When we signed up for the Eifelmarathon rally by Rallycorp in January 2020, we only knew that it would be a long rally that we were looking forward to. And then came Corona.
The first edition of the Eifel Marathon rally was cancelled like so many other events. In August 2021, the time had come. The appetite had grown even more due to the many cancellations. And we were not disappointed.
Second Edition
So when we heard about a second edition, we didn’t hesitate and registered immediately. Here is a short report of the day.
We were welcome from eight o’clock in the Châlet d’n Observant near the former Enci factory. With a view of the quarry and the sun poking through the clouds, it was a good start to the day. We could immediately join for breakfast and delicious coffee.
The necessary documents and rally plate were handed over so that we could put them on the car. A total of 90 cars were registered.
Variety of cars at least 25 years old
The great variety is always nice to see. It went from a 2CV to a Volvo Amazon, a Jaguar MKII, a perfectly restored BMW 2002ti and let’s not forget the many Porsche’s. They are always in the majority.
Two series
After a short briefing, we could leave. You could register for the Tour Class or the Sport Class. The difference was that in the sport class, you could actually ride on the map instead of a dot arrow. We chose the Tour Class.
380 km of unique roads
Driving 380 km through beautiful landscapes, that’s what we had to do. For us there was quite some distance to go, because the starting point was 150 km from our house this year. The arrival was near Signal de Botrange and that meant that we had to drive another 200km home.
Those distances are really worthwhile, and they know it at Rallycorp. The roads in the Belgian Ardennes and the German Eifel region are a chain of bends and hairpin bends. If you want to keep up the pace, you have to work hard. For the co-pilot too, because even though we are talking about an excellent road book here, you still have to keep your attention.
The roads chosen are generally in good condition, although sometimes you have to watch out for potholes and bad stretches of road. Furthermore, it is always nice when, as in our case, a Porsche 968 comes along. The accelerator can be pushed a bit deeper then ?.
A tasty lunch was provided at noon. Moreover, we had the sun on our side, which made it even more pleasant.
The BMW850i is a pleasant companion in this respect. Because when we got home, there were 761 km on the odometer. Fortunately, it didn’t feel like it, so we will keep a close eye on the Rallycorp website for the next edition.
Report & photos: Patrick Verheeken
