Rallye des Jonquilles 2014

[benjj]

I know quite a few people have enjoyed previous years of the RdJ in northern France, just wondering if we may be able to put a decent sized group together from PH for next year.

For those that have not done it before it is pretty simple: a 1 day navigational rally around the NE/Flanders area of France, usually within an hours drive of Calais. It has always traditionally been on a Sunday so it is possible to do it without taking any time off work.

The cost is very reasonable, less than €100 for a crew of 2 which includes coffee/croissants in the morning, a good sit down lunch and some nibbles/grog at the end of the day.

I am going to enter with my usual navigator (johnfm off here) and I think we'll grab a ferry over the afternoon before and have a night on the last in Bethune before the start.

So, anyone up for it?

website here gives info from last year: http://www.lagrangeauxdamiers.com/categorie-102301...

2012 event

[benjj]

Quick update as I've just spoken with Bruno about this.

The date is not set in stone yet but he is aiming for Sunday April 13th, 2014. That is the weekend AFTER the Easter weekend.

It will hopefully be centred around the town of Arras which is about 1 hour / 70 miles from the ferry port at Calais.

It is not possible to book yet but Bruno will let me know when we can and I'll update here.

Would be great to get a real selection of PHers and cars there, it really is a brilliant day.

[benjj]

Yes, pretty much exactly how you say.

Travel down Sat morning, hotel around Bethune or Arras, sink a few beers.

Next morning arrive start around 0730, coffee and croissant, look at cars. Then 3 legs of rallying, each using prepared tulip roadbook. Each leg around 50-70km. Fast as you can/like

Leg 1
Coffee
Leg 2
Lunch
Leg 3
Finish, beers

Realistically if you don't want to take Monday off you could get a crossing back to Dover at about 7.30pm, arrive Dover local time of around 7pm ish then on to wherever.

I'll be there in the old Porsche and johnfm in his 67 Elan plus the SKCC dudes, it's a hoot!

[benjj]

moribund said:

Cheers Ben. Sounds remarkably un-intimidating!

Is the navigation quite straightforward, with no complicated time/distance stuff?

In 2012 I did it 'en famille' in the DS. My wife navigated for the very first time and we took my 4 year old daughter and my 3 month old daughter. Bruno was very happy for us to compete in this way which was a refreshing change. Wife was placated with a 3 day stay at The Westminster in Le Touquet before hand which turned a cheap rally into a £5k 4 day mini holiday. Aaaaargh.

(Wife is actually breastfeeding the little one in this pic, the little red jacketed wiener in front is nothing to do with me, goes well with the car though...)



Anyway, the rally is not like the MSA/FIA stuff I do, it is purely a navigational rally. The roadbook is in easy to follow tulip format and NONE of it is timed. However, you get a feel for the French way of considering this rally when you leave on the first section. I was sandwiched between a SWB UR Quattro in full rally livery and a Ferrari 456. Lovely quiet burble through the villages and then all hell let lose on the open country roads. It was simply superb, absolutely flat out (where appropriate, d'accord ).

I wouldn't think twice about having a go with a first time navigator as it is pretty straight forward.

On the run down try and get a feel for your tacho reading against something like a Garmin/TomTom - then you can do without a Brantz/Halda. You won't ever trouble for a podium spot without accurate measuring equipment (or experience really) but you'll have an absolute blast, quite literally in the Lotus.

I'm going to drop Bruno a line now to see how plans are progressing. As it looks like quite a few PHers will be getting signed on perhaps we should organise a joint crossing and a few beers on the Sat night in Arras...

[benjj]

There is a general cut off date, however the organisers give themselves carte blanche to allow 'interesting' modern cars. On the last one I went to it was about 80% pre 1975 with the rest being an eclectic mix of Caterfields, Lotuses, Ferraris and a few oddballs.

What car would you consider taking?

[benjj]

early_911 said:

Just a boxster . . . . so that'll count me out then .
Phil

That's a toughie. I know Bruno is keen on international crews but not sure whether a Boxter would be a 'fit' as such. Do you want me to ask him?

[benjj]

sunbeam alpine said:

I'd be up for this - if they'll let a 1990 Alfa Spider in.

I think they probably would

I'm assuming this



rather than this



Again I can certainly enquire.

[benjj]

sunbeam alpine said:

Indeed



Or I could bring this -



It's a pristine Alfa 155 Q4 - it used to be the AR France press car - bought it in April - 20800km from new when I got it.

Nice, I have a real thing for red/black cars. I'd just bring the fastest one

I'll be bringing the Porsche as the DS wasn't quite fast enough last year...

[benjj]

early_911 said:

If it's no bother - could you ask? Totally understand if it's a no.
My boxster is red with black wheels

Phil

No problem, will drop Bruno a line now.

The rally generally attracts between 135-150 cars. If we could put together a nice little PH entry of around 8-10 cars I think that would be very cool. It would also make it easier to 'lose' a more modern car like the Boxter in the melee

[benjj]

Each crew will need to enter themselves, however I'm quite happy to get it all worked out before then with Bruno in France. The best idea is to get a clear idea of who is definitely up for it and then we can get everything sorted. Nobody is able to enter for another few weeks anyway. How about a PH list:

Benjj - 1981 Porsche 944
Johnfm - 1967 Lotus Elan +2

Add your own name/car if you're keen and I can keep you updated and then put everyone in touch with Bruno directly when the entry list is open.

[benjj]

early_911 said:

If it's no bother - could you ask? Totally understand if it's a no.
My boxster is red with black wheels

Phil

Spoke to Bruno last night, I said I'm aiming to encourage a group of up to around 10 cars to make the trip over. I asked about the Boxter, he said all ok so if you're keen then you're in! Add to the list below if so.

That'll have to be it for more modern (lets say post 1980) cars in the group.

[benjj]

Top work Dave, that'll show those French how we roll on this side of La Manche

[benjj]

Well I can only vouch for the 2012 RdJ but we encountered nothing like that.

Some of the roads are very small, typically those cutting across farmland, but all were well finished and certainly no bottoming out

Most of the roads are what you'd call 'fast b-roads' here in the UK.

[benjj]

mybrainhurts said:

Not timed...straightforward navigation.

Don't get it. How is it competitive?

By getting the route correct and, most importantly, doing it in style

Style in the UK = making sure your car is MSA compliant and keeping to a high gear while going through villages.

Style in France = skids, shooting flames out the back and hitting the limiter for hour after hour.

Clear?

[benjj]

Good man. Have just emailed you with more details.

[benjj]

Just found the 2012 roadbook while clearing out a drawer in the office.







Dead easy to navigate even for a first timer. All in KM though so worth a quick bit of work for any navs with a pen and calculator to quickly convert them all to miles if that's what your tacho uses.

Not sure on the Fiero, cool car though. Perhaps just blagging it as an 84 model and assuming all will be fine!

[benjj]

I spoke to Bruno on email the other day, he has a meeting with the Arras mayor soon, end of this week I think.

Once that's squared away he'll confirm dates etc and we can get booked on.

I'm away rallying that following week on LeJog but back Dec 12 ish and will hope we're all good to go by then.

We'll also need to consider a decent crossing for as many people as want to meet up on the UK side on the Saturday lunchtime.

[benjj]

Re the Cerb - tricky one.

When I spoke with Bruno the other week he was pretty keen to keep the entry list as 'classic' as possible and asked me to limit the newer cars in our group coming over.

He'll get some serious heat from local French dudes I reckon if the list is filled up with foreign modern metal!

I can certainly ask but I suspect that the answer will almost certainly be, "I'd rather you didn't".

[benjj]

You won't be bumped chum, unless you want to be

I may be able to supply some navigators in the form of Mission Motorsport beneficiaries - will have more on that shortly.

I'll be defo running with a MM nav.

[benjj]

I don't want to become some kind of ahole about all this but am just relaying what Bruno said in his email to me recently.

Personally both the Fiero and Tiv would be right up my street, I'd love the PH entry to arrive in a mass of noise and rubber