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.
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.
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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