A second attempt fared a bit better but still screwed the device up, though a smile indicated I had passed the test, even though I left the policeman trying with his colleagues to reset his breathalayser. 

My co-driver John Stuart had not travelled the Western Front so I took him the scenic route through Holland, Belgium and France to Passchendale, Tyne Cot, Thiepval and Lochnagar Crater at La Boselle, before we joined the other crews for the opening gala dinner in Reims.

Primo Stadio - Reims to Gerardmer. 23 September

The morning mist lay thick on the ground as we prepped the cars with rally plates and checked over the oil, cleaned the windscreens, and made sure the inter car walkie talkies worked.

It was then our first trauma struck. Hit by the smell and the pool of liquid under the Mercedes, Roddie was on the ground checking for leaks. Most of the fuel had leaked out of the tank all over the hotel car park, so a no smoking zone was quickly established. With the Ferrari parked right next door we took extra care. A ruptured feed pipe was eventually identified but how to repair, as it was tucked well up behind the rear scuttle. A Call to breakdown services secured help, which on a Saturday morning in France is no mean feat.

Meanwhile the rest of us fuelled up before taking to the Reims Gueux circuit for the obligatory photo lineup shoot. Terry and Joe in the Porsche had noticed smoke entering the cockpit so pulled in at the fuel station, opened the bonnet (front of a Porsche remember) to see smoke coming from the wiring loom under the windscreen. Pull the baggage out to find the source and a speedy repair before the loom melted away. What a start to the event !

We had just arrived
at the circuit, and started to click a few snaps when no less than 27 Porsche's arrived through the morning mist to do the same thing. They too were on a tour, but came from all across Europe.
Reims Gueux in the mist, with 27 Porsche's joining us.
Photos complete we returned to Roddie who was now in a garage having the punctured pipe replaced. He would take the fast road toward our next overnight at Gerardmer in the Vosge mountains, to catch us up, while we headed south on the first 181km (112ml) sprint. With the sun breaking through, the temperature climbed to welcome 21 degrees. Even had to stop for sunscreen.

We set off back to Reims and on to the main route. Getting out of Reims can be a problem and some of us took a wrong slot. This would be a regular occurence for all of us during the tour. Fortunately my co-driver John kept the MX5 on the right road and with the help of the walkie talkies found a regroup spot to pull into wait for the others.

A lunch stop in a sleepy town on a Saturday had us searching for a hostelry. We found one with drinks but no food. Terry had spotted a boulangerie and jogged back before it closed to buy what was left on the shelves. Top marks again to that man for ingenuity. Puts fires out and finds food.   

Climbed our first col of the tour Col du Poirier at a vertigo inducing 433 metres. Much higher peaks to come.

It was at Gerardmer, on the side of Lac de Gerardmer we met Roddie and Sylvia, with an intact Mercedes, and our seventh crew, Ranald Bruce and Louise Wall in the Fiat Barchetta. Club members Ranald and Louise moved to France from Scotland some years ago but join our European tours whenever they can. Great to have them along, and for the first evening dinner. Rallying is a social event when on these tours.

Updated 19 January 2018
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