Competition
The world of competitive rallies often provides an exhilarating test for both car and driver, taking in some of the most beautiful locales in the world while against the clock. Mostly that doesn’t mean going as fast as possible – although events exist where this forms a part of the action – but instead means being as precise as possible. Navigation and stopwatches are crucial as you and your co-driver attempt to hit specific checkpoints at very specific times, sometimes across days and many hundreds of miles. Most will know the icons of this genre, including the Mille Miglia, but there are hundreds of events globally offering similar experiences at varying price points. Below are just a few we have supported our customers on.
Mille Miglia
Probably the most famous road rally in the world, the Mille Miglia was once a motorsport race over 1,000 miles of beautiful Italian countryside but has since morphed into a regularity trial over the same distance. Crammed in to just a few days, it remains a gruelling test of car and driver, and a bucket list item for many classic car aficionados. Expert support from a company like Thornley Kelham is advised.
Hill Climbs & Sprints
Entering a speed event is one of the best ways to get acquainted with your classic. The driver is set against the clock over a set course with the aim to be the fastest car in its class.
A ‘sprint’, sometimes also know as a ‘speed trial’, takes place on a flat course while a ‘hill climb’ takes place on a course with a gradient, Prescott and Chateau Impney being two of the better known. The UK has more hill climb and sprint venues than any other motorsport.
There are also wonderful hill climb throughout Europe, Arosa in Switzerland being one of the most famous.
Cars entering these events range from pre-war sports and racing cars to post-war racing cars and 1950s sports-cars. It’s the most fun one can have with a cherished classic if you have the need for speed.
Tour Auto Optic 2000
Arguably the greatest of the French historic competitive rallies, the Tour Auto Optic 2000 varies routes slightly each year, but often competitors will find themselves carried from the glorious Grand Palais in Paris down to the Circuit Paul Ricard at Le Castellet, near Marseille. Weaving through vineyards and historic towns, with competitive timed elements in between, the Tour Auto is a 2000km celebration of France’s motorsport heritage.
