The Alpine Trial Rally for pre-war vintage cars was staged 6-8 June 2014 over 1,000 kilometres in the Rhone-Alpes region of France.
A Talbot 105 Alpine has won the Endurance Rally Association’s inaugural Alpine Trial, 80 years after a Talbot won the 1934 original rally – with the 1934 winning car and driver also competing in the ERA event.
The all-British team of Gareth Burnett and Jeremy Haylock won the three-day rally as well as being the only team to keep a ‘clean sheet’, while the original winner John Rushton and co-driver Michael Birch finished in seventh place.
Second place went to the 1937 Bentley Derby of Paul Carter and Robert Ellis while seasoned rally participants Bill Cleyndert and Matthew Abrey claimed third place in the 1929 Ford Model A Speedster.
Taking in the breath-taking views of Monte Blanc, the classic Col De La Colombiere and the Route Des Grande Alpes, the 2014 Alpine Trial rally was centred around the Imperial Palace hotel, on the shores of Lake Annency in Haute-Savoie, France, covering over 600 miles and including various time trials and medal sections.
Special awards went to Ludovic Bois and Julia Colman for the driving of a 1938 Peugeot 402 Legere saloon, collecting the Spirit of the Rally Award. The Against All Odds Award was presented to Peter Little and Louise Cartledge for nursing a 1926 Bentley with no clutch. James and Dawn Gately from America won the Concours for their smartly presented 1937 Cadillac 75 series.
The next Alpine Trial will take place next year, at the slightly later time of September 2015. Organiser Endurance Rally Association has a track-record of over 60 major international events behind them including the Flying Scotsman Rally and the Peking to Paris Motoring Challenge.
For information on Endurance Rally Association events, call +44 (0) 1235 831221 or visit EnduroRally.com.
