Perfect conditions welcomed the 73 crews to the Lake District for Rally the Globe’s first Generations Rally from 25-27 March. The concept was simple: each crew had to consist of two different generations, preferably from the same family. As a result, it was a chance for many to get their first taste of historic rallying, and the youngest participant was 13-year-old James Blakeney-Edwards, competing with dad Patrick in a Frazer Nash TT Replica.
The rally comprised two separate contests, both running concurrently: one for pre-war cars and the other for those defined as ‘classics’. Day one was a 108-mile route, after which father-and-son Bertie and Edward van Houtte led in a 1938 Frazer Nash-BMW 328 with only 2 secs of penalties, just 5 secs clear of Graham Goodwin and Mitali Agarwal (Bentley Super Sports) and Theo Hunt with his mother Olivia (Frazer Nash TT Replica), who were joint second in the race for pre-war spoils.
It was very tight in the classic category, too, with each of the top crews split by a second. Stepfather and stepson Manuel Dubs and Luca Arrigucci were just in front with a 1975 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40, from two father/daughter crews: Jo Roberts and Arthur Crooks (Triumph TR4), and Andrew and Erica Laing (Datsun 240Z). The Laings tied with father-and-son Stephen and Alexander Chick (Austin-Healey 3000).
It was close, then, heading into the 207.7-mile day two in the North Pennines and Yorkshire. It began with a steep drive up and over The Struggle, between Ambleside and Kirkstone Pass, into the first regularity, followed by
