RtG The Daily Dispatch - Carrera Riviera - WEB - Flipbook - Page 13
4 to 15 June 2023
Day 6
Saint-Émilion to Carcassonne (393.9km)
10 June 2023
As well as passing through five distinct Departments,
Gironde, Lot et Garonne, Tarn-et-Garonne, Tarn and the
Aude, we also encountered a new language. Occitan from
the ancient land of Occitania which is still spoken alongside
French in parts of the south west of Europe.
After yesterday’s rest day, the Organisers had the crews up
bright and early with an 8am departure. Thanks to the rain a
slight mist hung over the vineyards as the cars growled down
the driveway of the Château Grand Barrail Hôtel to begin
their journey. There were no Tests today, but three road
Sections, ever changing countryside and some impressive
architecture. For the run south the sun returned to its usual
position above us and burned away any lingering dampness.
After 16km we arrived in Castillon-la-Bataille and crossed
the Dordogne on a bridge designed by Gustave Eiffel, before
weaving through the countryside on a selection of back
roads to the days first Section along the Route de Cornillou.
This was a mixed landscape where open farmland gave way
to dense woodland with the occasional vineyard thrown in
for good measure.
There was a bit of a panic for Graham and Marina
Goodwin through this section, when their oil pump failed
and the engine lost almost all of its precious black fluid.
The quick thinking crew managed to prevent any damage to
the Bentley’s power plant and had enough spare lubricant
to continue to the Time Control in La Grappe de Raisin in
the town of Monflanquin. Here they were able to speak to
the sweeps and take stock of the situation.
Once Worth Birkill had stamped the timecards the Rally
set a course for another epic Section from the Château
de Bonaguil. These were challenging roads, with countless
tracks and very few signposts. One side of the car had to
be well acquainted with their tripmeter to avoid arriving
late for what proved to be another excellent lunch at the
Photos: gerardbrown.co.uk
Almost as direct as a TGV, today’s route was a
watershed, a diagonal dash south and east. From
Saint-Émilion to Carcassonne we covered a lot
of ground, both geographically and culturally,
ranging from the influence of the Atlantic, to that
of the Mediterranean and the most southerly point
of our journey.
Gavin and Diana Henderson, 1939 Frazer Nash-BMW 328
www.rallytheglobe.com