Peter Lloyd and Suzanne May

Day 0 - Hampton Court Palace to Portsmouth
This is known as Day 0 as results do not count to the overall rally score - it is more of a practice day and a chance to get a feel for how the rally proper will operate - and it is a more interesting way of getting to the ferry!.
It was an early start to be at scrutineering by 9am, just around the corner from the start line at Hampton Court Palace. There were 3 groups being scrutineered - the Touring Trial cars, travelling to Lisbon also but in more precious cars and not on the same time schedule or roads as us (rally plates start with TT then a number), and the Victory Run group, travelling to Portsmouth only, and specifically aimed at anyone new to rallying. All cars were being checked for both safety and authenticity, and that they conformed to noise regulations - as usual we just snuck in on that one!
Documentation was next, at the Palace itself - armloads of information and forms, plus road books containing each days route, and amendments to the route already! Luckily, the sun was out and we had a chance to sit outside and catch our breath while taking it all in. Nice to see some familiar faces amongst the 75 other competitors, from the last London-Lisbon and the other rallies we have competed in since.
We decided to form a team entry with the other Sunbeam Tiger, driven by George Baird (Ireland) and navigated by his wife Elizabeth, and a beautiful 1954 Sunbeam Alpine, driven by David Harris and navigated by Mina Clarke. Rather than call the team something obvious like 'Team Sunbeam' we decided on 'Three Islands', to sum up the Irish, English and Australian composition of the group. (Suzanne says: It should be noted that we had to enter as an Australian crew, as only 1 nationality is noted and it is that of the driver. This was done under both protest and duress, and I need to stress that the flag on the side of the car next to my name was a New Zealand one!!)
At precisely 12.17 we were clocked out and drove down the main driveway to start the afternoon route. It was a fairly uneventful run, useful to blow the cobwebs away, and through the beautiful rolling hills of the South Downs. We had a time control at a Wisborough Green, which was manned by members of the British Lawnmower Racing Association - they host the 12 hour endurance event each year (!). Arrived at Portsmouth in mid afternoon and had time for a wander before boarding. Two years ago we had a very rough sailing (the Bay of Biscay is renowned for its bad weather), so we were pleasantly surprised to have a smooth and trouble-free crossing this time.
Day 1 - Bilbao to Santander
A very early start, as the ferry docked at 7am and we had to have the cars ready to disembark before the foot passengers. We then had to drive to a private castle at Torre Loizaga in the hills above Bilbao and had about an hour and a half before the official restart to get there. At this point, we would also be meeting up with other competitors who had chosen to join the rally here, rather than take the ferry.
The castle was amazing, but it was what was hidden in the grounds that really made your jaw drop. In various sheds on the property were hundreds of classic cars from the private collection of the castle owner - literally one of each model of Rolls Royce ever made and then some. It was great having the time to wander around and have a good look, and I have no idea how the rally organisers found out about the place.
Restarting at 10.50 in brilliant sunshine, we drove straight to a local Go-Kart track for the first driving test - there was going to be at least 1 of these a day, with the fastest time given 0 points and then 1 penalty being
“Peter Lloyd nipping around the go-kart circuit”
added for each second slower than this 'bogey' time. This initial test was a straight out speed test around the track, which was very twisty in places, but on later tests, cones and/or straw bales were introduced to make things more interesting. We found the tests a good way to break the long distance driving, and it also introduced a very competitive element amongst the drivers, to say the least!
After some beautiful roads through lower mountains, we stopped for a group lunch in a restored 18th century nobleman's house, now a hotel. It was wonderful sitting out by the pool in full sun, and the white bean stew with local sausages was absolutely delicious - very rustic. After lunch we climbed to about 1350 metres in the lower mountains and also struck the first of many major road works. Luckily, running fairly early in the field we were still a novelty, and they were moving diggers and trucks to let us through and all waving (in fact not much work being done at all) - however some of the later runners weren't so lucky.
“Lunch Stop” at Vila Real town square
Late afternoon we arrived in Santander, which is the other major ferry port on the Northern Spanish coast. We actually finished in the municipal reserve on the waterfront, amongst the palm trees and beaches, which was lovely, but the best was yet to come with our hotel, the Hotel Real.
Day 2 - Santander to Gijon
Straight out of town this morning to another Go Kart track, the test this time with both cones and a reverse park in it, so very interesting. Onto a very narrow gorge with overhanging rocks VERY close for a regularity section, where you have to maintain a constant speed to the second at any given point, which we seemed to do ok at. Lots of climbing before lunch up to about 1600 metres in a national park, where the great slabs of rock are bright green from constant dampness. Then straight down what appeared to be a goat track to a tiny village (Posada de Valdeon) in the middle of nowhere for a lunch provided by the locals. What a feast! We had a wonderful stew with enormous chunks of meat in it, served with great slabs of fresh local bread - again very rustic and the people, who spoke no English were just lovely.
Obviously the excellent hospitality at lunch had relaxed a certain Mr P Lloyd, as he proceeded to put 12 litres of DIESEL into the car at the next fuel stop. The car itself was running fine, although competitors behind us were complaining that they couldn't see past a massive cloud of blue smoke! We topped up the tank with proper petrol at every opportunity, and within a day or so the cloud had subsided - let's face it, with only a 45 litre tank, we fill up quite often!
In the afternoon we dropped back down to more narrow gorges and overhanging rocks, then turned off onto a track even narrower than before - in fact, there was grass growing up the middle, so it was obviously not in daily use! The average speed on this section was dropped to 25 kph for over 20 km, so you can use your imagination on this one! We also came face to face with various wildlife, mainly cattle and goats and the occasional sleeping dog - obviously not usually disturbed. Last stop before the hotel in Gijon was the local velodrome for another speed test - we were amazed at the huge crowd that had gathered to offer support, and the grandstands were actually quite full. After a quick blast around the track in about 36 seconds, we just got to the hotel before a torrential downpour, which sadly was to be the first of many.
Day 3 - Gijon to Ponferrada
Another Kart track and another test this morning, although the rain was making things interesting and the marshals warned us that one car had already spun off by the time we were ready to start. Again, major road works made the first leg today quite tedious, and the heavy rain added to the mess they were making.
A short but tough regularity section straight up in a regional park, again with only a few penalties, and the start of a new saying. As we finished, we saw car 23, a white MGA rejoining our road from another direction. After speaking to Dean, the novice navigator at lunch, we decided that an appropriate code for this error of judgment was to be 'going to visit an Aunty'. Unfortunately, there were many more aunties, in fact whole families to be visited yet....! After lunch, we had the tightest road section yet, and had to cover 34.75 km in 42 minutes. On a normal road this wouldn't be a problem, but as we turned the first, unsealed corner and saw the road ahead we knew it would be extremely tough. Also, there was a town at the end that we had to get through to get to the time control, so knew we would have to have a few spare minutes up our sleeves. To say it was a nightmare - and there was a herd of cows and some goats on the way as well. We got into the town with 4 minutes in hand, and turned the last corner to see one of the rally cars (red MGA) wrapped around a lamp post and another (Mercedes 300SL) just being pulled from a tree - a very sobering moment.
We could see that everyone was ok and the locals were all assisting, so rather than add to the chaos we pressed on. Next was a regularity straight up a mountain, and on the first corner a digger was in the way, but kindly lifted his bucket to let us pass under - we still lost 20 seconds here though, which is the upper limit of penalties at a timing control to maintain a gold medal - phew!
In the hotel that night we heard that many cars didn't make THAT time control and that in fact there had been quite a few near misses throughout the day. The driver of the red MGA (in his seventies and has been rallying for 50 years), admitted he was pushing too hard in the town, and then told us how the actual light off the lamp post had fallen on top of the car after they hit the post! The only injury was to the navigator of the Mercedes, who had to have stitches in her head after hitting the windscreen frame. The two old birds in a Volvo had also driven a chap into a ditch, and one of the Austin Healey's had spun and lost a door and the steering. We had already had the feeling that this was an extremely competitive rally that was really being driven on the edge but to see some of these broken cars and shaken people was very difficult. We started to wonder what was to come tomorrow......
Day 4 - Ponferrada to Ourense
Something very unexpected on this morning's section - snow! We climbed up towards the ski fields of the Montes de Leon, and hit the snowline fairly early on. By the time we reached the highest point at 1969 metres we were in deep fog and there was thick frost and ice all around - very bizarre and not what we had really expected. Another unexpected sight just ahead was the red MGA involved in yesterday's accident. Apparently because they had hit the power pole straight on, the engine was largely undamaged and they had been able to continue.
Another regularity section followed, and this time it was our turn to visit an Aunty, after taking a right fork rather than a left one. We realised our error almost straight away, but the road was so narrow there was nowhere to turn around so we had to keep going. By the time we righted the wrong and were back on the right route, we were 6 minutes down on time - and maximum lateness for a gold medal is 20 seconds! As we start these sections one minute apart, we knew we had to pass 6 cars, who were doing an average speed of 31.08 mph. Hardly a challenge on a two lane motorway, but on a single track road with no edges and no barriers, half way up a mountain?? If there had been a marshal checkpoint we would have been sunk, but luck (and superb driving) and courteous competitors were on our side, and we caught up the time. Needless to say, at lunchtime we made a point of thanking those six cars profusely!
We spent most of the rest of the day skirting around massive hydro electric dams in the forests near Ourense. Our arrival in the city was via a pedestrianised walk in the centre of town, and again there were a huge number of locals out to cheer us on.
Day 5 - Ourense to Vila Real
More rain this morning as we headed for the Portugese border, and more road works - Spain and Portugal have just been granted millions of Euros to upgrade their roads, and they using it! Another regularity, which by now we are feeling pretty confident with - only a few penalties each day on these. Across the border (a non-event as it is not even manned, although the time changes by an hour, creating mass confusion on the rally), and through some tiny villages, all cobble stoned, with lots of locals out cheering madly. We learned later that there were a few more scrapes here.
Another speed test that was 1.3 km long, so a really good opportunity for a blast around! We stopped in the hills above the city of Braga at Bom Jesus - a granite Baroque church that is the goal of all the pilgrims on this route. An extremely long regularity section this afternoon, over an hour long, uphill, in fog, at speeds ranging from 26.10 mph to 31.08 mph, with notes in the road book like 'CARE - BIG DROP'. I am lucky that my eyes are fixed on both the stopwatch and the trip meter, and not on the road!!
Our arrival at Vila Real was spectacular, as they are fanatical about motor sport here. Until the 1970's there was a street circuit here, and you can still see some of the old grandstands. We parked in the town square, where officials had marked out spaces with tape - complete with a mound of sand in each one to go under the engine. The mayor held a reception for us at the Town Hall, and some of the old racing drivers were there too, although at the end of a long day's rallying, it is very hard to stand still and be attentive!
Day 6 - Vila Real to Coimbra
We had been warned that today would be the longest one, and looking at our timecards we had an 8.20 am start and a 7.30pm finish. The morning went quickly though, as we were in the Douro Valley, which is quite wonderful. This is where all the grapes for the best port are grown, and October is harvest time. Imagine a gorge with terraced hills for as far as you can see - all golden with vines, some sun, and a bit of mist…. We stopped by one of the Quintas (port houses) and it was nice to soak up a bit of sun and relax - once in the car each day the concentration was full on. We headed up and over the hills away from the vines and towards the town of Mandualde where lunch stop was scheduled. Quite a long road section but no regularities or tests. There was wine and (sheep's) cheese tasting at the lunch halt, and we bought some vowing to sort out the boot at some
stage as we seemed to have accumulated all sorts of bits and pieces along the way. Next we had a deviation to another town (Gouveia), where the mayor had specifically asked us to stop by. A few Aunties’ were visited as the directions were complex, and some cars were given packs of wine by the mayor. We didn't see him though. A long drive straight up now, to the top of Portugal's highest mountain, Torre (1993 metres/6539 feet). The drive was amazing - very few barriers and the road in a huge 'U' shape around an ancient glacier on the way. I can honestly say we were completely shattered on arrival in Coimbra - the heavy schedule not just of Day 6 but the previous days as well all catching up with us, and the added concentration of always keeping an eye on fuel. We managed to put 47 litres in our 45 litre tank, so must have been right on the limit.
Day 7 - Coimbra to Lisbon
Great roads this morning, through lots of drowned valleys and gum trees - what a lovely smell and a nice way to start the day. Then a strange detour, to the geographical centre of Portugal for a time control. So, now we have done the highest point and the middle!
Lunch today was an absolute highlight, although on paper it looked pretty average. It was described as 'a newly opened restaurant alongside the main road that is big enough to cope with a large group such as ours'. On arrival there, there was a local orchestra playing, and traditional folk dancing going on, all put on by the local town. The costumes, music and people were just wonderful and we felt very privileged they had gone to so much trouble for us. We also had our first ham and cheese roll today, which was very welcome after some of the heavier lunches we had been experiencing. The next section was a 190 km long straight link to Lisbon but the roads were pretty awful as were the Portugese drivers. A truck in front of us carrying vegetables started losing it's load, which we successfully dodged except for one huge onion, as big as a football, that lodged under the car. It smelt like a barbeque!!
Our next time control was at the Cristo Rei monument, south of Lisbon. This is a statue of Christ modelled on the one in Rio de Janeiro and is 113 metres high.
Day 8 - Lisbon to Lisbon
An obscenely early start to get to Estoril grand prix circuit by 8am. Apparently, the circuit was being used by the Minardi Formula 1 team and we had to be well clear before they arrived. We had to complete 2 identical laps here - i.e. do one lap, note your time and then do another one the same. The restrictions are that you must be quick but not too quick - between 60 kph and 80 kph, no faster than 3 minutes 8 seconds and no slower than 4 minutes 11 seconds. Got that? So, we went around at around 40 mph and in 3 minutes 42 seconds, and were only out by 1 second after the second lap, so still within gold medal standard (maximum of 5 seconds allowed here).
Next was a regularity section at Sintra, site of the Palacio Nacional de Pena - a Bavarian looking castle built in the 19th century
Rally cars below from Cristo Rei
By now it was raining heavily, and the fog was still hanging around too. Portugal we had looked forward to! The average speed set for the regularity was 27.97 mph, and at the first turn we knew we were in trouble - straight up, with leaves on the road, stone walls either side, and with oncoming traffic. Pete did well to keep the car on the road, and we made it to the first time control 17 seconds down - still within gold, but we were to find out later that several crews lost their gold here - it really was very dangerous.
Thinking that the worst was over, we headed out to the coast on a road section to Ericeira, a traditional fishing village, where there was a time control and about 20 minutes to look around before clocking out. In the ultimate visit to the grandest Aunty of them all, we took a left turn 100 metres before we should, and ended up very lost and about 20 minutes behind schedule.
We decided the most sensible thing to do (apart from the obvious one of don't panic) was to retrace our steps to where we knew we were last right, which we did, in time to see car 53 going past - we knew we were seriously late now! We flew into this small, quiet and traditional fishing village and while I was sprinting to the time control with 1 MINUTE to spare, Pete was being interviewed by local television, probably for making such a grand entrance. (Our power slide to the steps of the tourist information office where the time control was did attract a round of applause from a Saga tour group!).
Whew! Now all we had left was a last regularity and a run back into Lisbon to the Praco de Commercio. We had finished higher up than last time, in much tougher company on a much tougher rally and with a gold medal. To have a car like ours that never misses a beat and is so reliable and powerful really makes the sport so much more enjoyable.
The presentation dinner was held in the pavilion at the botanic gardens, and we were thrilled that our ‘Three Islands' team won the best marque team award by quite a margin.
PS The ultimate award at the presentation dinner was our national trophy. As we were entered as Australians, we won the only award for that country. However, when we read the brass plaque on the trophy itself, the wording is 'Best Austrian Team'!!

“The Three Islands” Team
George and Elizabeth Baird David Harris and Mina Clarke Peter Lloyds and Suzanne May
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