RtG Ypres-Istanbul Daily Dispatch - complete - web - Flipbook - Page 18
13 June to 3 July 2022
Day 8
České Budějovice to Krems an der Donau (288.8 km) 21 June 2022
Today we saw the fourth country in our eight country odyssey, taking our leave of the Czech Republic and
heading into the delights of Austria. On the way we had two Tests and six Regularities to enjoy on this,
the summer solstice. The longest day of the year laid on dawn to dusk sunshine especially for the rally.
with the emphasis firmly on pinpoint navigation and
accuracy over time and distance. Although challenging, the
roads provided some great driving and, after we crossed
our old friend the Vltava river again, we found ourselves
at the second Regularity from Herbertov. The crews were
given a break and a delicious serving of coffee and cake at
the Time Control in Restaurace A Kaverna Pod Vezi in the
town of Kaplice.
We were deep into the Gratzen Mountains now, the wild
country of the Bohemian Massif. Another two tree lined
Regularities from Soběnov and Leopoldov led the rally
straight to the Passage Control at the Czech border post,
which came as something of a surprise.
A few kilometres after the final timing point, a suspiciously
narrow track led the crews into a scene straight from the
pages of a John le Carré novel. Armed guards stepped
forward demanding ‘papers and identification’ and a
crack team of ersatz border officials quickly processed the
bewildered crews before drawing back the iron curtain and
sending them on their way into neutral Österreich. With a
collective sigh of decadent western relief, the rally was free
www.rallytheglobe.com
Design: K-Design
The first Test was a short drive from the hotel at a driving
school in the shadow of the town’s famous brewery.
The autoškola gave the crews the chance to prove their
competence, or otherwise, in front of a stern set of
examiners comprising; Jim Smith, Sarah Ormerod, Russ
Smith and Owen Turner. This tight and twisty training
circuit tested both the crews handling skills and their
powers of observation. For two fast and furious laps the
engines revved, the tyres squealed, and the air was filled
with the heady scent of hops, burning clutches and petrol.
If only you could bottle it!
Everyone passed scrutiny and, with their licences safely
stowed, the rally headed for the second Test at Svatý Jan,
a closed road hill climb with dozens of local motor club
marshals on hand. Dr John Llewellyn and Andrew Kellitt
sent the cars on their way towards John and Gill Cotton’s
final timing point. In between were cones to negotiate and
some buildings to avoid. It was a high octane experience
favouring crews with a faster car or heavier right foot.
The next section, the Regularity from Spoli, involved a
change of pace, going some way to redress the balance,
“Ihre Papiere, bitte” - Phillip and Lyndy Blunden, 1974 MGB GT
Text & photos: gerardbrown.co.uk
Attention state border: Tony Rowe and Mark Delling, 1939 Ford DeLuxe V8 91A