Post Script - Thankyous, recommendations, and what happened to the British hopefulls

From front to back in the picture:

- Clandish / McCash - Morris Mini Cooper S - retired on Concentration Run

- "Last of the Summer Wine" team of Wheatley and Bywaters - Wolsey 1800. Retired on Concentration Run.

- Mustarde / Northmore - Alfa Romeo Giulietta TI - Retired Monaco - Valence, Col D'Echarasson.

- Barker / Cave - Austin Mini - 3rd in Class, 4th Brit, 154th oa

- Vines / Moss - Austin Mini Cooper S - 1st in Class, 1st Brit, 60th oa.

Rarely have we seen weather so bad for the rally. The whole rally was affected by it, causing major difficulties for the organisers during the morning of Tuesday 31st January and the cancellation of two Special Stages during the course if the rally. Of over 300 cars entered approximately a third of the field retired with 35 cars disappearing on the Concentration Run alone. It was a tough rally and will I am sure go down in the history books as "a vintage year" for the Monte Carlo Rallye Historique.

If the Monte Carlo rally means anything to you, then this is the rally to do, run by the Auto Club de Monaco in the same tradition as the golden years of the rally in the 1950s and 60s. It is challenging to both you and your car, stretching both for endurance and reliability, and hugely rewarding when you finally make it to the end. To do well is a bonus.

My thanks go to Justin Jeffries at Mini Spares Ltd for the support given to help us enter the Event and for the supply of a variety of spare parts. Thanks also to Paul Price for his help in preparing the car electrically, also to Colin and Rod Taylor at Southam Mini and Metro Centre who fettled the engine and transmission before we left.

The car CRX89B behaved faultlessly. It did everything we asked of it, and was an utter joy to drive. I would do it all again tomorrow, including the bad weather, if I could.

The 2012 Rallye Monte Carlo Historique has once again proved to be a fantastic event.

My thanks to my crew, Nigel Chetwynd and Simon Wheatcroft in the service car, who battled to be at each of our scheduled stops to keep the car and rally crew topped up with what ever they needed.

Finally thanks to my co-pilot Peter Moss who did a such marvellous job with the pre-event preparation, and worked so hard in the left hand seat to get us round on time to deliver our class win without any major dramas.

Recommendations are:

- Mini Spares for spare parts.
- Southam Mini And Metro Centre for engine and car preparation,
- Mini Prep Ltd for studded winter tyres.
- Auto-BMC in France for studded and non studded winter tyres

Preparation: If you want to do the event talk to some experienced competitors first, and in plenty of time as there is much you can do to make things easier for yourself. The big learning from this year is - organise and receive your tyres early. A well known tyre supplier in the UK seems to have let some British competitors down badly this year.

Pictured are the Austin Mini of Peter Barker and Willy Cave, and the Morris Cooper S of Andy Candlish and Chris McCash at Scrutineering in Reims. Also pictured is a reminder of the British hopefuls from an earlier post.


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