Submitted by TonyM on
Emma Henchoz and Jeanne Taylor win the Tour Britannia
3 days and 750 miles, 3 road regularities, 4 circuits and 14 speed venues later we arrived back at Coombe Abbey and were officially declared the winners of the 2008 Tour Britannia Rally.
Scrutineering at Duxford on Monday afternoon was followed by a Champagne Reception and Dinner at Kings College, Cambridge, and then the fun really began! The next morning saw us completing 5 laps at Snetterton - lap 3 and 4 having to be driven in exactly the same time. We were then very privileged to do 2 laps on the Lotus test track at Hethel.
Little did we know how the results were developing as we headed out of Norfolk towards lunch and 2 laps of the test track at Bruntingthorpe in Leicestershire. The evening saw us to HQ at Coombe Abbey, Warwickshire and in the lead by 6 seconds. Day 2 was more of the same, 4 speed venue stages and a road regularity, Mallory Park race circuit and, after another excellent lunch in the Orangery at Blenheim Palace another 5 laps, this time at Silverstone circuit, before returning to Coombe Abbey for dinner, story swopping and a well earned rest.
Day 3 saw us with just a 12 second lead. The pressure was on and the tension was mounting as we continued with 4 more stages, 5 circuits of Oulton Park and a road regularity, we entered the final stage of the afternoon at Swynnerton Camp uncertain of our position.
After a long motorway section back to Coombe Abbey we were amazed and overjoyed to find that we had ended the event with just a 6.4 second lead. What a rally! Wined and dined at Kings College & Blenheim, some wonderful country roads from Norfolk to Cheshire, as well as all points in between, circuits that not many get the privilege to drive on, marvelous organization and we managed to come out on top in a 1960 Volvo PV544.