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LONDON-SYDNEY MARATHON 2000 | |
Former World Champion, twice winner of the London-Mexico Rally Hannu Mikkola, one of the legends of world championship rallying, will lead the 96-car field as Car One.
Hannu will drive the Escort Mk 1 in which he won our 1995 London-Mexico Rally and will have his 20-year old son Juha as his co-driver. The car has been released from the Ford museum and is being prepared by David Sutton's Historic Motorsport operation in England.
Hannu's tally of victories includes the 1970 London-Mexico, the 25th anniversary re-run we did in 1995, 18 world championship rally wins and the distinction of being the first-ever European to win the gruelling East African Safari.
The London-Sydney is the only FIA Marathon event Hannu has not done or won. Watch for a determined effort from the man who has come out of retirement to add this to an outstanding lifetime tally of victories.
"I'm very excited to be making a comeback from retirement to do the London-Sydney. I was too young to do the original one in 1968," Hannu joked. "And it will be really good fun to do it with my son."
Welcome to Martin Kift and Ian Winter who join the Touring Category Redshirt team. The 30 Touring cars will now have their own 6-man dedicated team looking after them. Sorry, that should read six-person team, begging Lyn Evans' pardon.
Ian was on the 1997 Panama-Alaska with us and has a wealth of experience running Regularity events in the UK. Martin lives in Kent and has been responsible for setting up and running our UK stages on previous events.
John Trevethick will be the Clerk of the Course for the Touring Category. John is somewhat overqualified for this task since he holds an International Clerk of the Course licence which entitles him to run a world championship rally ! The Tourers are in safe hands.
We now have three baggage trucks ready to go. The first one does the run from London to Ankara, the second does the run from Chiang Mai down to Johor Bahru and the third one does the final run from Darwin to Sydney.
Getting the European truck deal in place was very difficult. It must pass through ten countries each one of which has different rules, regulations and requirements. There are 19 frontiers to be crossed. But it's now done after five months of negotiations.
Here's the way it works. Each of the three trucks is specially fitted with 48 lockable boxes approximately 1 metre cube. The boxes are stacked two high each side of the truck.
One cubic metre is a lot of space and since there are only 48 boxes it will be essential for the majority of competitors to share a box.
These will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis. In order to be fair we mailed the order form to our Australian competitors seven days before the general mailing so that theoretically everyone gets their opportunity at the about the same time.
You will be required to load your boxes at the HQ hotel in London on Thursday June 1st.
You will NOT have access to the truck on the first and second nights of the event at Metz and Nurnburg !! The first time you will see the truck is in Prague. The reason for this is that 40ft trucks are not permitted to travel during weekends in France and Germany.
After Prague the truck will be waiting for you at each night stop of the event.
Anything you load into your locked box must be off-loaded into your car for the airlift. There is NO cargo space on the Antonovs for any 'loose' baggage !
The boxes are available to the Competition Category only. The cost per unit for a box on all three trucks is US$ 985:00.
The following useful information in Q&A form has been provided by the handling agent in the UK and should be read in conjunction with Guidance Note No. 3.
Q How long after the ship docks can I collect my car
A Allow seven days but it could be less.
Q Can I collect it from Tilbury
A No, only from the Barking depot.
Q What is the collection address
A See Guidance Note No. 3
Q What are the opening hours
A From 9.30 till 4.30 Monday to Friday.
Q How do I pay my bill
A Only with cash. GB Pounds.
Q Are the cars unloaded from the container
A Yes and they are stored under cover in a secure area.
Q Will my car be ready to drive away when I get there
A Yes, within 30 minutes of your arrival providing customs have cleared it but you must make an appointment. Do not just turn up.
Q Can someone other than the owner collect the car
A Yes but they must have written permission from the car owner and personal identification.
Q What about tools and spares in the car
A They should be boxed and secured in the boot with a note on the outside stating the contents. You must advise the UK agent if you are sending boxed items in the car. Remember no food, no cigarettes or liquor and no personal effects or clothing.
Q What happens to my carnet
A You give it to the shipping agent in Australia with your car. They send it to the UK. The agent needs it to clear the car through customs. You collect it when you pick up your car.
You must contact and direct all enquiries to the UK handling agent by fax or phone giving them full details of your car and the name of the vessel it was shipped on at least ten days before you wish to collect the car.
Your contacts are:
BILL HOWATSON, MATT ALLEN & SUE CAMPBELL at H&R Shipping Services
Tel +44 (0) 1737 769 055
Fax +44 (0) 1737 765 915
Mobile : +44 (0) 771 347 5418
Australia's top rating commercial radio station 2UE will carry daily coverage of the event. Event Director Nick Brittan will go live every day into the evening sport programme for a two and half minute chat with programme host Peter Bosley.
2UE's Station manager Michael Hibberd said, "We're very excited about this event, it's tailor made for our sports listeners. It's a great event and we'll give it big push."
Stuart Turner, former Ford Competition Manager, author and award winning after dinner speaker, will be our guest speaker at the Welcome Dinner in London.
Somewhere in his speech there's bound to be a plug for his latest book "Twice Lucky". It's a great read and tells his life story highlighting the winning years he spent as Competition Manager at both British Leyland winning with Minis and at Ford. If you see a copy pick it up.
Any more for the our post-event luxury lie-down on the beach at Port Douglas ? Details in a previous Bulletin but check website www.sheraton-mirage.com for details of this exotic resort.
The only helmets are these three on the FIA list : Snell SA 95, SFI Foundation 31.1 & 31.2 and BS6658 Type A/FR. Note the latter may be deleted from the FIA list on 1.1.2001.
Helmets are not required for the Touring Category.
Any competitor who does not have a valid VIF, or whose car fails to pass scrutineering, will not be allowed to start in the competition category of the rally. They will be given the option to join the non-competitive Touring Category which normally travels one day behind the main event. Last date for VIF applications is 1st March.
If you are travelling on our Malaysian deal there are two flights a day from Sydney to London. Both stop at Kuala Lumpur. MH122 leaves Sydney at 14:30 and arrives in London at 05:50 + 1 day and MH132 leaves Sydney at 21.20 arriving London at 16:55 hrs + 1 day.
Travel light, allow for chilly evenings, otherwise warm to hot. Don't rely on getting laundry done at overnight halts other than what you do for yourself. And don't forget the Welcome Dinner is London is casual but the Awards Dinner in Sydney is black tie.
Thursday June 1st Rally Office opens at HQ hotel. Documentation and scrutineering for the competition category. Welcome Dinner in the evening.
Friday June 2nd Documentation and vehicle check for Tourers. Briefing for all at 16:00 hrs.
Saturday June 3rd THE BIG DAY ! The first car leaves at 07:30 and the rest at 30 second intervals.
If you hold a competition licence issued by the MSA you do not need to have your entry form stamped. Your MSA licence allows to compete in International events without further ASN permission.
For those using their own vehicles you should fit a digital distance recorder. We suggest a Terratrip 303 Plus. Do not fit one of the more advanced ones that displays average speed. That's cheating ! If we see such a display we'll tape it over and regard you with great suspicion.
The cars have been shipped in from Oz and our team headed by Mike Summerfield will have cleared them through customs, fitted them with a Terratrip, jerry cans for petrol and water and a tool kit and fixed all the smart decals to them.
They will be turn-key and ready to go from 10:00 hrs on Wednesday May 31st.