Wednesday 30th January 2013, Common Section Pt1

At the close of Wednesday we have now completed an additional 4 ZRs. The final Team GB standings after ZR 10 are as follows:

69th (was 71st) - Roberts / Tomlinson - Fiat

125 (was 157) - Vines / Moss - Mini Cooper S

129 (was 126) - Ring / Cave - Datsun 240Z

132 (was 130) - Ostle / Brack - Mini Cooper S

172 (was 142) - Mustarde / Thorp - Alfa

201 (was 217) - Richards / Morrow - Mini Cooper S

RTD - Imp - O'Nions,/ Wilkinson

We started out from Valence from Valence again toward the next night halt at Gap on a beautiful warm sunny morning. The news was that much of the anticipated ice and snow had melted and that we would be treated to one of the least snowy Rallye Monte Carlo Historiques I have ever known.

ZR7 - Col de Gaudissart / La Chapelle enV. We had news of ice, but it was suggested that much of it would have gone by the time we got there. In the event there was a substantial amount of ice which caused some folks to have a difficult time. We passed a Healey 3000 and and Alfa digging themselves out of snow banks - 81st here.

ZR8 - St Barthelemy. Icy in places, but passed without incident - 95th.

ZR9 - Chillanne / Col de Menee. Had to be driven very hard, twisty on the way up, but great corners for sliding the car round - 61st

ZR10 - Col d'Esperaux - Extremely twisty everywhere, lots of large fallen rocks lying in the road. Very icy over the top, several cars in snow banks digging furiously. A very difficult stage - 97th.

As we came into final service before Gap we had left hand indicator and front headlamp not working. Corrosion had got into the indicaor bulb holder and the headlamp connector block behind the front grille. All easily resolved.

In the Mini standings Wednesday results are:

- 68 (was 51st) - Picquier

- 125 (was 157th) - Vines - New Class 11/1 leader

- 132 (was 130th & Class 11/1 leader) - Ostle

- 155 (was 141st) - Arnal

- 163 (was 149th) - Nakagawa

- 158 (was 165th) - Hart

- 198 (228th) - Burnier

- 201 (was 217th) - Richards

- 209 (was 227th) - McAlpine

- 257 (was 269th) - Gary

Pictured here are my service team of Nigel Chetwynd and Lisa Thornton, with co-driver Peter Moss fixing the lights on CRX, and secondly with Ginger Ostle and Isabelle Brack anmd Minis in Gap Parc Ferme.