RTG1 - Flipbook - Page 3
Pre start & scrutineering: Aigen im Ennstal, 29 September 2024
Text & photos: gerardbrown.co.uk
Design: K-Design
Veteran of the 1968 London to Sydney, the Morris 1800 Mk2 of
Roy Stephenson and Peter Robinson
Christoph and Zaneta Wolters, 1955 Aston Martin DB 2/4
history, from pre-war Dearborn to cold War Stuttgart, is
represented on the entry list. Some are well-storied and,
like the crews, have fascinating and engaging histories.
Roy Stephenson is delighted to be reunited with two old
rally friends, making their debut with us. firstly, a welltravelled Morris 1800 Mk2, one of seven built for the 1968
london to Sydney. Roy recently re-acquired the car thanks
to “a stroke of undoubted genius”. Secondly, his navigator,
Peter Robinson, no stranger to a long hard drive. The pair
are looking forward to rolling down the road in this most
impressive old land crab.
Before any rally gets underway there are always some
‘issues’ to sort. fittingly for a Sunday, andy Inskip,
charlie neale, and Russ Smith were up early to lead the
pre-scrutineering morning service and variously set to
performing all manner of minor miracles. These included
replacing a wheel bearing of David and Jo Robert’s Triumph,
reconnecting the power supply to Danny Day and Ron
Doyle’s trip meter, silencing an annoying rattle coming from
Keith and norah ashworth’s Mustang and helping trace a
tricky electrical problem with Ean and alison lewin’s Escort.
Eventually, all the cars passed muster and, after the
crews had been inside to collect their paperwork from Gill
cotton, audrey Rudd and andrew Kellitt, they were free
to drive the calibration route and grab some well-deserved
lunch.
Rally Director, fred Gallagher, is absent for this rally,
he and Iain Tullie are working on next year’s Islands of
Japan Marathon. So, the afternoon briefing fell to clerk of
the course, Mark appleton, who welcomed the crews and
highlighted some salient points to make their lives a little
easier on the road. as well as some great competition, Mark
promised “lots of bends, lots of hills, and lots of fun”.
Having answered questions from the floor Mark handed
over to Gill cotton who convened an informal training
session for novice crews who felt they needed a little
guidance and some more pointers to get the best out of
this epic adventure.
as the daylight slid from the snowy slopes of the
Grimming Massif, drinks in the Wintergarten were followed
by a lavish Styrian dinner, allowing crews to get to know
each other and settle into the all-important social side of
the event.
David Long and Paul Bareham, 1934 Talbot AV105
www.rallytheglobe.com