A photo opportunity in the Dolomite mountains above Trento, Italy
Well, we did it! Survived the first day of the Italian Job rally. Although it was not a promising start, I must confess. As team 12 we started eighth in line at 09.33.30 but it didn’t help that the start point, in the Piazza Dante (opposite our hotel) had areas closed off … So we were told at the start to ditch points 1 thru 7 and go straight to 8 which threw me completely. We must have driven round Trento in circles for almost an hour but I refused to lose face by returning to the start. I almost wept with relief when another classic Mini joined us and confessed they were lost too! We drove in convoy with a bit of help and eventually found the right road, although we drove round one roundabout three times and in the end a road workman pointed the way for us! We turned it into a bit of a game using phrases from the film to lighten the mood, such as “We can’t keep driving round here all day!”
Here’s a friend I made at the eco vineyard. She grazes between the vines!
No tears were shed, and in the end we had a great day. A wonderful lunch at a lakeside villa, a wine tasting (pity the drivers – I felt it might improve my navigational skills, well they couldn’t get any worse, could they?) Felt much better when I realised that almost every team had similar problems to us. But at least we made the timed trial on time.
It is a navigational rally first and foremost, so I had to remind Steve a couple of times not to try to get from A to B at breakneck speed… Once a racing driver … The mountain roads around Trento are amazing to drive and the scenery is stunning, so we’re having a blast!