RECCE REPORT By Fred Bent, Clerk of the Course

Rally Round's 2018 - Rally will be a celebration of two great motoring anniversaries - of the first long-distance journey by motor car in 1888, and of the first international motor race just 10 years later. In planning the six-day rally route through France, Luxembourg, Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands, I have sought to combine entertaining and traffic-free roads, challenging regularity sections, several iconic motorsport venues and many other points of scenic, historic and cultural interest, not to mention lovely refreshment and lunch stops and the very best hotels. It's amazing how much you can pack into each day on the road, even allowing for a relaxed schedule (appropriate for cars of all ages) and plenty of time for socialising. Having published a provisional itinerary in the event brochure, we embarked on a detailed route recce in August 2017, checking every aspect of the event, confirming venue details and writing a comprehensive roadbook. I have made a few minor improvements to the route outlined in the brochure, allowing more time to explore interesting places and steering clear of potential traffic hotspots wherever possible. I'm pleased with the result, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. If you haven't already done so you can reserve your place or obtain answers to any questions you might have by calling the Rally Office on +44 (0)1252 794100 or sending an email to [email protected]. You'll also find more details, a copy of the brochure including supplementary regulations and an online enquiry button on the Paris- Amsterdam page of our website - go to www.rallyround.co.uk. It's going to be a great event, and I look forward to seeing you on the start line! Fred Bent, Clerk of the Course

Sunday 17th June - Paris (Chantilly)

In 1898, the world's first international motor race was obliged to start from the outskirts of Paris, having been threatened with an armed blockade by the city's chief of police. Today we need only avoid an army of commuters, so as on our highly successful Paris-Prague event we will start from Chantilly, the horse-racing capital of France famed for its magnificent Chateau. Situated amid delightful parkland to the north-east of Paris, it is easy to reach via the A1 Autoroute, or by rail from the Eurostar terminus at Paris Gare du Nord, and you will find a warm welcome at the lovely Auberge du Jeu de Paume, our Rally HQ in the heart of the Domaine de Chantilly. Scrutineering will take place in the adjacent Chateau grounds and if you have time before this evening's briefing and dinner you may visit the Living Museum of the Horse and the Great Stables, built in the early 18th Century and surely the most beautiful in the world. Some 3,000 thoroughbreds still train in the surrounding area and you might well see some of them as June marks the beginning of the flat racing season, attracting society bigwigs to Chantilly for the historic Prix du Jockey-Club and Prix de Diane. Monday 18th June - Chantilly to Sedan (375km)

From the rally start adjacent to the Chateau we shadow our 1898 forerunners, heading east through Picardy and Champagne-Ardenne and then north into Belgium. It is not our intention to slavishly follow the original race route; we will pause at some of its most interesting locations but also seek out new venues. One such is the picturesque Circuit des Ecuyers, a superb 3.5km track within a tranquil private estate surrounded by dense woodland in the rolling countryside 50km north-east of Paris. Circuit manager Erik Guittard was delighted to drive us around his well maintained facility, demonstrating a variety of corners that will provide plenty of entertainment.

Our lunch halt at La Ferme de Presles Restaurant in Nanteuil-la-Foret will be familiar to those who enjoyed our 2017 Paris-Prague Rally. Dating back to the 16th Century, this beautiful old fortified farm has belonged to the Neve family since 1925 and the restaurant is housed in a wing that once served as a barn and stables. I do usually try to find different rest halts for every event but on this occasion the superb regional cuisine and attentive yet unobtrusive hospitality of Franck and his mother Marthe were simply too good to resist.

The historic provinces of northern France are blessed with an abundance of excellent driving roads through attractive countryside, as well as many delightful towns and cities. The minor roads are generally very quiet but at the risk of meeting a little tourist traffic I feel it would be sacrilege to ignore the hauntingly evocative remains of the one of the greatest of all motorsport venues, Le Circuit de -Gueux. First used in 1926, this frighteningly fast road course hosted the French Grand Prix between 1932 and 1966. The track closed in 1972 but the roads are still open. Many traces of the old circuit can still be found; the remaining start-line grandstand and pits complex have been restored and repainted with period advertising, so we will have a passage check and photo opportunity here. From Reims our route continues through Champagne into the Ardennes, where we follow the shore of Lac des Vieilles Forges - The old Iron Works Lake - before crossing into Belgium. Surrounded by forest, the lake provides a pleasant backdrop to our afternoon halt at the colourful little café Icrok. The day's final regularity takes us to our night halt in the city of Sedan, where the main attraction is a massive medieval fortress. Our hotel, Le Château Fort, is located within the castle, accessed via an apparently insignificant archway in the walls. The rooms have views of the courtyard or the rooftops of Sedan and we will dine in Le Saint Michel restaurant at the foot of the fortress, a wonderful establishment oozing French charm and serving delicious food. I don't think you'll be disappointed! Tuesday 19th June - Sedan to (370km)

The Paris-Amsterdam Rally celebrates two great motoring milestones, not just the first international motor race but also the very first long-distance journey by motor car, 10 years previously, by the redoubtable Bertha Benz. Accordingly on Day 2 we turn off the 1898 race route and head east, beginning with a short regularity through the forest that straddles the Franco-Belgian border. We then enter Luxembourg, the least populous country in the European Union. Here on our route recce we spotted a very smart Triumph TR4 parked behind the Auberge de la Gaichel, a splendid family owned hotel. The TR is the pride and joy of the patriarch and he should enjoy our visit when we pop in for our morning coffee.

From the sumptuous surroundings of the Auberge our drive takes us through lovely countryside along the Valley of the Seven Castles, passing by the Grand Chateau of Ansembourg. The Moselle marks the border with Germany and as we cross the river we enter that country’s smallest state, Saaland. This and the neighbouring Rhineland- Palatinate are wine growing areas and over the next three days you will see more vineyards than you can shake a gearstick at! Today's lunch halt is close to the river near the small town of Ockfen, at the appropriately named Weinhotel Klostermuhle. You might not be surprised to learn that the family of Maria and Marion Mangrich, who run the place, own a nearby winery producing Sarr Reisling.

Lunch is followed by a short regularity around Mandern as we cross Saaland, heading for the Palatine Forest in south-western Germany. Ever conscious of the need to stop for refreshment, we chanced upon Schneider's Bistro in the little town of Hochsteyer. The owner, Somjai Schneider, greeted us enthusiastically and insisted we meet a neighbour who prepares classic cars, so we wandered over to the premises of historic vehicle specialists Edinger & Egelhof, where one of the partners, Robert was delighted to show us around the workshop. The Palatinate Forest is Germany's largest single expanse of woodland, home to lynxes, wildcats and peregrine falcons. Here we will run the final regularity of the day before driving on to Hockenheim. Our intention is to spend the early evening with a series of tests at the iconic Hockenheimring, where biennially the is held. One of the most modern circuits in the world, it is also steeped in history, having opened in 1932. It now boasts a museum, hotel, restaurant, kart circuit and driver training area, and in the shadow of the main grandstand we shall have some fun before driving on to dinner at the comfortable See Hotel Ketsch. Wednesday 20th June - Hockenhem to Stuttgart (260km)

On day three we partially retrace our tracks to pick up the Deutsche Weinstrasse or Wine Route, the oldest of Germany's scenic drives. Established in 1935 on the eastern side of the red sandstone formations of the Wasgau mountains, a profusion of vineyards dotted with picturesque wine-growing villages lend the region a Mediterranean air. For two days of our recce we were accompanied by German motorsport enthusiast Carl- Michael, along with his dog, Max. With their local knowledge and a keen nose we found some interesting locations including our morning coffee stop, a restaurant with its own vineyard, the Hofgut Ruppertsberg. Wolfgang, a friend of our guide, used his considerable influence to have them open up especially for us. It really is a delightful place, with the ambience of an old barn, tasteful furnishings, free-range chickens in the garden and an organic restaurant. Unfortunately we shall be too early for lunch, although you will be tempted to linger!

For the rest of the morning we explore some of the quieter sections of the Wine Route, passing through quaint towns and villages with historic market squares, old-world restaurants and narrow cobbled streets. Our lunch will be on the edge of one such village, Schweigen-Rechtembac, in the Deutsches Weintor restaurant adjacent to the monumental gate marking the southern end of the Wine Route. The restaurant is administered by the largest wine growers' co-operative in Germany, which also owns the nearby wine shop. If you are minded to climb to the upper section of the gate you may get a good view of the Palatinate vineyards, Alsace and perhaps even the Black Forest.

Our guides suggested we might be interested in the Kartbahn Liedolsheim, and indeed this delightful 1km kart circuit hidden amongst the trees in the adjacent state of Baden- Wurttemberg will be our first port of call after lunch. It's a demanding little track and should provide an interesting and entertaining test. Our day will end in the city of Stuttgart, home of Mercedes-Benz, and NSU, but en-route to our hotel we have two further regularities, one of them using, as far as practical, the roads that formed the original 11.4km Solitude road circuit. This first hosted a competitive event in 1925 and subsequently became one of Germany’s greatest motorsport venues, used by motorcycles, F1 and F2 cars as well as the local motor manufacturers; the late achieved podium finishes here on both two wheels and four. Racing ceased in the 1960s but the control tower and pits survive to this day. Thereafter our route into the city takes in the impressive Schloss Solitude and, albeit downhill, the challenging 1903 hillclimb course that preceded the circuit. Thursday 21st June - Stuttgart to Frankfurt (315km)

Today we turn the clock back 130 years to pay homage to the remarkable Bertha Benz, wife and backer of automobile inventor Karl and history's first long-distance driver. From Stuttgart we travel to Pforzheim, renowned for jewellery and watchmaking. In 1888 this was Bertha's destination when at dawn on an early August morning in 1888 she and two of her teenage children crept out of the family home in Mannheim and 'borrowed' the Patent Motorwagen, pushing it silently away from the house so as not to wake her husband. She intended to visit her mother, but the real purpose of her pioneering drive was to prove the usefulness of the motor car, notwithstanding the absence of any motoring infrastructure.

From the pedestrianised plaza and sculpture commemorating Bertha’s epic journey, our route through the foothills of the Black Forest brings us to the chemist shop in Wiesloch that became the world's first filling station when Frau Benz popped in for three litres of ligrion. The current owner of the Stadt-Apotheke, Dr Adolf Suchy has agreed to obtain the necessary permissions for us to drive up to the shop. You will spend less time en route than Bertha did, as I expect you to travel at slightly more than 15-18 km/h - you won't even be required to mend your carburettor with a hatpin, redesign your braking system or use your garters as insulation material.

We leave the Bertha Benz Memorial Route and cross the river Neckar a few kilometres to the east of Heidelberg; I am advised that the home of Germany's oldest university is unfriendly to motorists, so we shall observe it from a safe distance as we take lunch at the Gasthaus zum Klosterhof, which stands in the grounds of a monastery. On the recce, our discussion with the proprietor was interrupted when his wife called him away to help recapture some escaped livestock, so we can at least confirm that the food is home grown and free range! Twisting and turning through the hills, our afternoon route continues north, inexorably leading to the brooding remains of a fortress in the Odenwald, overlooking the city of Darmstadt. This is Castle Frankenstein, an inspiration for Mary Shelley's frightful tale. It was built in the 10th Century after a knight named Arbogast von Frankenstein won the land in a contest of arms, and his descendants lived here until the late 17th Century, when it became a hospital. Mary Shelley came this way in 1814 and must have heard the stories about alchemist Johann Dippel, who was born in the castle and went on to conduct experiments with corpses stolen from a local graveyard. The rally clocks will stop ticking at the restaurant in the castle grounds; manager Sebastian Gerhard is enthusiastic about our visit and hopes to organize a feature in the local press. You may drive the remaining 45km to our splendid accommodation at Frankfurt's Steigenberger Hotel in your own time, but linger too long at the castle and you might literally miss the boat - we have arranged a spectacular private river cruise so that you may wine and dine beneath the stars whilst admiring Frankfurt's amazing skyline, and you may even check out the day's rally results and celebrate your success to the accompaniment of a live band. It's sure to be a memorable evening! Friday 22nd June - Frankfurt to Spa (350km)

Leaving Frankfurt and aiming north- west, our route takes us towards the Taunus mountains - a name that Ford of Germany applied to several cars between 1939 and 1982. Known for geothermal springs and mineral waters, the area once attracted the European aristocracy to its spa towns and also produces (surprise, surprise) high grade wines. On quiet roads we pass through several villages boasting splendid half- timbered houses, signifying prosperity. Lunch will be a little later than usual so between regularities may enjoy two coffee stops in Keidrich and Braubach, the latter overlooked by Castle Marksburg. Crossing the mighty Rhine in the southern fringes of Koblenz, we follow the west bank to Boppart before turning towards our breathtaking lunch stop. Rising amid forested hills above the Moselle river and its Elzbach tributary, the iconic Berg Elz is a military masterpiece that looks like a fairytale fantasy. Founded in the 9th Century and much enlarged in the 15th and 16th, this spectacular Gothic fortress is actually three castles in one, and has been owned by the same family since the 12th Century, 33 generations ago. Having been attacked once but never taken, it remains in superb condition today, and you will have time to explore its many wonders before driving on.

Skirting the Eifel National Park on little- used roads through the hills we come to the Nurburgring, Germany's greatest race circuit, where we shall end the day's competition. After reading a guide we shall supply prior to the event, you may decide for yourself whether this is petrolhead heaven or, as Sir called it, a 'Green Hell'. Indeed you might find it's both! You may take the so- called 'Touristenfahrten' (tourist drive) around the legendary Nordschliefe, the 20.8km north loop of the original circuit, either in your rally car or in a car supplied by one of the local arrive-and-drive companies. You may prefer to take the 'Ring Taxi', and be driven around the circuit at high speed by a professional racing driver who knows the place like the back of his (or her) hand, perhaps sharing the cost with fellow rallyists. You may visit 'Ring Werk', a museum with 11 interactive attractions focusing on different aspects of the 'Ring and its history, including virtual laps of the circuit in a multimedia theatre and a pit-stop challenge. Alternatively, if you've already had enough excitement for one day, you may explore the nearly town with its many motorsport-themed shops, cafes and bars, or you may set off on a leisurely drive to our overnight halt at Spa. My suggested route through the lovely Eifel region includes a comfort and refuelling stop at roughly half-way point, near the German-Belgian border, then continues into the forested hills of the Ardennes. En route to the Silva Hotel Spa-Balmoral you will come close to another legendary motorsport venue, the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. The modern facility is generally not as high on bucket lists as the Nurburgring Nordschliefe, but you may still drive the greater part of the old 14km road course that runs through the villages of Burneville, Masta and Stavelot, all supremely evocative place names in the history of motor racing. Saturday 23rd June - Spa to Amsterdam (Nunspeet) (260km)

Belgium and The Netherlands boast some of the most picturesque landscapes in northern Europe. Patchwork flower-fields stretch to the horizon and my guidebook says that medieval windmills dot the countryside. I understand there are around 1,000 of them, but they are apparently highly protected and may be viewed by the public only at fixed times; indeed on the recce I began to suspect that the authorities were using some sort of top- secret cloaking device, as I found only one! Keep your eyes peeled, then, as we begin the final day of the rally, once again shadowing the route of the 1898 Paris- Amsterdam race (we are only about 150km north-east of Sedan, our overnight halt on Day 1). In order to reach the finish in good time we have a relatively short distance to cover, but the competition continues with a short regularity section before we enter the Netherlands. Here windmills might be hard to find but coffee halts are plentiful - the Dutch consume about 6kg of coffee per person per year. Note the important distinction between a 'koffiehuis' (coffee house) and a café. The latter also serves marijuana products and outside Amsterdam tourists may be refused entry in an effort to reduce 'cannabis tourism'. We have planned two coffee halts today, just in case!

As we all know the Netherlands is generally flat, with almost a quarter of the country at or below sea level. It is crossed by four major rivers and hundreds of miles of navigable canals, so the location of crossing points dictates our route, but threading our way between the dykes and lakes we have found some very scenic and interesting roads. You will encounter lots of cyclists, of all ages; in a country of 17.2 million people there are 18 million bikes, including the eminently practical 'bakfiets' which combine a bike and a wheelbarrow - ideal for taking the kids to school, or even for moving house (we might offer a special award for a photo of the most unusual one). The Dutch use bicycles for more than a quarter of all trips, compared to just two per cent in the UK, yet their attitude to cars is quite relaxed - careful drivers are typically greeted with a cheery wave. Wending our way north (look out for the windmill!) we come to our lunch halt and the final time control of the rally at the Eeterij du Pont, a restaurant almost completely surrounded by water, which we reach by taking a small ferry over the river Meuse. You may take as long as you like over lunch and leave when it suits you to drive the final 85km to Nunspeet, east of Amsterdam (anyone who has ever tried to drive into the city will readily understand our choice of finish location). In 1898 the Paris- Amsterdam racers crossed the river Waal at Nijmegen, but there are quieter crossings; my suggested route passes though some charming countryside although you may choose an alternative that passes yet another windmill. Either way we shall gather for our gala dinner and prizegiving at the Villa Vennendal, where your host is very evidently a fellow car enthusiast. This Veluwe area is one of the most beautiful parts of The Netherlands and should you feel inclined to wander into the surrounding forest and heathland you might find yourself face-to-face with a variety of wild creatures, great and small. We could offer a prize for the best selfie with a wild boar, but it might be safer to remain at the bar and swap stories with your fellow rallyists, relaxed in the knowledge that unlike the competitors of 1898, you do not have to race back to Paris tomorrow. Instead you may enjoy a late breakfast before venturing into Amsterdam to explore the city at leisure - wearing your finisher's medal with pride.

We hope you can join us on the 2018 Paris-Amsterdam Rally. For more information, or if you have any questions, telephone the Rally Office on +44 (0)1252 794100, email [email protected] or visit the Paris-Amsterdam event page at www.rallyround.co.uk