Caledonian Classic and Historic Motorsport Club

Rallye Monte Carlo Historique Glasgow Start - 26th January

Glasgow turned out in style to wish around 100 cars start the Rallye Monte Carlo Historique from the People's Palace at Glasgow Green at 2.00pm on Saturday 26th January. Before commencing their 2190 mile journey to Monte some of the cars went on display to the shoppers and visitors in the city centre at Buchanan Street. Taking pride of place was a team all the way from Australia competing in a 1948 Holden FX 48-215 celebrating the 60th anniversary of the 1953 event when the car was driven by Lex Davison, Stan Jones and Tony Gaze. This year Lex's son Richard took the wheel along with Australia's V8 Supercar champion Craig Lowndes and project leader and former hill climb champion Gary Poole. Sole remaining 1953 driver, Tony Gaze is the official patron of the 2013 Australian team.

Some 16000 people came out to see the cars start at the People's Palace at 2.00pm, led of by veteran Tommy Bryce,who competed in the 1954 event, in his vintage Citreon. Under a blue sky and sunshine the cars lined up for their departure over the start ramp, flagged of by Glasgow's Lord Provost, Sadie Docherty. First car away was Douglas Anderson with Richard Bartnicek of Caledonian Classic and Historic Car Club in a 1965 Triumph Vitesse. Douglas is fulfilling his boyhood dream to bring the Monte Carlo Rally back to Glasgow, and this is the third year he has worked with Glasgow and The Monaco Car Club who organise the event.

The long line of classic cars including CCHMSC members and our friends from Club Triumph who relish these 'sorties' over to the continent, and Stirling and District Car Club, left at one minute intervals, passing crowds lining the Glasgow streets on their way to Blythswood Square, the start location back in the sixties and seventies, for a photo opportunity, before heading to the first welcoming point at Auldgirth near Dumfries.

A special event allowed many local classic car enthusiasts to follow the route to Auldgirth and take in the atmosphere of crowds on the route from Glasgow, waving from the roadside, bridges, villages and towns on the way.

By now they had caught up with the snow and rain, but after refreshments were on their way again towards Scotch Corner and Barnby Moor in Nottinghamshire, where a stop at the Ye Olde Bell Inn further captured the same control point as used in the fifties and sixties. A run down to Dover for the ferry crossing to France completed the UK leg of the rally. The first cars reached Dover about midnight with the tailenders around 3.00am.

Sunday 27th saw the cars log into the control at Calais before heading south toward Valence, the Alps, and timed circuits into the mountains.

You can see the cars lined up at the People's Palace taken by Alan Duncan at http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottish_classic__car_clubs/sets/72157632619603848/

Here are a selection of the cars as they pass over the start ramp HERE

And again more photos from Tom Telfer slipping and sliding on a snowbound Auldgirth Inn car park, as the crews practice for the alpine climbs in France
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottish_classic__car_clubs/