8th October 2021
TR Register: Rally Pyrenees 2021
The tremendous reception to our TR Register exclusive Liège-Brescia-Liège rally last year – the first ever competitive rally just for TRs – meant we had to find something really special to follow it and maintain the tremendous enthusiasm and camaraderie that the rally generated among all the participants. Rally TR Pyrénées was the answer – and, fortunately, we arranged it for late 2021, something to look forward to when the current craziness is over.
If you enjoy driving your TR on stunning, largely empty mountain and country roads, in mostly warm, sunny weather, in company with like-minded fellow TR owners, with an element of competition to get your teeth into in both navigation and circuit tests – but with superb, characterful hotels, mechanic support, good meals provided throughout and the option of transport to get your TR there and back – Rally TR Pyrénées is the event for you!
The Rally starts in Toulouse, south-west France, and finishes nearby; drive down, trailer, or use our transport with EM Rogers’ covered trucks from England/Calais and fly down, the choice is yours. Toulouse is close to the Pyrénées and, after plotting the route on your maps just as you would have done on a rally in the 1950s/’60s (except this time we provide the maps), you head south through glorious rolling countryside towards the mountains. Except that first, there’s a test on a superb, twisty 1.4km circuit which you drive one at a time, with a target time and penalties per second late or early: safe and great fun.
Narrow gorges and Cathar castles take you up into the mountains proper, and the delightful 2001m Port de Pailheres – a narrow mountain pass with no barriers, wandering cattle, next-to-no traffic and simply stunning scenery. You will drive no less than nine cols (mountain passes) today as the glorious route rises and falls, before dropping down to the historic Hotel Eychenne: a true French gem. Nine more cols follow next day, building gradually and gloriously to the well-known 2,115m Col du Tourmalet – but you don’t just take the main road there, you duck and dive through little-known gems of roads and mountains that you will really enjoy.
After more great hospitality in Hotel Le Montaigu, we take to the cols again, ticking off eight very different passes (including the astonishingly beautiful Col d’Aubisque) before crossing into Spain and adding six portillos/puertos to our toll, taking us down to the Atlantic coast and sunny San Sebastian. Next day, we head inland; the Spanish don’t use their country roads, preferring motorways, but thanks to EU investment, the road network is in superb condition and seemingly there just for us! Superb driving roads take us through very different but equally stunning scenery, to the superb Circuito de Navarra, a wide 3.9km circuit, for a lap consistency test – drive one lap at your own pace, then try to match that time to the second for two more. It’s great fun and surprisingly difficult to achieve! Your reward, after a short drive with breathtaking views over the entire La Rioja region, is an exclusive wine tasting at a highly regarded Rioja vineyard, with hotels on site or close by.
Castles are the theme next day, with more astonishing scenery taking us south east to eat and sleep in a remarkable converted monastery. A short drive next morning takes us to historic Morella, an almost unspoiled mediaeval fortress and walled town dominating the landscape. We stay within the city walls and the afternoon is free to explore the stunning old town – or fettle your TR if necessary! Leaving Morella next day alongside its astonishing Roman aqueduct, we head north-east via more castles and a remarkable 74-year-old ferry crossing of the River Ebro to Circuit Mora d’Ebre, another twisty 1.4km circuit, for a one-at-a-time test – then on to another early stop at Tarragona, on the coast of the Mediterranean. One-time capital of the western Roman empire, Tarragona is a vibrant city with an incredible historic quarter – we stay in the midst of it and this is the one evening you eat out, with a huge range of cafés and restaurants to choose from amid the many stunning historic buildings.
From Tarragona, we drive north into Catalunya, meeting the great enthusiasts at a local motor club en route, before the Pyrenees are in our sights again and we climb up to the Principality of Andorra, where we are welcomed at the National Automobile Museum and stay in a fabulous chalet-style hotel packed with motoring memorabilia and machines.
The final morning sees us cross the highest pass of the rally, 2,408m, leaving Andorra for France and the cols again, driving through an incredible gorge complex and visiting a wonderful Cathar castle. The day ends, fittingly, with another unique experience – driving our TRs in convoy into the fairytale mediaeval citadel of Carcassonne, now almost entirely closed to cars … except us. Our final night is in the glorious Hotel de la Cité: next morning you can stay and enjoy the amazing location, or head home with, we hope, memories to last a lifetime.
We recommend getting your entry form in ASAP with a £250 deposit: this will hold you a place on the event and can be discounted from the first full payment when it becomes due - or refunded up to that point if something comes up and you're unable to make it after all. Please contact Malcolm McKay on 0044 7711 901811. Prices rise from the end of November. All TRs (and Stags) are welcome and no rallying experience is necessary – though many experienced crews took part, the best result on last year’s event was achieved by a couple on their first competitive rally!
The attached brochure gives an outline of the Rally: -TR-Pyrenees-BrochureS_4.pdf
PROVISIONAL ENTRY LIST
AUTHENTIC CATEGORY
TR3-3A
1954 TR2 Vincent & Arthur Paccellieri F
1954 TR2 Michel Goldé/TBC B
1957 TR3 Mike Wing/Caroline Metcalf GB
1957 TR3 Jason Carrodus/Stephen Hill GB
195? TR3 Ben & Vicky Freer GB
1957 Works TR3A Iain Paul/TBC GB
1959 TR3A Jeff & Jeffery Givens USA
1959 TR3A Ian Vincent/TBC GB
1960 TR3A Andy Jackson/John Broadley GB
1961 TR3A Gordon & Dan Washburn USA
SPIRIT CATEGORY
TRS-4A
1960spec TRS Paul & Jan Gerring GB
1961 TR4 David Hankin/James Butler GB
1962 TR4 Mike North/Mike Mercer-Deadman GB
1963 TR4 David & Edward Liddell GB
1963 TR4 Mark Rachet/TBC F
1964 TR4 Paul & Judy Bloxidge GB
1964 TR4 Dave & Nicky Armstrong GB
196? TR4A John & Kim Durden GB
1966 TR4A Peter & Louise Wreford GB
1966 TR4A Liz Wakefield/Mike Jones GB
TR5-8
196? TR5 Andrew & Susan Taylor GB
1968 TR5 Mark & Sarah Rainer GB
1968 TR5 Simon Leifer/Lee Marriner GB
1969 TR6 Karl & Alan Boulton GB
1971 TR6 Dave Burgess/Wayne Scott GB
1971 TR6 Per Formo/Inger Buene N
1972 TR6 Guy & Tiana Evans GB
1976 TR6 Martin & Dorothy Goodall GB