RTG Carrera Italia Daily Dispatch - All days - low res - Flipbook - Page 24
2 to 12 October 2021
Day 10 Santa Margherita Ligure to Sanremo (275.4 km) 12 October 2021
Photos: gerardbrown.co.uk
And so it ends, our clockwise circuit of the Carrera Italia has been completed. An epic of 2800km, via
the Dolomites, the Ligurian Sea, the Adriatic and with a little Tuscany thrown in for good measure.
For this, the last day, we enjoyed a 9am start and a civilised
jaunt along the autostrada to the first Regularity over Monte
Orditano, which topped out at just under 900m - just below
the clouds, but it was chilly. At the Time Control in the
Albergo Ristorante Turchino, the crews were able to warm
themselves up with endless coffee, hot chocolate and an
excellent selection of pastries. Next they embarked on the
short hop to the second Regularity, the Passo del Faiallo,
whose 1,044m altitude meant that the upper reaches were
sitting right in the cloud.
A total of four Regularities had been planned for today,
but the torrential rain that had plagued the first few days
of our rally had also caused significant problems for
the Italian road network. In their last 48 hour car report
Dick Appleton and Paul Heal decided that a re-route and
cutting two of those timed sections was the only option.
Every cloud has a silver lining and this change to the
afternoon’s schedule gave us a slightly longer lunch at the
Time Control in Sassello and an easier drive to the finish,
where quite a reception was waiting for us outside the
Royal Hotel.
Ari Vatanen, the Rally the Globe Honorary President, and
hero to many of us, had flown in to welcome every single
crew as they passed under the arch. And he was clearly in
his element explaining in the gaps between his flag waving
duties that, “motor cars have given so much to the modern
world, and using them like this is a fitting way to honour
their massive contribution”.
www.rallytheglobe.com