RTG Carrera Iberia The Daily Dispatch - all days - Flipbook - Page 16
7 to 17 October 2019
Day 8
Douro - Porto (266km)
15 October 2019
Photos: gerardbrown.co.uk
Tight squeeze: Jim Gately and Tony Brooks, 1947 Kurtis Comet
On track: Andrew Laing and Ian Milne, 1974 Datsun 240Z
Wild Atlantic Way
To ease the crews back into the rally groove after
their rest, the Organisers had given them a shorter
day today. It was no less intense though, with two
tough Regularities and three track Tests laid out
in the book.
As dawn broke and we made our way to breakfast, a thick
mist hung over the hills which define the Douro and, once
we’d started down the road and crossed this impressive
river, we climbed away from it and and were sent careering
upwards into the foggy vineyards which run along its
northern bank. All the signs were that it was going to be
a damp day and, by the time we got to the lunch halt, the
Atlantic was making its presence felt and it was raining
heavily.
After the hot, dusty and often straight roads of Spain, the
cool damp wooded and decidedly twisty roads of Portugal
have come as something of a sea change to the Carrera
Iberia, but variety is the spice of life as they say and,
despite the weather, this paisagem rural gave us a really
great day of driving.
The First Regularity was an intense one through dense
woodland, with many changes of height and direction.
And, in the village of Do Fojo, a steep 90° right hand bend
on a wet and cobbled road proved to be something of a
challenge for anybody in anything larger than a nimble 911
never mind a big old Bentley.
The Passage Control in Cafe Christina, Baulhe, gave us
a chance for a quick coffee and, for the open car crews,
the opportunity to put the hood up or to pull on some
waterproofs before embarking on the second Regularity at
Pedro’s Pass. Unfortunately, this proved to be a very wet
one and the road climbed right above the tree line, in a
wild and rugged landscape which would easily pass for
something from our upcoming Celtic Challenge.
After such an energetic morning behind the wheel, the
lunch and Time Control at the Pousada Canicada Geres was
a welcome break and it gave everyone a chance to dry out
and warm up a little before the afternoon’s sport.
www.rallytheglobe.com
