RTG Carrera Italia Daily Dispatch - All days - low res - Flipbook - Page 25
Day 10: Santa Margherita Ligure to Sanremo, 12 October 2021
Photos: gerardbrown.co.uk
Chris and Ingrid Woodhouse, 1962 Jaguar E-type
Spirit of the Rally winners Enrico Paggi and Federica Mascetti
Against all Odds trophy winners Ean and Alison Lewin, Ford Escort
This was all thirsty work
and, no stranger himself
to the taste of victory
Champagne, Ari grabbed a
cheeky swig from Charlotte
van Houtte’s bottle as she
celebrated her win in the
Vintage Class along with
her husband, Bertie. There
was a neat symmetry here
as well, with Ari, sponsored
by BMW France, offering
Ari Vatanen and Fred Gallagher
his congratulations to a
Frenchman driving a BMW.
Mike and Lorna Harrison, winners of our Highland
Thistle Rally last month, and Cloverleaf team winners, were
crowned victorious in the Classics Category aboard their
trusty Triumph TR3. And, once they’d finished drenching
each other, and almost everyone else, with fizz, Ari stepped
forward and offered his hearty congratulations to them.
Slightly more civilised pre-dinner drinks on the terrace
followed the finish line celebrations. Then it was time to
take our seats for the prize-giving dinner, with Ari Vatanen
on hand to distribute the silverware.
Mike Harrison was clearly delighted with his win and
declared this to have been a fantastic event with some great
roads and some great competition. “Lorna my wife and
navigator was obviously brilliant, but it was the RtG sweeps
who we owe most to, for helping us in keeping the car on the
road”. For her part Lorna said that “Mike’s driving has been
excellent, very good around the Tests - particularly in the
wet - and we wouldn’t have won the event without him acing
theses sections. As for the Regularities, there were some fun
ones to deal with such as the one with 21 hairpins!”
Bertie van Houtte, a first time visitor to the top step of
the podium, said modestly that “I’m delighted. I think we
won because of my car, it’s very fast, it has been fantastic,
it’s light and powerful and Charlotte has been an excellent
navigator”.
Charlotte echoed his sentiments about the car but added
“when it comes to the driving, whilst I push him hard,
Bertie’s was smooth, precise and speedy in the Tests.”
As well as the class winners and overall awards, there
were some discretionary prizes given as well. The Spirit of
the Rally prize was awarded to Federica Mascetti and Enrico
Paggi, for their unfailing good humour, helpfulness and fun
throughout. And for bringing not one, but two beautiful cars
to the event! The Against all Odds trophy was taken by Ean
and Alison Lewin for their efforts in keeping their Escort on
the road despite multiple issues. And, upon collecting his
trophy, Ean also thanked the sweeps for the assistance.
Clerk of the Course Mark Appleton, who took on the
role of MC for the evening, was a tired, but happy, man.
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