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GT6 in 1999 Monte Carlo Rally (part 9) sorry for delay!

To: triumphs@autox.team.net
Subject: GT6 in 1999 Monte Carlo Rally (part 9) sorry for delay!
From: GuyotLeonF@aol.com
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 1999 21:40:14 EST
GT6 rally story returns, after a short break... 

Several expletives passed through my mind as I turned the Triumph round and
raced back up the black mountain again, engine screaming, wheels spinning as
we climbed hairpin after hairpin. At last we arrived at the summit junction.
"Straight on!" Down another vertiginous drop on the other side of the mountain
to the valley below, but at least the signs made sense this time and we set
off uphill again - the third time we'd driven this damned road. This is where
engines get to work for a living, and the guys at Racestorations had done us
proud.

Those who say the best small-capacity six-pot engines are built by BMW should
hear a well-tuned Triumph six echoing around a darkened mountain pass, it's
smooth, turbine-like hum turning first to a deep, hard-edged howl and then an
unearthly metallic scream as it just pulls and pulls and pulls...

The expected regularity-end control was missing as the Triumph flew down the
mountain once more. Now we were worrying about the rapidly falling fuel gauge.
Even with the spare jerrycan in the back, we weren't going to have enough for
another 100km...

Something was clearly wrong as we rattled into the village of Coaraze,
searching for the time control in the Cafe des Arts: several cars were parked
in the square, lights off, surrounded by an uncertain group of people . "It's
been abandoned", said one.
"The police in Luceram have closed the road; there's nothing after control
37..."
I felt overwhelmed with a sense of anti-climax as I parked the car, switched-
off, climbed-out and walked into the warm cafe, where a handful of competitors
were drinking coffee. Two more navigators rushed in, their expressions of
tense concern replaced by bemusement as they heard the news.

As required of a FIVA-approved event, the rally organisers had obtained
permission to run the rally from every village on the route, so the police
action was completely unexpected. Ironically, it also sent competitors home
through the centre of Luceram, a village that the rally route proper had
skirted around. Neither competitors nor organisers received any explanation.
It was peculiar; the warmth of the welcome that the rally received everywhere
else in France had been very moving. Now there was nothing more to do but
drive back to Monte Carlo,hoping the event might be judged to have finished at
the control before we took our wrong turning.
We cruised down the autoroute, threaded our way into Monte Carlo and found our
way down to the harbourside. For the first time in the event's 10-year
history, there was no finishing ramp from the Automobile Club de Monaco, but
the crowds and the flashlights made the finish almost as special. We'd done
it. Well, almost.
the next day saw a splendid prizegiving in the Hotel de Paris in Casino
Square, where Stirling Moss handed out a glittering array of silver cups to
the winning crews and distinguished others.
We didn't win anything, of course, our tyre problem had seen to that. but we
had clawed our way back up to 18th overall (out of 41) in the Classic category
and fourth in class (of 15), with total penalties amounting to three hours, 45
minutes and 43 seconds. If we hadn't lost two hours and 44 minutes grappling
with snow chains, we'd have been just three minutes behind the class winners,
Murray Kayall, Amanda Kayall and Hugh Kevill-Davies in a 1967 Mercedes 250SE. 
And of course there were three of them...
cont...            

 



         

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