Recce Report By Fred Bent and Kim Bannister

Rally Round's latest European event is the most spectacular yet, exploring delightful roads and breathtaking scenery between the supremely romantic Capital cities of France and the Czech Republic. Nevertheless we have made some significant changes to the route originally outlined in the event brochure. As with all Rally Round events, Paris-Prague is intended to be a highly enjoyable and sociable celebration of the pioneering days of motorsport, with plenty of leisurely lunches and refreshment stops. However it soon became clear that the dream route we had plotted on our maps might be too long and too tiring for some of the Vintage cars and crews, so together with fellow route designer Kim Bannister I recently completed a second recce, refining the route and reducing the daily driving distances by as much as 130km. The most noticeable changes are to days four and five, when we will no longer venture south into the Italian Dolomites but take an easier, more northerly path through the magnificent Austrian Tyrol, via the world-renowned alpine resort of Kitzbühel. We are fortunate indeed to have so many wonderful route options in this part of the world!

Although our revised route is almost 300km shorter than originally proposed, the sporting challenge remains, with an entertaining variety of regularity sections and tests at famous old motorsport venues. We are sure you will enjoy it very much, and look forward to seeing you on the start line in June. If you haven't already done so, you may reserve your place by calling the Rally Office on 0044 (0)1252 794100, by sending an email to info@rallyround.co.uk or by completing the online form on our website - go to www.rallyround.co.uk

Fred Bent, Clerk of the Course

Sunday June 11 - Chantilly

Our pre-event formalities and welcome dinner take place in Chantilly, a town of 11,000 inhabitants within the metropolitan area of Paris and one of the city's most important tourist attractions, famed for whipped cream, lace, a splendid racecourse and of course the fabulous Chateau.

Rally Headquarters will be situated at our luxurious hotel, the Auberge du Jeu de Paume, which sits within the Chateau gardens adjacent to the Living Museum of the Horse, and we plan to conduct vehicle scrutineering next to the 'Great Stables' with overflow parking in the courtyard. These magnificent stables are considered by many

to be the most beautiful in the world; they were commissioned in 1719 by Louis Henri, Duc de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, who believed that he would be reincarnated as a horse after his death and asked his architect, Jean Aubert to build suitably luxurious accommodation for him. Talk about horse power!

Many locations within the Chateau grounds featured in the 1985 James Bond film 'A View to a Kill' as the estate of evil Max Zorin (played by Christopher Walken). This was the last movie to star Roger Moore as 007 and Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny, and we would be surprised if you are not both shaken and stirred by the splendour of our surroundings. Our time here is just too short to fully appreciate everything so you might wish to arrive early. Of course you are also on the doorstep of one of the world's greatest and most romantic cities; Chantilly is just 25 minutes by train from the Eurostar terminus at Paris Gare du Nord.

Monday June 12 - Chantilly to Nancy (375km)

From the grandeur of the Chateau de Chantilly start our route takes us east through the Chantilly Forest and along the valley of the Nonette, home to the largest racehorse-training community in France. This drive through the lovely Picardy countryside includes the first taste of competition - a short regularity section around pretty hamlets and scattered farms - before our morning coffee halt at the Restaurant Les Ruins. Normally closed on Mondays, this is opening especially for us. It is a steep climb to the restaurant, which stands alongside the remains of an unfinished castle (not sure how

they came up with the name!). However the view of the valley below is worth the effort and with its cobbled streets and ivy-clad houses the little village oozes Gallic charm.

Our lunch stop is Presles Farm, an authentic 16th Century fortified dwelling in the heart of the Montagne du Reims nature park. Since 1983 Martha Neve and her son Franck have continued the family tradition of welcoming weddings and other events to their home, and when we called on our recce one such function was in full swing. Despite our protestations Franck insisted we sample the local Champagne. We protested vigorously but in the interests of event quality control we eventually succumbed!

This rather set the theme of the afternoon as our route takes in magical views of Champagne vineyards and the village of Hautevillers. It was here that a Benedictine monk by the name of Dom Perignon lived and worked in the late 17th and early 18th Centuries. The son of a wine grower, he became cellar master at the Abbey of Hautevillers and his expertise in combining grapes of different origins improved the still wines of the region. Contrary to popular myth, he did not discover the method for making sparkling wines. Indeed - sacre bleu! - it

now seems that the double fermentation process responsible for Champagne's unique bubbles was discovered sometime earlier by English scientist and physician, Christopher Merret. Around almost every corner you will see signs for yet another winery, vineyard or Champagne house, an indication of the value of 'fizz' to the French economy - roughly €4.7 billion. There is little danger of any shortage, as at any one time there are around a billion bottles in the making.

Skirting around the former provincial capital of Chalons-en-Champagne we continue through the Parc Naturel Regionale de Lorraine towards our overnight halt in the university town of Nancy. Our afternoon session includes a refreshment halt and Passage Control in the bar/restaurant Sarment in the village of Vanault le Chatel and three short regularity sections through a delightful landscape of forests and farmland with a scattering of distinctive, half-timbered houses. This tranquil environment is a far cry from the bloody battles fought on Lorraine’s unfortunate soils.

The events of two world wars are very much part of the cultural landscape and cemeteries, memorials and museums quietly remember those who were lost.

Tuesday June 13 – Nancy to St Gallen (415km)

Day two is the longest of the rally as we visit three countries, driving south-east into Germany for an historic hillclimb and ending the the day in the shadow of the Appenzell Alps in the Swiss city of St Gallen. Remember that Switzerland has its own currency, the Schweizerfranken (Swiss Franc).

To avoid commuter traffic in Nancy we take a short run on the bypass before striking out for the foothills of the Vosges mountains, ever popular rally territory. The area to the north of St Die des Vosges is a maze of roads which will provide our morning entertainment before we take the Tunnel Maurice Lemaire to Sainte Marie-aux-Mines and the Col de Sainte Marie. With an elevation of 772m and relatively gentle inclines this is a mild introduction to the rally's many mountain climbs but it has the additional attraction of being partially cobbled!

Historically speaking, Alsace was part of the German-speaking area of central Europe, and to this day a large proportion of the population, of all generations, speak or understand Alsacian, a dialectal form of German. Over the centuries Alsace has been passed several times between Germany and France and consequently retains several peculiarities, particularly in religious matters, but with its villages of half-timbered, brightly-painted houses, Alsace certainly looks Germanic. In the past the colours signified businesses - bakeries in one colour, butchers in another, shoemakers in a third, and so on. That is no longer the case, but the style persists.

Some of these villages are classed as the most beautiful villages in France, and tend to draw crowds of tourists at weekends. One such is our lunch halt, Ribeauville. As parking within the town is limited lunch will be served at the Domaine du Moulin de Dusenbach winery, housed in a former mill on the outskirts of town, but we have asked the Mayor's permission to drive through Ribeauville's narrow streets on departure.

We enter Germany near the city of Freiberg im Breisgau, on the fringes of the Black Forest. This is home to an amazing old motorsport venue, the Freiburg-Schauinsland hillclimb. One of the most spectacular in Germany and notoriously one of the most difficult, its 127 corners have challenged many of the greatest names

in motor racing history including Hans Stuck, Rudolf Caracciola, Bernd Rosemeyer, Stirling Moss and Ludovico Scarfiotti. Starting just outside Günterstal, a suburb of Freiburg, the 12km hillclimb rises 800 metres to an area called Schauinsland, which literally means 'look into the country' - at 1,200m above sea level the views are certainly extensive. The road is initially lined with beech trees, but after a few corners it climbs into a thick forest of fir and pine until it emerges briefly at the Holzschläger Matten-Kurve, only to disappear again into the trees 300 metres later. Only a few locals seem to know about the hillclimb's illustrious sporting past, and for most it is merely a way to reach the viewpoint at Schauinsland.

Continuing south east along the shore of Germany’s highest reservoir, the Schluchsee, we found a great venue for an afternoon tea halt and Passage Control, the Brauereigasthof Rothaus. Here we will pause for refreshment before a final regularity on our way into Switzerland. We enter the country at its northernmost corner, in the 'knee' of the river Rhine near the town of Schaffhausen. The run to our overnight accommodation then takes us through gentle hills, peaceful woods and pretty villages, all just a stone's throw from the Alps.

St Gallen was founded in the early 7th Century by an Irish monk called Gallus, who chose this spot for his hermitage, and the city boasts one of Switzerland's most enchanting 'Old Towns' as many of the 16th and 17th Century buildings are adorned with ornately carved bay windows, painted facades and wrought-iron signs. Rally HQ is the Hotel Einstein on the edge of this picturesque district.

Wednesday June 14 - St Gallen to Kitzbühel (350km)

Today's route takes us through the Alps, enjoying magnificent vistas in Switzerland and the Austrian Tyrol. It is a shorter day then we originally planned, in order to allow everyone time to catch their breath and make the most of the spectacular views. Respecting the limitations of some of the older cars on the rally we have elected to take a more northerly route via some of the less demanding high alpine passes, which has the added advantage of following quieter and lesser known roads. The scenery is nevertheless fabulous!

Leaving St Gallen the route initially takes us through a singularly beautiful landscape of rolling green hills and meadows, typical of the Appenzellerland. On our recce trip we were looking for a suitable regularity start location when we came across the entrance to an immaculate dairy farm. As it was possible that rally cars waiting to start the regularity might obstruct traffic to the property, we called at the farmhouse to make sure the owners were happy with what we had in mind. The people of this area are renowned

for their hospitality and indeed it was over half an hour before we could resume our trip, as we were given a guided tour of the entire farm including the store where their home-produced organic cheese matures for up to three years. If you meet the family on the event it would probably be wise to decline the offer of a 'look around' or you might be very late for dinner this evening!

Crossing into the Austrian province of Tyrol the landscape is dominated by spectacular mountains and we encounter no fewer than five gorgeous lakes as we flirt with the German border. Our eastward route passes through the little town of Egg, where we observed a predictable obsession with oval objects, and continues through Bad Hindelang, venue for the classic Jochpass Memorial Rally and the Viehscheid, when hundreds of cows come down from the high pastures decorated with flowers and giant bells.

We then drive on to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, host town of the 1936 Winter Olympics, before finally arriving at our overnight halt in beautiful Kitzbühel.

This small, medieval town was fortunate to survive unscathed by the ravages of the First and Second World Wars. It is now one of Austria's best-known and fanciest winter sports resorts and home to the Hahnenkamm, one of the toughest downhill challenges in World Cup ski racing. Rally HQ is at the Hotel Kitzhof, just a few minutes walk from the centre of town.

Thursday June 15 - Kitzbühel to Linz (320km)

The morning of day four is spent exploring the majestic summits, picturesque valleys and sheer cliffs of the Hochkönig (High King) ski area and the 'Sound of Music' landscapes of the Salzburg region, one of the most attractive destinations in Austria thanks to its gentle alpine pastures and magnificent glaciers.

The afternoon takes us through the largest area of pasture in Austria, the Postalm plateau, beautifully transformed in June by the blooming alpine rose. Our drive along the charming Abtenau-Postalm toll road is briefly interrupted at the Restaurant Lienbachhof, owned and run by the Buchegger family, which is our intended lunch stop. When we visited in August it was surprisingly busy, in spite of the remote location and rotten weather - a testament to the quality of the fare on offer, as Kim and I can confirm!

Leaving the state of Salzburg and heading into Upper Austria we turn north along the forested shore of Lake Traunsee, which translates as 'dream lake'. Here you might wish to keep an eye out for 'Lungy' - the Loch Ness Monster's Austrian cousin - who is said to inhabit the lake. Keen runners might also like to know that this inspiring road is part of the annual Bergmarathon, a 70km race held at the end of June.

Our afternoon refreshment halt is at a Shell fuel station and cafe near the town of Eberstalzell. We chanced upon this place while scouting the network of roads that criss-cross the A1, Austria's first autobahn, and noted that it had a large, unsurfaced but smooth patch of land attached. The owner of the property was pleased to agree to our use of the site for a fun little driving test before our final run into Linz.

Justifiably famous for its cake, Linz is Austria's third largest city and to avoid any traffic problems we will use the autobahn to reach our

overnight accommodation at Hotel Steigenberger. The hotel sits on the south bank of the mighty Danube and on a warm June evening with drink in hand it should be very pleasant to sit and watch the cruise ships passing within metres of the terrace.

Friday June 16 - Linz to Brno (375km)

From the Hotel Steigenberger we take the autobahn once more to cross the Danube and then turn north towards the border with the Czech Republic. Although a member state of the EU, the country is not part of the Euro zone; the official currency is the Crown (Koruna), abbreviated as Kč or CZK.

We bid farewell to Austria near the little village of Guglwald and begin the first competitive section of the day on the quiet roads between the border and Lake Lipno. Sometimes called the Bohemian Sea, this huge man-made lake is a major attraction for skaters in the winter and for sailors and anglers in the summer. It is set amid beautiful countryside in the eastern corner of the Šumava national park and we skirt its southern shores as we head for a memorable coffee halt in Cesky Krumlov.

During Czechoslovakia's communist era, 'Krumlov' fell into disrepair, but since the Velvet Revolution of 1989 much of its former beauty has been restored and this most picturesque and idyllic of medieval towns is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The winding cobbled streets

are full of Baroque buildings housing quaint cafes and bars and the impressive castle is the second largest in the Czech Republic. It all adds up to a truly magical experience, like a fairytale made real, and we are grateful to Pavel Kacerovský and Karel Mach from the Cesky Krumlov Motor Club for arranging our rest halt and Time Control at the Eggenberg Brewery, where tea, coffee, soft drinks and traditional cakes will be on offer. What was once a widow’s residence was converted into the brewery you see today thanks to her ever increasing beer consumption. Perhaps she was lonely!

The CK Motor Club organises three of the country's premier rallies - a modern stage competition, a classic event (The South Bohemian Classic) and a 'new energies' rally - and Pavel has arranged a driving test for us in the nearby village of Svaty Jan nad Malsi. The club uses this venue on its own events and will help us run the test.

From Svaty Jan we travel through a range of natural habitats - peat bogs, alpine meadows, ancient forests and lakes - towards Hluboká Castle, home of the King of Bohemia

from the second half of the 13th Century. One of the most remarkable castles in the Czech Republic, this former royal stronghold acquired its present appearance in the 19th Century when Count Jan Adam of Schwarzenberg remodelled it in a romantic neo-gothic style inspired by Windsor Castle. In 1939 it was seized from the Schwarzenberg family by the Gestapo and it was then confiscated by the postwar government; it is now a national monument. We will enjoy lunch in the Hotel Stekl, conveniently located in the grounds, and catering manager Jindřich Kubeše is making special arrangements for us to tour the castle.

We continue eastwards through the hills of South Bohemia, drawing breath at a Passage Control at Restaurant Rudolec, a hostelry on the edge of the village of Cesky Rudolec, overlooked by the intriguing ruins of a state castle. This sparsely-populated land of forests, farms, fishponds and fairytale castles is criss-crossed with gently inclined lanes, ideal for for cycling, hiking and leisurely driving. The roads are generally traffic-free but on our Autumn recce we often encountered parked vehicles on the fringes of the forest, as the environment is rich in mushrooms, whortleberries (a kind of bilberry), blackberries and wildlife.

Our overnight destination is Brno, the second largest city in the Czech Republic and the provincial capital of

Moravia. Before we settle in for the evening we will once again celebrate the halcyon days of motor racing by following some of the original Masaryk road circuit, situated in the hills to the west of Brno. A straightforward regularity section on several kilometres of what was the northern section of the track is a small reminder of the challenges faced by prewar grand prix heroes such as Rudolf Caracciola, and this final run via the village of Zebetin brings us within a very short distance of our hotel, the excellent Best Western International.

Saturday June 17 - Brno to Prague (310km)

Retracing last night's drive on the old Masaryk circuit takes us north past Brno Lake (actually the city’s reservoir) and beneath the imposing Castle Veveri, perched dramatically on the rocks above. The route continues over the stone setts of the sleepy town of Lomnice and you may ponder the fact that drivers such as Caracciola used to race 600bhp Mercedes GP cars on such surfaces as we set off on the first regularity section of the morning.

From here we turn west once more into Bohemia and the delightful town of Nové Město na Moravě for our mid-morning coffee break. In winter this beautiful place is a paradise for skiers

and the lure of the great outdoors persists throughout summer months; in June 2016 the Mountain Bike World Championships were held here. Our own activity during will be a little less energetic as we indulge ourselves at Café P in the market square, where two delightful ladies will tempt you with a range of delicious confectionery. Kim and I put up very stout resistance but eventually capitulated - damned persuasive, these Czech girls!

Crossing central Bohemia, a region of yet more splendid castles and chateaux, we chanced upon a small airfield near the former silver-mining town of Havlíčkův Brod. Seeing the complex of tarmac roads on the outfield we seized the opportunity to arrange a super little driving test. Operated by the local flying club, there is a small café and reception area which could be useful for an emergency pit stop if needed, and anyone requiring an additional adrenaline rush could perhaps consider spot of wing walking - the biplane I spotted in one of the hangars would be just the thing!

For the remainder of the morning we continue west through stunningly romantic countryside to end the competitive element of our event within a bunker shot of our lunch halt, the splendid

Konopiste Golf Resort. Set amid lovely rolling hills and forests you may unwind and exchange a tall tale or two in the superbly refurbished Manor House and its courtyard terrace before driving on to the rally finish in Prague. The city is only an hour away via the E50 motorway but as this road is often busy we have decided to take a slightly longer and more rural route.

Our final destination is the excellent InterContinental Hotel Prague, beautifully situated on the east bank of the Vitava River in the fashionable Pařížská shopping area on the edge of the Old Town. Prague is without doubt one of the most beautiful and historic cities in the world and on our short drive through the town we pass just a few of its iconic landmarks including The Dancing House, the famous Charles Bridge and the golden-crowned National Theatre. All these sights and many more are but a short stroll from the hotel, so you may enjoy them at leisure tomorrow. In the meantime we have a splendid gala dinner and prizegiving to enjoy, and as you celebrate six wonderful days of rallying with your fellow competitors you may savour the glorious views from the hotel's rooftop restaurant. Or possibly the bar...

Having completed this 2,145km journey to reach the Czech Capital, it would surely be folly to leave without taking the opportunity to explore this utterly magical place. Indeed no matter how often you have visited the city there is always more to discover, and whether you intend to drive home or entrust your vehicle to CARS EUROPE for secure shipping, you could easily extend your stay for a day or two. Our hotel is situated on Prague's most famous shopping boulevard, 500 metres from the nearest metro station, two minutes from the river cruise jetty and 10 minutes stroll from the Charles Bridge. Nevertheless as most of the Old Town is closed to motor vehicles, we recommend that you bring a pair of comfortable walking shoes!

If you have any questions about the Paris-Prague Rally, please contact us by telephone on 0044 (0)1252 794100 or by email to info@rallyround.co.uk. We look forward to hearing from you!