thinking of the USA
It’s faIr to say that Rally the Globe has had a meteor-like impact on the world of Historic rallying. As Great Escapes went to print, the not-for-profit company harnessing the experience of some of the most welltravelled and well-versed people in the industry (for example, rally director and five-times World Rally Championship winning co-driver Fred Gallagher) had completed just one event, the Classic Iberia. Yet that ten-day rally from Santander to Vilamoura via Rioja, Porto and Cascais had been hailed a huge success, with over 30 crews ranging from Gavin and Diana Henderson’s Bentley 3/4½ to Andrew Laing and Ian Milne’s 1974 Datsun 240Z taking part.
The next Rally the Globe events on the 2020 calendar are the 3600km Southern Cross Safari through Kenya and Tanzania (15 February to 5 March) with 25 crews signed up, and the UK and Ireland-wide Celtic Challenge (21-26
April) for pre-1969 cars, which has more than 30 entries getting ready for the off.
Most of the rest of the year (and a hefty chunk of 2021) will be taken up with the threestage 35,000km Round the World challenge: Stage One, London to Casablanca (23 May to 9 June, 5000km); Stage Two, Boston to Vancouver (19 September to 10 October, 10,000km); and Stage Three, Vladivostock to London (8 May to 19 June 2021, 20,000km).
That means that, with 2021’s Celtic Challenge and Carrera Italia at the preregistering stage, the first Rally The Globe event that you can currently sign up for is its first solus foray into the USA, the Carrera Atlantica. Taking place from 17 February to 6 March 2021 (giving you plenty of time to prep – or buy – your car and sort your visas), this event will take in 3000 miles of the east coast of the United States visiting the Carolinas,
Tennessee, Florida and Georgia. It is an allasphalt route (so no need for your Chevy Fangio Coupe on this one), will embrace topclass accommodation, and stop (well go, actually) at some of North America’s most famous motorsport venues en route.
The epic journey will start in the capital, Washington DC, and finish in Key West, with highlights that include tests at Road Atlanta, Sebring and Virginia International Raceway, plus visits to the banking at Daytona (main image), museums (private and public), putting on a street-car show in Naples, chow-chow on a choo-choo in Chattanooga (sorry, we couldn’t resist) and the event’s own concours at the famous Ritz-Carlton in Amelia Island. Driving highs will include a loop through the spectacular Appalachian Mountains.
As one of Rally The Globe’s ‘Carrera’ events, that means the emphasis is on enjoyment rather than endurance, with less challenging terrain, high levels of comfort when not on the road and shorter driving days so participants can revel in every second of the experience. At Sebring, for example, teams will stay at the hallowed Seven Hotel, so named as it overlooks Turn 7 of the world-famous circuit.
‘Carrera Atlantica will be terrific,’ said Fred Gallagher, who has been working with former F1 commentator and now US racing guru Andrew Marriott to plan the route from the iconic buildings of the capital to Hemingway’s Florida haunt with its captivating Caribbean sunsets. ‘The concept is groundbreaking and the driving route quite unlike anything that has been offered before. We’ve opted for a slightly longer event to make the shipping worthwhile for those travelling from outside the States and, being entirely based on sealed roads, Carrera Atlantica is well-suited to all vintage and classic cars, whether Jaguar XKs and Triumphs TRs or Aston Martin DB4s and Ferrari GTOs.
‘The start in Washington will be very special, and thereafter the voyage splits into two very distinct halves. The first part is largely on great twisty driving roads through the Appalachian Mountains with tests every day; the second half in Florida is much flatter. However, race tracks are plentiful and very welcoming, too.’