Sat / Sun 26th & 27th January 2013 - Pre Rally Preparation

The Reims Auto Club put on a pre-rally dinner at the Novotel, Tinquex for the teams as a welcome on Saturday night. We had the company of Team GB members David Ring in the Datsun 240Z and David Mustarde in the Alfa Guilietta. As we have a very long day tomorrow it is not a great idea to get too much into the swing of things.

Sunday morning was taken up with washing the car, filling up with petrol and diesel and doing all those last minute things to get everything in its right place for the long night run.

Scrutineering is at the Place des Expositions in the south of Reims, where we go through the beaurocracy of documentation and physical examination of the car. Here we got snagged on a most unexpected issue - the absence of an exterior rear view mirror. My car has never had one, and we have competed in the last two years without the mirror, and this year we were not allowed to start without one. On Sunday in France everything is closed, so we had to make one - see the picture.

At 3.00pm we are sent down to the start from the Town Hall in the centre of Reims town, and finally pushed off at 7.00pm.

The weather has changed significantly, and we set off into a cool night with heavy rain in the forecast. The snows and icy roads had largely all gone.

Team GB at Pre-rally dinner in the Novotel Reims

Make shift exterior mirror - as prescribed by the regs, and French road law - A learning point for next year!

This years Discovery service barge all kitted out and ready to go

Washing the car in the rain - Car park of the Novotel, Tinqueux in Reims

The Mini Spares team of Bill Richards and John Morrow all ready for the off in Monte Carlo

Waiting in the road outside the scrutineering shed at the Place des Expositions, Reims, before being taken down to the city centre by a police escort.

Glasgow starters arriving in a packed Reims starting area outside the Town Hall