♔ | VIVA A FAMÍLIA REAL PORTUGUESA! | ♔

♔ | VIVA A FAMÍLIA REAL PORTUGUESA! | ♔

A CAUSA REAL NO DISTRITO DE AVEIRO

A CAUSA REAL NO DISTRITO DE AVEIRO
Autor: Nuno A. G. Bandeira

Tradutor

quarta-feira, 12 de junho de 2013

S.A.R. O SENHOR DOM DUARTE ENTREGOU OS PRÉMIOS DE "RALLY" EM LISBOA

In the year of the model’s 50th anniversary, two Porsche 911’s came in first and second at the finish of the of the London to Lisboa Reliability Trial & Classic Car Tour on Sunday 5th May.

Her Excellency Jill Gallard, the British Ambassador to Portugal, and the Deputy Mayor of Lisbon Mr. Manuel Brito dropped the chequered flag on the two cars.

Drivers had set off from Greenwich, in London, on Saturday 27th April, on a 2386-mile route across England, France, Spain and Portugal, and arrived in Lisbon on Sunday 5th May after nine days of tough classic rallying.
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Patrick Burke, joint Managing Director of HERO, told first4auto: “It was a fantastic adventure. We had sun, rain and even snow across the Pyrenees, and the response from the public has been amazing. It was a real challenge for drivers but also a moving spectacle for people along the route, who gathered to watch the cars at the official stops and tests along the event.”

On Saturday, the penultimate day of the rally, the crews visited Caramulo in Portugal and ran a test on its famous hill-climb, where 2.5km of public roads had been closed by the police exclusively for the event.


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Peter Nedin, Event Director of HERO and clerk of the course, said: “The side roads were blocked by police cars and officers were stationed at the top and bottom. Two runs of the hill were given to the crews, who tested their skills in front of hundreds of people that had gathered to watch the cars. Several local enthusiasts also turned up in their classic cars, which were parked at the start area – it was fantastic!”

In the evening, the crews visited the Museu do Caramulo where a dinner had been organised by the grandsons of the Museum’s founder, which was something that had never been done before.

Patrick Burke said: “After dinner we had exclusive access to the car collections and were able to sit in some amazing cars, including a 1931 Bugatti 35B or a pre-war Rolls Royce, amongst others. It was an extraordinary experience for all of us.”

On Sunday 5th May, the crews were joined by approximately fifty classic vehicles driven by members of the ACP Classicos, the Portuguese classic car club, and were led from a holding area in Lisbon to the finish line at the famous Praça do Commercio by clerk of the course Peter Nedin. The classic car convoy of almost a hundred cars altogether was flanked by police motorcycle outriders who stopped the traffic at all junctions and allowed the cars to run through red lights.

Around two thousand people turned up to welcome the cars and see the finish of the event at the Praça do Commercio, which does not allow cars since it was refurbished. However, HERO had got special dispensation that allowed for the cars to circulate and remain on display for the public to see.

The event officially finished when the crews gathered for the Awards ceremony and dinner at the Lapa Palace, an event partner, with the presence of His Royal Highness Dom Duarte Pio, the Duke of Braganza, who handed the awards. Other guests included representatives of the Camara Municipal de Lisboa, the Secretary General and Board Director of the ACP Classicos and representatives of the British Embassy.

The winners of the London to Lisboa classic rally were Michael Baker and Simon Baker in a 1978 Porsche 911 SC. The father and son team from Bolton, winners of the 2012 HERO Cup, eventually finished with just 35 penalties on the regularities, earning Simon the Clockwatcher’s trophy for best performance on the regularities. The Bakers, who are regular and experienced competitors in HERO events, also won the ‘Best UK Crew’ award.

Chas Colton, from Cheshire, and Guy Woodcock, from North Wales, finished in second place in their 1965 Porsche 911 2.0 SWB. Chas Colton won the Test Pilot Award as he had the best overall performance on the tests. They were closely followed by the Swiss crew formed by Michael Gerber and Christophe Kung in a 1965 Austin Healey Mk I BT7, who came in third and also won the ‘Best Non-UK Crew’ award.

Hagerty’s crew Angus Forsyth and Marcus Atkinson who drove a 1930 Austin 7 Ulster, one of the oldest cars in the event, received the Veteran’s Award and the Spirit of the Rally Award after an heroic journey.

Marcus Atkinson, Marketing Director of Hagerty, said: “Amazingly we’ve made it to Portugal, after the core plugs blew and had to be replaced near Bordereaux. The battery also died late that night in the pouring rain but we managed to make it to the monastery in St. Estevo, Spain, where we charged it with the closest connection found in the monastery car park. We were then advised that we were not on a rally, but an incredible journey!  I think everyone was rooting for us to finish!”

The Austin 7 was also part of the team ‘Numb Bums’ – for the lack of comfort in the cars – who won the ‘Team Award’. The team was completed by a 1930 Riley Brooklands 9HP driven by Tomas de Varga Machuca, HERO’s joint Managing Director, and Seren Whyte, and a 1938 Riley 12/4 Blower SPL driven by Italians Michele Di Paolo and Igino Angelini.

Tomas de Vargas Machuca, joint Managing Director of HERO, said: “We are grateful for the help of everyone that contributed across England, France, Spain and Portugal to make the London-Lisbon rally an epic event. And special appreciation to ACP Classicos and the authorities of the City of Lisbon who helped us build an exceptional atmosphere for the arrival in Lisbon.”

He added: “We believe everyone experienced a wonderful week and enjoyed the route and event as a whole. We even had some participants asking when the next event would take place.”

Organized by HERO, the Historic Endurance Rallying Organisation, the event is the second qualifying round of the 2013 HERO Cup, in association with EFG International.

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No dia 5 de Maio de 2013, S.A.R. o Duque de Bragança procedeu à entrega dos prémios "London to Lisbon Classic Rally", evento organizado conjuntamente pela "Classic Rally Association" e pela "Hero". Este importante "Rally" acontece de dois em dois anos, tendo sido esta a primeira vez que terminou em Portugal.
Joana Dias Pereira

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