Stage 2 - Aix-les-Bains to Marseilles (April 23rd)
Depart Aix-les-Bains on April 23rd 2001 from 08:01 for Marseilles.
Sheltering from the sleet and rain under the hotel porch at Aix-les-Bains, the Butcher/Butcher BRA
is repacked before the next stage down to Marseilles.
Day 2 was much more enjoyable, with a start in torrential rain and a trip round large boulders
and white stuff up somewhere high, plus a blast by Fry with a whimpering Pilbeam up the rally stage
on Mount Ventoux.
The Oldfield Special (Citroen 2CV) of Keith Oldfield & Darren Clagget gave rise to a lot of
interest amongst Citroen mechanics at a refuelling stop somewhere in Southern France .....
.... since it had a mid-engine Ford Granada 2.9 litre V6 transplant, plus rear-wheel-drive! Formidable!
Minor attention was required to the Lotus Europa of Richard Winter & Nick Pakes (fitted with
a Banks-tuned Vauxhall 1.6 litre engine) to secure the front anti-roll bar, that had sheared and
detached itself from the rest of the suspension. Aren't cable ties a wonderful invention!
Photo courtesy of Peter Davies
This is a strange place to set up your picnic table, Carol ?
Photo courtesy of Peter Davies
Countdown to the start of the timed ascent up the southern section of Mont Ventoux - 3, 2, 1, GOWWWWWW !
The Butcher/Butcher BRA ascends Mont Ventoux near Jas-des-Mellettes (on the rev. limiter at 6000 rpm in 3rd. gear, i.e.
over 95 mph) - not sparing many of the horses, but what a noise!
Ahem, that double armco looks like it might hurt us if we get it wrong, and which way does the black
bit go after this fast-approaching crest? This is serious stuff!
Photo courtesy of Peter Cahill
That white stuff is very cold and slippery - and you can almost see the grin that had frozen
across my face.
Photo courtesy of Peter Cahill
Still climbing up Mont Ventoux, and leaning across towards Andrea - to try and hear whether
she is shouting out some vital directions to me, or just screaming for me to slow down!
Brilliant fun, even when the back end decided it should be steering, and some 7 type replica was
narrowly avoided descending on the correct side of the road by the Pilbeam/Fry 289 (the 7 was driving
back down to the bottom for another ascent!)
The second half of the drive up Mont Ventoux (and the checkpoint at the top, seen here?) was in
thick freezing fog ....
.... and taken very slowly indeed! Brrrrr.
After a relieving pee at the top (1909 metres above sea level) avoiding the painful characteristics
of frost bite on those bits you rather would not poke out of ones clothing,
a retreat was made to the half-way point at le Chalet Reynard (1418 metres above sea level),
to refasten the boot on the Pilbeam/Fry 289 before clothing and tools were distributed across
the mountain ....
.... and to fix a malfunctioning gear selector.
Two heads (and one crash helmet) are often better than one!
Here Vikas (from the Iain Suggett & Vikas Sehdeva Brightwheel 427) explains to Andrea where
all that slippery white stuff comes from, whilst Iain (apparently legless already) on hearing that the
Dave Smith & Cath Woodman Marlin Roadster has a heater, attempts to climb in and defrost
himself.
Taken from the Pilbeam/Fry 289 at high speed on the road down to Sault, the Berry & Blaine
Dracup Transformer Strato's chases (unsuccessfully) after the Butcher/Butcher BRA 289.
Click here for further details on racing up Mont Ventoux! (Daily Telegraph
article from 9th June 2001)
The weather improved immensely as we approached Marseilles, and after removing the hood the sun
came out...
... and fun was had, detouring via the spectacular Gorges de la Nesque towards Carpentras, but we
soon realised that getting to the port of Marseilles in time would entail an average 250 kph dash
down the A7... difficult for some and impossible in a 289! (the Gendarmerie had already
relieved Jeffrey Julier & Graham Morrant in their Datsun 2.6-powered GCS Hawke of
FFr.600, for travelling too fast on the Autoroute near Grenoble)
We arrived at the port only 7 minutes later than the last permitted time, and got a red stamp on the
route card ... bugger. The ship is almost completely empty, except for some 100+ daft bastards from
a UK-based car club.
Whilst waiting to board the ferry, there was time for some minor modifications with a file to the
front wheel arch of the Embeesea Eurocco of Malcolm Carruthers & Mike Messenger.
Sailing out of the harbour afforded tremendous views of Marseilles.
After several beers and a good dinner, and the crucial decision to avoid advance reading of the
new route book, we escaped to the Butcher's cabin to type up the latest episode of "the 10
most stupid things I have done in the last 24 hours". Tomorrow is another day, and
unfortunately involves more driving around in a state approaching cataleptic trance or frantic
hyperactivity. And this is fun?... more later... much later...
