Long
Distance
Rallying
Metal and Mettle
Put to the Test
Marianne Brunson Frisch asks what makes them tick
“W
Hans Middelberg and Jürgen Grolman navigate 3,000 feet above
the Pacific Coast on the Rally of the Incas Photo Gerard Brown
“I enjoy mastering the complexities of long distance
rallying with all of the crazy time trials and regulations
and good and bad roads, while experiencing the personal
physical and physiological limits of both myself and the
old classic equipment.”
hat needs to be proved today is that as long as a man has a car, he can do anything and go anywhere,” proclaimed
the French newspaper Le Matin on January 31, 1907. “Is there anyone who will undertake to travel this summer from
Peking to Paris by automobile?” Five cars undertook the 14,994km course, departing on June 10 with the winner
arriving on August 10 of that year followed by three others.
R
oads have been cut, cars and tyres vastly improved and
uninhabited areas populated since that arduous journey,
yet the tenacious nature and adventuresome spirit of
motoring enthusiasts remains constant. Drivers and navigators,
undaunted by the challenges of the road, are as varied as the routes
and automobiles they choose. And the number of events created
for these adventurers grows each year.
to Burma. Middelberg, Jürgen and Sally just completed the Rally
of the Incas with Hans recalling that they arrived, “In Lima after
driving 10,685km through the challenging and beautiful landscape
of Argentina, Chile and Peru. The last four mountain passes were
4,200 to 4,567 metres high. Nine of the 49 cars didn’t make it to
the finish line. We finished in 16th place with little trouble - a good
result, considering our safety-first approach to the competitions.”
Readying for the rigors of long-distance rallying requires a
partnership. “The selection and preparation of a suitable rally car
is an art that considers the event, the driver’s style and the range
of variables that combine for a successful experience,” says rally
car preparer Kent Bain of Automotive Restorations and Vintage
Racing Services in Connecticut, USA.
Sally returned to Bain’s workshop for a check-up and repairs before
she, Hans and Jürgen head out in April to explore Japan on Rally
Round’s Samurai Challenge.
“These tours allow me to see the world like very few other people
can and to appreciate different people, how they live and work and
what kind of government they endure or enjoy,” says Middelberg.
“In addition, I enjoy mastering the complexities of long-distance
rallying with all of
the crazy time trials
and regulations and
good and bad roads,
while experiencing the
personal physical and
physiological limits of
both myself and the old
classic equipment.”
Hans Middelberg and his 1967 Ford Mustang ‘Sally’ have
traversed 31 countries, 66,600kms, steered by Hans and his
navigators/co-drivers, Jürgen Grolman and Malcolm Rose. This
already performance-minded car has been specially equipped
and developed into a reliable rally car by Bain and his Vintage
Services team. Modifications include tuning and strengthening the
suspension, upgrading the drivetrain and installing full skid plates,
heavy-duty coolers, auxiliary fuel tanks, push bar, auxiliary lighting,
tow hooks, proper tyres and full rally instrumentation. Add safety
equipment to that and a carefully considered shopping list of
other necessities. Next comes the spares kit and tutoring. Drivers
and navigators must have the ability and knowledge to do key
emergency repairs themselves at times when support teams just
cannot be there. All the preparation, instruction and attention to
a long checklist of details mean nothing without the right machine.
Capable, not overly tuned and tough is just the right combination.
In this light, “We often find that some slightly unsophisticated
American Iron is a good fit.” explains Bains’ colleague, Tim Ritchie
of Vintage Racing Services. “The Mustang is well-suited to these
rallies. Robust and solid, the car is easily serviceable and parts are
available and inexpensive.”
La
Carrera
Panamericana has been
the bailiwick of Bill
Shanahan, competing
in the strenuous race
19 times since 1992. A
1954 Swallow Doretti,
1954 Volvo 444, 1963
split-window Corvette,
1964 Volvo P1800,
1966 Corvette Coupe
and 1964 Ford Falcon
Coupe have withstood
the intensity of the
eight-day,
3,000km
Driver Middelberg reports that the car has behaved excellently
on Endurance Rally Association tours such as the Trans-American
Challenge across the USA from the East coast to Alaska, the Pekingto-Paris Motor Challenge and the Road to Mandalay from Singapore
Historic Motor Racing News March 2017
36
Photo Max Itin
The support crews need to be
as committed as the drivers
contest with Bill and his various co-pilotos, Danny Vettoretti,
Fred Gunther and on one occasion, Automotive Restorations/
Vintage Racing Services’ own Kent Bain. Murray Smith has
held the seat over the last decade, the team’s most successful
period thanks to a superb “roadwork relationship” between
the pair.
Bill is slotted in for the 2017 event with his 1958 Alfa Romeo
1900, which qualifies for the Original Pan Am class. Vintage
Racing Services has torn the car down to the bare chassis,
restored and enhanced every part of the car while preserving
all the flavour of the original historic Alfa. Safety is job one
and this car is prepared to take good care of its occupants and
finish at the front as Bill and his steeds often do.
“There is no other rally like it in the world,” enthuses
Shanahan. “Mexico is one of the most beautiful countries in
the world and the people are fantastic. The mountain stages
require proficient hard rally driving, demanding more than a
racetrack and offering few, if any, second chances. The other
competitors are terrific; no one except one Mexican driver
goes back as far as I do with this event. What is my favourite
Carrera car? That is very difficult to decide. My Volvo 444
handles brutally well. Well-balanced and forgiving, it can
be put into a corner too hard and saved reliably to get out
of trouble. That car and I made 5th overall and first in class
against other cars all powered by V-8 engines. My 1966
Corvette is another favourite, having come 3rd overall by time
despite not being a qualified Pan Am class car.”
Another draw for Shanahan has been the Targa Newfoundland,
competing in the 1964 Ford Falcon and 1966 Corvette that
saw La Carrera action and a 1965 Porsche 911 restored by
another Connecticut-based preparer, Porsche specialist Jim
Newton. Bill and Murray have contested this event five times
with consistent class wins.
Si and Vicki Ford had enjoyed “gentle driving” car tours
throughout the US when Shanahan invited them to accompany
him as tourists to La Carrera. The rally bug bit! They set out
to find a suitable car, which Automotive Restorations sourced
in the form of a seafoam blue/green 1964 Mercury Comet
Caliente Coupe. With the car fitted out to racing standards, Si
and Vicki attended driver and navigator training respectively,
and they were off! “We had no idea what we were getting
into,” muses Vicki. “On our first outing, the World Cup Rally
from London to Kathmandu with the Historic Endurance
Rallying Organisation, we successfully met the time-distance
requirements, negotiating a few memorable auto adventures
en route. Off the ferry into France, our generator broke. A
spare one packed for us by our crew was handily installed by
the tour tail staff person, who we discovered had learned his
trade repairing tanks in World War II.”
The Comet took them on La Carrera Panamericana, “the most
special rally we joined. Our gained expertise provided us
with the skills to drive faster and to place in the middle of the
pack. Immersing ourselves in the culture, meeting the people,
eating local food, seeing native art and crafts and viewing the
landscape during Targa Newfoundland and Targa New Zealand
were rewarding for us too. Every evening in New Zealand,
residents brought their cars to join ours and to swap stories,
calling us their ‘American cousins.’”
The mountain stages require proficient hard
rally driving, demanding more than a racetrack
and offering few, if any, second chances.
day. Rallying reflects our model for living, to ‘expect the unexpected.’
Faced with issues as we drove along, we solved each problem in the
moment, together.”
It takes collaboration all around: between drivers, cars, organisers,
support staff and restoration specialists. These well-travelled cars
benefit from continual support during events, in-person on the road, by
email or phone or in spirit. But like the drivers themselves, the preparers
and support crews also have to have the passion to be able to survive
the rigours of long distance rallying. Bain notes that, “Our crew truly
enjoys preparing rally cars that both look and perform as they should.
We are proud of the accomplishments of our drivers and navigators,
using the tools we create. The rewards are many, and though we don’t
take the road risks, we do share in the fun. It has been over 35 years of
learning and restoring with real satisfaction in practicing our craft well.
Enthusiasts working with and for enthusiasts is the flavour we savour.”
*
Si and Vicki Ford and their
Mercury Comet master the roads
of Iceland Photo Blue Passion
Bill Shanahan and Murray Smith at speed in a Volvo
P1800 headed for first in class in La Carrera
Photo Kenneth Olafsson
The HERO Icelandic Saga culminated their adventures with
the Mercury, which they recently sold. The Fords are now
inveterate rallyists and are signing on for “just one more”
tour—the April HERO London to Lisbon excursion in a 1962
BMW 1600.
The couple’s teamwork has been a successful asset. “In our
fifty-plus years of marriage, we have partnered successfully,
balancing work and family and addressing new situations every
37
Historic Motor Racing News March 2017