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wst
1,065 posts
30 months
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Youtube auto-stabilisation made me feel seasick watching the video. Good sound though!
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MC Bodge
3,832 posts
44 months
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Fantastic stuff. Is there any better driving anywhere?
I'm currently down t'Alps way myself. I've done most of that route before, in quicker machinery. I've had to make do with driving the family estate over the passes this time. When the passengers are asleep there's fun to be had running with the locals. Smoothness (move that weight around gently), heel/toe(blip that diesel) and looking ahead/around the hairpins(not so easy in a tin-top with poor visibility) are the keys.
It's a pity I haven't put a motorbike rack on the towbar. Oh Well, I did ride the TT mountain course the other week, so it's not all bad ;
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Watchman
1,980 posts
114 months
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MC Bodge said: I've done most of that route before, in quicker machinery. [challenge mode]Quicker than what?[/challenge mode]  When on tour, we'd split up into groups that had different levels of comfort regarding speed. Not telling you which group I was in but one day we caught up with a chap on a Ducatti. The guy in front of me overtook him and managed to make the overtake stick on a series of twisties. Duke-boy gave chase, and I stayed behind him. I have never witnessed such an impressive display of riding skills in my life. There will no doubt be PC calls of inappropriate behaviour but from where I sat I simply marvelled at the way this guy literally slid his bike around corners in an effort at keeping up with a well-pedalled Caterham. When the roads straightened again, he took off with a wave. He seemed to enjoy it as much as we had.
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Cotty
24,931 posts
153 months
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Watchman now that just sounds a whole lot of fun. Ignoring the whole bike v car thing and just having fun on a fantastic road. It does not really matter who is in front or chasing 
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Boss Hogg
80 posts
98 months
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Very nice, but would be more fun in a supersport 
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XTR2Turbo
1,354 posts
100 months
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Gruffy said: I was lucky enough to hustle a Radical over the Grand St Bernard Pass a few years ago and that still ranks in my top 3 all time drives. Like you said, those memories easily outlive those of the autoroute schlep down there. Looking forward to another visit in a few weeks.   
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m444ttb
1,364 posts
98 months
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I'd love to do this in my Westfield. The though of the long journey to get there does put me off however!
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Watchman
1,980 posts
114 months
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m444ttb said: I'd love to do this in my Westfield. The though of the long journey to get there does put me off however! But you make ALL of the journey count. Don't take the Autoroutes.
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Watchman
1,980 posts
114 months
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XTR2Turbo said: That's the Boss behind you, no? I'd do that trip again in a decent Cerb.
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ewenm
24,467 posts
114 months
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Watchman said: m444ttb said: I'd love to do this in my Westfield. The though of the long journey to get there does put me off however! But you make ALL of the journey count. Don't take the Autoroutes. Exactly. 2-2.5 hours on the autoroute to Reims (gets boring NE France out of the way quickly and is a cheap peage) then N and D roads the rest of the way.
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Gruffy
4,530 posts
128 months
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tfwebdesign said: Look better with a Westfield........   Also fun on a split board, though a bit slower. 
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XTR2Turbo
1,354 posts
100 months
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Watchman said: XTR2Turbo said: That's the Boss behind you, no? I'd do that trip again in a decent Cerb. Yep that is Phil.... but cerbs / tuscans don't seem to run too well at high temps / altitude. I assume because they don't run mass air flow sensors so no compensation for the thin air or the map a bit tight . ..
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tfwebdesign
6 posts
62 months
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Gruffy said: Also fun on a split board, though a bit slower.  
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m444ttb
1,364 posts
98 months
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ewenm said: Exactly. 2-2.5 hours on the autoroute to Reims (gets boring NE France out of the way quickly and is a cheap peage) then N and D roads the rest of the way. Perhaps with some better seats. An inch more room would make it infinitely more comfortable.
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MC Bodge
3,832 posts
44 months
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Watchman said: MC Bodge said: I've done most of that route before, in quicker machinery. [challenge mode]Quicker than what?[/challenge mode] Badly phrased, sorry... I meant quicker than my own family estate car 
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v15ben
10,613 posts
110 months
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Watchman said:  The weather was as spectacular as the hotels, scenery, and the cars. Ah, the Kenmore Hotel. Our family summer holiday was usually spent here from when I was about 5 to 15 years old. Lovely village and that is a fantastic hotel! I want to do a drive like this when I return to the UK. Probably not in an exotic car, but the idea of an early ferry/chunnel and a long schlep through France to drive some amazing roads does sound highly tempting  I'd also like to get up at around 4am, drive towards the hotel in that picture and enjoy many roads around there before settling in for dinner and a whisky in the hotel bar
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Schnellmann
1,231 posts
73 months
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Great write-up. Some friends were on those roads just a couple of weeks back. I wanted to go with them but couldn't fit it in. It was bad enough hearing their stories without seeing your pictures as now I can see what I missed!
Oh...and it would have been at least as much fun on a bike. You should man up like Monkey Harris and get your bike licence and then go back with a bike too (there is perhaps enough space in the trailer for the Caterham and a bike?)
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g3org3y
6,860 posts
60 months
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Great write up. We took the E30 round similar areas last year including the Petit St Bernard. Absolutely brilliant fun but unfortunately sky was grey and overcast and started to rain. Not such a problem at speed with the roof down, but once we got stuck behind a couple of trucks...bad times (very wet!).
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JonathanLegard
5,116 posts
106 months
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This is what PH should be about.
Silly cars being used to their design brief. Love it.
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Watchman
1,980 posts
114 months
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XTR2Turbo said: Watchman said: XTR2Turbo said: That's the Boss behind you, no? I'd do that trip again in a decent Cerb. Yep that is Phil.... but cerbs / tuscans don't seem to run too well at high temps / altitude. I assume because they don't run mass air flow sensors so no compensation for the thin air or the map a bit tight . .. My Cerb had an Emerald ECU which can run a baro sensor (mine didn't). I'd certainly go for an Emerald again if/when I buy another Cerb. It made all the difference to the Caterhams in the Alps - the more highly tuned K-series engines are hopeless at altitude without a baro sensor.
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