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Welcome to the Guild of Motor Endurance 2007 Sportscar Challenge. This five day all tarmac Reliability Trial for Specialist Sportscars will be taking place on the 17th – 21st September.
The 2007 route will start from Bordeaux south west France. After heading South over the Atlantic Pyrenees into Spain the route will cross the Sierra de la Demanda, the Picos de Europa and the Leon range of mountains. From the Portuguese border the route will head North to Santiago.
If you have not come across events organised by the Guild of Motor Endurance before then read on, and we hope you will consider joining us. If you have competed with your sportscar before you will have an idea of the motoring challenge that is promised for the third week of September. Reserve your place and book the time off now.
Previous rallies include: 1997 Morocco, 1999 Sicily, 2001 Corsica, 2002 Florence, 2004 Morocco, 2005 Monte-Carlo and 2006 Sardinia. Guild of Motor Endurance rallies are primarily about proving and testing the ability of specialist sportscars, but the driving force that influences the results of these events are the crews. Of the 306 rally competitors to date 214 have been successful.
The following makes of cars have competed on past events:
Westfield (winner 1997), Ginetta (winner 1998), Marlin (winner 1999), Robin Hood (winner 2000), Caterham (winner 2001, 2002, 2005), Lotus (winner 2004) and SSC winning in 2006.
The early entry fee for the España-Santiago 2007 Sportscar Challenge is £595 per person. This includes five nights bed, breakfast in hotels in Spain.
If you are reading this and considering taking part in your sportscar, you should be aware that endurance rallying is a demanding discipline and should not be confused with an ordinary motoring tour. There is no doubt you will see more than your fill of spectacular scenery, but reaching controls on schedule is quite a task. What is needed to be successful on this type of event is a reliable car that handles well, a good driver, and someone sitting next to you that can stay focused so that you arrive at where you are supposed to be within a given period of time. Also required for endurance is an element of determination to finish, regardless. Competitors keep coming back and the camaraderie when they get together has much to do with it.
If you own a sportscar and would like to reserve your entry (£100), or be placed on the mailing list, please contact the event Secretary:
Carol Bury, 10 Coronation Street, Evesham, Worcestershire, WR11 3DA.
tel: 01386 45556 (7pm-10pm) mobile 07739 173995
[email]carol@annbury.freeserve.co.uk[/email]
[url]www.guildofmotorendurance.co.uk[/url]
Bulletin two
The first recce of the 2007 route has once again come up with some impressive roads. Testing sportscars on a challenging route through spectacular terrain is our passion. For us it’s finding that testing route and schedule, for competitors it’s often more than just testing the car. The España-Santiago 2007 will be a real challenge for sportscars.
There is news regarding the start. The Start of the España-Santiago 2007 will now be in Angoulême, 100 kms north of Bordeaux. Why? well for those in the know there is a street race in Angoulême each year which has been running since 1939. We were fortunate enough to stay in a hotel in the town owned by Monsieur Themines, where once a year his garage is full of Grand Prix Bugattis. As the Circuit des Remparts race day (Sunday 16th September) coincides with the eve of the start of our five day rally, the exciting prospect of being there grew. A meeting was arranged with race director Jean Michel Laujac. Discussing our rally to Santiago de Compostela, the change from a Bordeaux start to an Angoulême start met with all-round enthusiasm. Being driven around a lap of the circuit (where the route is identified by the temporary Armaco sockets in the tarmac) was enough to convince us of the jewel we had stumbled upon. [url]www.circuit-des-remparts.com[/url] The sight of sportscars being driven at speed and sideways through the corners on the Sunday will be some aperitif.
Scrutineering for the España-Santiago will now be taking place in the race paddock on Sunday evening straight after the races have finished. With cars secure in the paddock overnight. The Rally headquarters will be at a hotel just a couple of minutes away through the narrow streets from the starting grid. With the race day over and the partying and restaurants busy, your cars will begin to have their numbers attached and scrutineered ready for the 8am start Monday morning.
Back to the route. Driving south through Aquitaine and crossing the Atlantic Pyrenees was always going to involve some inspired driving and navigation. As usual the schedule won’t be difficult, but there are enough awesome roads to test even the most experienced. Into Spain and with a hotel bar in Pamplona calling, you are thrown into some beautiful combinations of tight and sweeping tarmac bends just prior to stopping for the night. Next morning concentrating navigators will be relieved to see the out sign of Pamplona followed by some strenuous driver concentration on many kilometres of serious road rally tarmac towards the Sierra de la Demanda. What a find.
The entry list is looking good, and as usual the 2000cc class is boasting the most cars. If you wish to enter the reservation fee is £100, and your name will be added to the entry list.
Carol Bury, 10 Coronation Street, Evesham, Worcestershire, WR11 3DA.
tel: 01386 45556 (7pm-10pm) mobile 07739 173995 [email]carol@annbury.freeserve.co.uk[/email]
[url]www.guildofmotorendurance.co.uk[/url]
Bulletin two
The first recce of the 2007 route has once again come up with some impressive roads. Testing sportscars on a challenging route through spectacular terrain is our passion. For us it’s finding that testing route and schedule, for competitors it’s often more than just testing the car. The España-Santiago 2007 will be a real challenge for sportscars.
There is news regarding the start. The Start of the España-Santiago 2007 will now be in Angoulême, 100 kms north of Bordeaux. Why? well for those in the know there is a street race in Angoulême each year which has been running since 1939. We were fortunate enough to stay in a hotel in the town owned by Monsieur Themines, where once a year his garage is full of Grand Prix Bugattis. As the Circuit des Remparts race day (Sunday 16th September) coincides with the eve of the start of our five day rally, the exciting prospect of being there grew. A meeting was arranged with race director Jean Michel Laujac. Discussing our rally to Santiago de Compostela, the change from a Bordeaux start to an Angoulême start met with all-round enthusiasm. Being driven around a lap of the circuit (where the route is identified by the temporary Armaco sockets in the tarmac) was enough to convince us of the jewel we had stumbled upon. [url]www.circuit-des-remparts.com[/url] The sight of sportscars being driven at speed and sideways through the corners on the Sunday will be some aperitif.
Scrutineering for the España-Santiago will now be taking place in the race paddock on Sunday evening straight after the races have finished. With cars secure in the paddock overnight. The Rally headquarters will be at a hotel just a couple of minutes away through the narrow streets from the starting grid. With the race day over and the partying and restaurants busy, your cars will begin to have their numbers attached and scrutineered ready for the 8am start Monday morning.
Back to the route. Driving south through Aquitaine and crossing the Atlantic Pyrenees was always going to involve some inspired driving and navigation. As usual the schedule won’t be difficult, but there are enough awesome roads to test even the most experienced. Into Spain and with a hotel bar in Pamplona calling, you are thrown into some beautiful combinations of tight and sweeping tarmac bends just prior to stopping for the night. Next morning concentrating navigators will be relieved to see the out sign of Pamplona followed by some strenuous driver concentration on many kilometres of serious road rally tarmac towards the Sierra de la Demanda. What a find.
The entry list is looking good, and as usual the 2000cc class is boasting the most cars. If you wish to enter the reservation fee is £100, and your name will be added to the entry list.
Carol Bury, 10 Coronation Street, Evesham, Worcestershire, WR11 3DA.
tel: 01386 45556 (7pm-10pm) mobile 07739 173995 [email]carol@annbury.freeserve.co.uk[/email]
[url]www.guildofmotorendurance.co.uk[/url]
Congratulations to Jonathan Nicholson and Christian Santos in their Lotus Elise S1 overall winners of the España-Santiago 2007 Sportscar Challenge. An impressive performance on their first event. Second overall, and winner of the 1600cc class in his Caterham was Roger Tushingham with navigator Mark Pickering. Roger just missing out on his third overall win.
The 1000cc class was won for the second year running by Richard Winter and Nick Pakes in a Smart Roadster. Al and Fiona Young also in a Mercedes engined Smart Roadster coming second, a severed silencer delaying them. Runner-up in the 1600cc class, and fifth overall, was Dennis Morris and navigator John Sleighthome in the Rover powered DRM. Dennis’s decision to change the independent rear suspension for a live axle seems to have transformed this lovely aluminium Triumph based special. Runner-up in the 1800cc class, and forth overall, was 2006 overall winner Mike Messenger with navigator Malcolm Carruthers. The Ford Zetec engined SSC still unpainted.
Francie Clarkson and Clare Owen in an impressive Ford Duratec engined Westfield Sport were the winners of the 2000cc class. Steve and Denise Cherry in their MGBGT, who were leading the event by day three, were runners-up in the 2000cc class. Denise: “where shall we go for our honeymoon?” Steve: “How about Santiago”. Third overall, and winner of the powerful over 2000cc class was Peter Crowther and Stuart Logan in the beautifully turned out Ford 2800 V6 engined Marlin Sportster. The over 2000cc class runner-up spot was eventually shared by Peter and Andrew Jaggs in their 5000cc TVR Griffith, on the same marks as Kevin Todman and Paul West in the 5700 SBC Dax Tojeiro.
Spirit of the event for 2007 went to the Lotus Exige Spanish crew of Franky Ivern and Enric Cofre. Their assistance to fellow competitors, without consideration to being delayed themselves, did not go unnoticed. Not just fastest on both special tests but also reducing a couple of circuit lap records was the stunning Ariel Atom of Stephen Eley, together with the ever-smiling navigator Eddie Campbell.
The Peter Rowlinson Trophy for best performance in a seven type sportscar was awarded for 2007 to Roger Tushingham and Mark Pickering. The words of both Roger Tushingham and Clare Owen after the presentation dinner were most moving, sentiments shared and appreciated.
The level of concentration from both members of a crew to reach every control can’t be underestimated. Even so, 19 crews managed it and accomplished the Gold Standard. Four missing one control and taking Silver, a further four crews with a Bronze for missing two controls. Six crews made sure of reaching all the Main Controls, and in so doing secured their membership to the Guild of Motor Endurance.
Thank you all for a great 2007 rally, now prepartion begins for 2008.
