RtG Ypres-Istanbul Daily Dispatch - complete - web - Flipbook - Page 8
13 June to 3 July 2022
Day 3
Aywaille to Koblenz (263.3 km)
16 June 2022
Otakar Chládek and Jindřiška Žemličková, 1973 Mercedes-Benz 350 SL
www.rallytheglobe.com
Text & photos: gerardbrown.co.uk
Clint and Dawn Smith, 1925 Bentley 3/4½
We weren’t wishing our time away though, there’s still
much to enjoy and today the Organisers had piled on the
fun beginning with the first Test, held at the small, but
perfectly formed, Peugeot Malmedy track. Lying in the
shadow of the mighty Spa Francorchamps Circuit, there’s
no sense of small track syndrome here. What this punchy
little facility lacks in size and status, it more than makes
up for with attitude. Used as a motorsport training ground,
there are long corners, short corners, rough sections,
smooth sections, sharp turns and easy turns. Two laps
were allotted to each crew but, from the look on some of
their faces when they clocked into the finish control, it was
obvious that they’d have been happier with more.
The first regularity in Büllingen cooled things down a
little, a tricky section that brought its own challenges with
gravel tracks, short off road sections, tight turns and steep
climbs to be negotiated under a confusingly thick tree
canopy. Tripmeter accuracy was paramount as the crews
found that, without visual references, they were pretty
much flying on instruments.
After a busy morning the Time Control in Café Schroeder
in Losheimergraben came not a moment too soon. As the
crews reached for suitable refreshments, some of them
were heard comparing notes as to where exactly they’d
either lost time or chosen the wrong track.
Our break for the border came within metres of the car
park exit. Before the crews had time to change from second
to third gear we found ourselves in the Federal Republic
of Germany, the land of Oktoberfest, and set a course
to the second Regularity around the village of Duppach.
Another section requiring concentration as the crews
were led across two long laps of wide open farmland on
some beautiful gravel before rolling up to Fred Gallagher
and Uwe Schmidt, our friendly German rally fixer and FIA
Commission Chairman, to have their time recorded.
Design: K-Design
There was something for everyone today in what
turned out to be an action packed blast from the
Ardennes to the Moselle Valley. We took in our
first proper border crossing and, whilst we didn’t
see any infrastructure or have to hand over any
paperwork, we were rallying the globe once again
and were one small step closer to Istanbul.