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Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club Austria Tour0

A personal view by David Jobson-Scott.

Ten Jaguars and two Daimlers set off from the UK for an Austrian adventure at the end of August 2011. Five of the cars were V12s. The tour leaders were Simon and Ann Cronin from the JEC , on a scenic driving holiday planned & arranged by Travel Destinations. Cars ranged from a 1948 XK120 to a new XJ saloon and set off from all corners of the UK. Most used the Eurotunnel service on 31st August, with several using the Hull to Zeebrugge crossing. The main “tunnel” group met up outside the terminal building before boarding the shuttle for France. We caught occasional glimpses of some of the cars during the day, but only met up with everyone at the first hotel in Marche-en-Famenne, Southern Belgium. One factor very obvious from the start was that this trip was very well organised, with detailed daily itineraries from Travel Destinations. The “door to door” mileage for us over the entire trip was an impressive 2,546. We set off in our 1976 Daimler Double Six Avon-Stevens Convertible from North Devon on Tuesday 30th August, hood down all the way, for the 273 mile drive to Folkestone.

Driving the Grossglockner

Day One, Wednesday 31st August.
We boarded the 08.50hrs Shuttle for France and immediately found ourselves separated from the rest of the group by the loading staff!  There was ample time to put the hood down and prepare for the Continent. It was then a longish drive of 214 miles, much on motorway, to the first Hotel Quartier Latin at Marche-en-Famenne in the Ardenne region of Southern Belgium. This is a beautifully green and forested area.  We did find a nice restaurant for our lunch, but the service was very strange to say the least. After a wait of about 30 minutes from ordering, the waiter came to tell us that the machine for slicing ham had broken down and would we like to choose something else! Consequently, our “brief” lunch stop extended to 75 minutes. We ended up being about the last to arrive at the hotel but there was one compensation in that we had underground parking and the car hood could be left down.
Marche-en-Famenne was a delightful old-fashioned town with lots of cobbled streets and an impressive central square: well worth walking around and enjoying the atmosphere. There was an extensive sitting out area in front of the hotel and many of the group congregated there after arrival. We were treated later to a typical Belgian dinner and were able to meet all the other participants for the first time.

Day Two, Thursday 1st September.
Our next destination was to be the Hotel Pfalzblick in Dahn, Germany and another drive of 191 miles. We followed the first part of the suggested route through Northern Luxembourg and along the river to Echternach. We then diverged by heading for Trier and then across miles of very narrow country roads to pick up the motorway later on. The hotel at Dahn was unusual in several respects: firstly the reception was being redecorated on our arrival so we entered via a back door and secondly, our room was several floors below the Reception area. The hotel is designed to be upside down in this respect. We were the second car to arrive and had a delightful lunch on the wonderful terrace at the rear of the hotel with the Kenworthys.
The hotel was of a very good standard and we had a most enjoyable dinner with the entire touring group later in the evening. As usual, the name badges were an invaluable help in stirring the old grey cells into action. Despite the large group we met on the Croatian trip last year, only Simon and Ann and the Lindsays were known to us. It was, however, immediately apparent that we had a very interesting and varied group of fellow JEC travellers to get to know during our extensive tour to Austria.

Day Three, Friday 2nd September.
A longish drive of 232 miles to the Hotel Hirsch at Füssen, almost on the Austrian border. We had already encountered some road works on our route down and sadly today was no exception. The weather was also very questionable at times, but we kept the hood down through quite heavy rain until it became just too wet. We didn’t have far to drive at this stage and eventually arrived at Füssen in glorious hot sunshine!  The Old Town was an enchanting place to explore and we had coffee and wonderful apfelstrudel whilst we watched the world go by. The old church was spectacularly ornate, with superbly painted ceilings and rich gold encrusted decorations. One of the highlights of the old town was a huge shop displaying all the local clothes fashions. The lederhosen were resisted! Dinner was again provided by the Hotel.

Lunch Stop on the JEC Austria Tour

Day Four, Saturday 3rd September.
The final 193 mile leg of our marathon drive across Europe was to the wonderful Grüner Baum Hotel at Bad Gastein in Austria. We left the Füssen Hotel for the Fernpass and immediately joined a traffic jam which persisted all over the pass. In fact our overriding memory of Austria is that it is a wonderful clean fresh country, but lots of traffic, road works and tractors! The weather was sunny and warm and the journey quite easy. We stopped for petrol just after coming off the Innsbruck motorway and found a very peaceful café behind the garage which was perfect for our lunch stop. The final part of the run climbed up into the foothills of the Alps and we wound our way around the valley to the very secluded Hotel complex. Sparkling wine was presented to us as we checked in: all very civilised.  Our room was in the annex that houses the spa complex. The accommodation was spacious and very well appointed, with balcony looking up the valley towards the mountains.
We had arrived in good time to be able to have over an hour enjoying the outdoor swimming pool. This was a lovely relaxing reward for all the travelling. A champagne reception was held later beside the pool, hosted by the Blumschein family who own the Hotel. It was during this that we were handed our “route books” for all the activities taking place over the next few days. A huge amount of effort must have gone into the preparation and planning for these events. An excellent dinner was later served in the main Hotel restaurant. Our cars were resting in a specially reserved area behind the hotel.

Day Five, Sunday 4th September.
An early start for a trip to the Austrian Lake District and lunch at the Hotel Weisses Rössl (White Horse) in St. Wolfgang on Lake Wolfgangsee. Our initial instructions were to follow the “maniac Rolls Royce driver”. The Blumscheins have a delectable 1936 Rolls Royce 20/25  (GBJ 29 for RR aficionados) which was to lead us on our local travels. An eccentric Austrian in a Rolls Royce is quite a sight, particularly as we were summoned to proceed by Mr Blumstein with an Austrian hunting horn! A delightful day followed, including parking the cars right in the centre of St. Wolfgang. Our little convoy behind the majestic 20/25 must have created quite a stir. We had an excellent lunch at the White Horse and were then able to explore the town afterwards. We made our own way home and were surprised to find that quite a few of the group chose the toll pass over the mountains: very spectacular scenery and great fun for our cars.  We clocked up a surprising 164 miles. Dinner was again in the main restaurant.

Hotel Gruner Baum, Bad Gastein, Austria

Day Six, Monday 5th September.
Our first “rest day”, or to be more precise, rest morning as plans had been made for our party to be transported by horse drawn carriages to the “Prossau”. The Prossau was a restaurant at the head of the valley behind the hotel and just over an hour ride up the valley (all owned by the Blumscheins). Many of the group set off to explore the town during the morning: we had a very lazy day around the hotel, including leisurely coffee in the “Apotheke”. This is the bar which is fitted out just like an old chemist’s dispensary, complete with masses of pull-out drawers.
The weather wasn’t at all pleasant, with mist and light rain. We set off in our carriages with the hoods raised. This was a great shame because the views were impressive, but visibility out of the carriage was very restricted. We climbed to a height of 1278 metres. Some stretches of the track were very steep and the horses had quite a struggle. It certainly made a change from driving the cars up mountains, as progress was very much more stately and sedate.
On arrival at the Prossau, we were ushered in to the restaurant area and treated to a magnificent spread of cold meats and other delicacies. Also included was a small glass of the local “fire water” (Sambuca): very potent. It was a delightful and unexpectedly large meal, with a view looking down the rather misty valley. During lunch, the clouds started to lift a little and we were able to descend back to the hotel with the carriages open, thus enjoying the view rather more.

Dinner was a specially themed event in the main restaurant, with lots of Austrian folk music, including some yodelling and an excellent Austrian farmer style buffet. There was a superb range of different dishes to try. Many of the group certainly entered into the spirit of the evening!

Day Seven, Tuesday 6th September.
One of the main highlights of the holiday, the climb over the Grossglockner and an unexpectedly early start for a holiday at 08.30 hrs! We were marshalled into a convoy, behind the 1936 20/25 Rolls, to head for the train at Bockstein, just south of Bad Gastein, for the trip through the Alps to Mallnitz. On the way, we had a conducted tour all through Bad Gastein and this gave us an excellent view of most parts of the town. At the terminal, we drove the cars onto the train and then went to sit in the passenger carriages for the trip through the mountains.

After leaving the train, we stopped to put the car hood down. The next stage of the journey took us to Winklern and the start of the 107 Grossglockner road. The drive up the pass was a delight, with very gentle curves and wonderfully wide road. Our first halt was a “comfort” stop not far from the top of the pass. The final ascent to the viewing point at Edelweissspitze (2,571 metres) was unusual in that we became stuck in a traffic jam. It was unbelievably busy and parking was quite a problem. However, it was all worth the effort for the Champagne reception that the Blumscheins had organised for us at the top. This included delicious snacks as well! The view was spectacular, especially so because we had bright sunshine but also clouds “flowing” over the mountains: all very dramatic. I remember as a child being driven over this pass with my parents on the way to Venice in about 1958. It was every bit as impressive this time round.

Having experienced the wonders of the Grossglockner pass, one might have expected that the events for the day were almost over. Not so, as we then headed for Zell am See and to the impressive Schloss Kammer at Maishofen for an excellent lunch outside in the gloriously hot sunny weather. We were then treated to a shooting match on the resident range behind the Schloss. Suffice to say that the ladies of our group seemed to do rather better than the men! We had clocked up 122 miles by the time we arrived back at Bad Gastein.
The final chapter of the day was a Gala dinner in one of the magnificent special function rooms at the Hotel Grüner Baum. We met up for drinks in the Apotheke beforehand and then had a very special final meal at this impressive Hotel. Various presentations were made afterwards, particularly the shooting award which went to Ann Cronin. We had a wonderful time and will be eternally grateful for all the hard work put in by the Blumschein family to make our stay at the Grüner Baum so special.

David's Daimler Double Six Avon-Stevens Convertible

Day Eight, Wednesday 7th September.
On the move again and a pleasant drive to the Hotel Bayerischerhof on the Island at Lindau on Lake Constance (Bodensee). The weather wasn’t particularly inspiring and this was to be the first full day with the hood up. The early part of the drive was very busy, via Zell am See, Saalfelden and St. Johann. Once on the motorway to skirt around Innsbruck, the progress was faster, but it was only when we headed for the Alberg Pass that the traffic really thinned out. We then continued over the Hochtannberg Pass towards Bregenz. This was a lovely drive. We had our first picnic of the trip going over the Arlberg, although it was far too windy to sit outside the car. We clocked up 261 miles by the time we reached Lindau and the glorious view out over the lake.
Dinner was at our leisure, so we explored lots of restaurants and eventually ended up having an excellent meal at our own hotel in the terrace bar/brasserie. It was sheer delight to be able to sit out on our balcony overlooking the harbour and watch the world go by.

Day Nine, Thursday 8th September.
A real “rest day” and an improvement in the weather. We explored most of the island part of Lindau and joined some of the group for coffee. Lunch was again at the hotel’s excellent terrace bar. The view over the harbour and the lake is well worth any additional cost. Frequent arrivals of the ferry boats meant that there was lots to watch. The view from our room at the front of the hotel included the old lighthouse at the entrance to the harbour. I had decided that this must be climbed! After a suitable interval from lunch we set off towards the tower. The climb was much more arduous than I had expected (Marilyn stayed at the bottom), but well well worth the effort. The view from the top was spectacular. We had dinner at an excellent restaurant in the main street and were joined by David and Ann Render.

Day Ten, Friday 9th September.
The day of our 9th Wedding Anniversary and 202 mile drive to Le Parc Hotel, Obernai, Alsace, France. The Bayerischerhof Hotel was excellent and our cars were parked in the underground car park. This allowed us to put the car hood down before we set off. Our route was along the north side of Lake Constance towards Titisee. After Titisee we then climbed up into the mountains, through cloud and rain over the Feld pass. We were fortunate that the garage we found to replenish our fuel had a small café attached and we were able to leave the car under the canopy while we had lunch. The journey through the southern Black Forest towards Mullheim was delightful.
We then followed the Rhine for many miles but, very unfortunately, didn’t actually see much of the river until closer to Obernai, because the road was lower than the bank. There was almost no traffic on this road and it was a very relaxing drive. We arrived at Le Parc in brilliant sunshine just before 15.00 hrs and were able to enjoy our anniversary exploring the hotel and grounds. An excellent dinner followed, preceded by an anniversary Kirsch Royal aperitif out on the terrace. This was to be our last dinner as a group and the final chance to see everyone together. A small presentation was made to Simon and Ann.

The Jobson-Scott anniversary

Day Eleven, Saturday 10th September.
A 246 mile drive to the Hotel Continental in the centre of Reims. Virtually no traffic on the road through the Vosges mountains and lots of very twisty narrow sections. The weather was very hot and we were lucky to find a roadside café for refreshments. It was interesting to see the change in the scenery as the landscape became flatter and flatter. The final section of the suggested route was across mile after mile of traffic-free gently undulating countryside. It was a shock hitting the motorway again for the final entry into Reims. It was extremely hot when we finally checked in at 16.35hrs and it took me ages to find the aircon controls in our room (actually behind the open bedroom door!). The cars were parked in a huge underground car park on the fifth floor down. Once cooled off after all the unloading, etc., it was a pleasure to be able to walk around the town. The place was heaving with people and all the eating places were very busy. The last time we were here was on one of our Alvis trips in 1997 and 2002. I can’t ever remember it being so full of people. We had a very good dinner at a lovely Piano bar restaurant not far from the hotel and indulged ourselves in two Planters Punches each: very refreshing on such a hot and humid night.

Day Twelve, Sunday 11th September.
A completely free day to recharge our batteries, check the car and generally recover from all the travelling before the final phase of our run home. After a leisurely breakfast, we set off to explore the surrounding area. The weather had completely broken, with very heavy rain overnight and the temperature had dropped drastically. We had coffee and lunch, explored the cathedral again and dodged the rain drops all day. We found a nice restaurant for dinner just across from the Hotel, because I wasn’t feeling quite so good.

Day Thirteen, Monday 12th September.
The first part of the final leg home, was 174 miles from Reims to the Channel Tunnel. We set off with the hood down and in reasonable weather. It was windy and became progressively blustery. By some extraordinary chance we happened to stop at the same motorway service station on the A26 as the main group travelling with Simon and Ann. Marilyn got talking to some bikers who were all from Devon!  The journey became progressively more interesting as the wind and then rain hit us. It became so unpleasant after we had checked in at the tunnel that we had to pull over and put the hood up. The weather was now so awful that we decided to go directly to join the shuttle queues, rather than try to meet up with the others: sorry about that folks but all I wanted to do was get home.

Once back in England, the weather wasn’t too bad apart from the wind. We did, however, keep the hood up for the 274 mile drive home to North Devon and arrived home at 17.25 hrs. A good fast and easy run without too much traffic. The end of a most enjoyable holiday in excellent company, and 2,546 more miles on the clock.
Thanks to group leaders Simon and Ann Cronin, Holiday organisers Travel Destinations, our hosts in Austria the Blumschein Family and all the other hotels that made this such a special holiday. Finally, special thanks to Scarlet our wonderful Daimler for transporting us in such grand style and comfort.

The Author

The Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club have arranged two tours with Travel Destinations in 2012.
20th – 25th May JEC Ireland Tour
12th – 16th September, JEC Jersey Tour

The MG Owners’ Club is returning to Austria with Travel Destinations in 2012.
2nd – 14th September, MG Austria Tour

For more information please follow the links above.

Characters at the Nurburgring 24 Hours0

Part of the fun in attending lots of motor racing events is meeting lots of really nice people.
Although the week leading up to the Nurburgring 24 Hours 2011 was certainly damp there were no dampened spirits at the Travel Destinations private campsite at the circuit.

The Travel Destinations welcome tent was up early at the campsite

Early arrivals at the Travel Destinations campsite shelter from the rain

Aaron arrived in his campervan powered only by cooking oil

Keeping the German theme going at the Travel Destinations campsite

Will Belcher and the West Country Crew enjoy the Nurburgring sunshine

As the Travel Destinations private trackside campsite filled up the atmosphere grew, the sunshine came out and there was great expectation for the start of the Nurburgring 24 Hours 2011.

Race day at Sebring0

At 9am on Saturday morning we found ourselves standing just over the pit wall on the track next to the Audis and Peugeots. It is Sebring tradition that before the race (which starts at 10:30am) all the cars are lined up along the grid and the public are allowed to wander amongst them and get up real close. Mechanics and support staff are present too, so you can ask questions and take all the photos that you want.

I must warn you though, the grid walk is popular and getting from car to car can be difficult in such tightly packed crowds. However it is well worth it. If you didn’t feel part of the Sebring 12 hours before, you really do now. I am not really one to name drop, but as I walked along the pit wall taking photos, I quite literally, bumped into Dr. Ullrich, the head of Audi Motorsport. Of course I shook his hand, explained that I was from the UK and wished him the best of British Luck. He was very relaxed and enjoying the atmosphere on the Sebring circuit too, so was happy to chat about Audi’s hopes for the season. The new R18 car is being tested at Sebring after the race and will be more than ready for the next round of the ILMC at Spa apparently. Peugeot you have been warned.

Fifteen minutes before the start the grid was cleared and we took up are viewing positions for the race proper. Don’t worry I am not going to bore you with detail about what happened, when it happened and whose fault it was here. I will leave that for others to do. I can tell you though, over the course of the next 12 hours, we were able to walk to all corners of the circuit and usually the viewing is unhindered by large fences and other obstacles.

Sebring has a great reputation as a circuit for race fans and I can understand why. We must have walked every inch of the 3.7 mile circuit (there are courtesy shuttles if you don’t want to walk) and taken decent photos of every car. My favourite section has to be from turn 6 right around to turn 13. A walkway, named “Sebring Boulevard” takes you between the campers and the track all around the area known as Green Park. Not only do you get unobstructed views of the race along this stretch, but you also get to see the best that the Sebring race fans can produce in the form of campsites and self made viewing platforms around the edge. Spectators around at turn 10 were treated to a row of intricate campsites set up over the last few days, including everything from 10 feet scaffold towers, to wild west style ranch complete with fish tank and chicken coop (?). Le Mans fans, the bar has been raised this year!

At the track in Sebring0

I mentioned earlier that there are plenty of similarities between Le Mans and Sebring. Well that is true. However their are just as many differences.

The atmosphere at the circuit here in Sebring is electric. There is always something going on. Perhaps the biggest difference between here and Le Mans is the access that all race fans get.

The paddock area is open to all. If you want to watch the Peugeot or Audi guys working on their cars then just pop by, park yourself outside their garage and watch. The paddock area stretches the length of the back straight and (I timed this) takes 10 minutes just to walk from one end to the next.

If you want to get up close with the drivers then you can do that to. Today all the drivers will be in the paddock for an autograph session and to meet with all race fans. However, be careful you don’t get too close! Yesterday I found myself in the toilets standing next to Allan McNish. We nodded an aknowledgement, but didn’t shake hands!

For a more informal meeting with your race heroes, we are pleased to be able to offer all our customers access to race team caterers in the paddock at next year’s race. All our customers will receive a pass to get in to the hospitality marquee adjacent to the paddock. In 15 minutes yesterday I counted 20 drivers stop by for a meal (including 2 Le Mans winners) and there were race team mechanics and staff on every table around us.

It was great to spend some time yesterday with Eve from Radio Le Mans and with Graham Goodwin from Daily Sports Car. We will be announcing some new and exciting developments with our friends very soon.

In Sebring0

Driving down Highway 27 from Orlando, it soon becomes clear that somehing is going on. First you see a couple of Corvettes on the road, then a few Porsches. RVs are everywhere in this part of Florida anyway at this time of year but there is a definite concentration around Sebring this week.

It is expected that 100,000 people will descend on the town of Sebring for this weekends race, and 2 of them will be from Travel Destinations. Andy and myself (Richard) are here in the USA to meet with hotels, race officials and members of the media to add to our programme for this race.

This year is the first year that we are offering travel, ticket and accommodation offers for Sebring, but we hope that we will be able to offer more and more in the year’s to come.

We arrived in Sebring on Tuesday night, but come sunrise on Wednesday it was obvious we were in a special place. We are staying at the Majestic Cove Condos which are lakeside in downtown Sebring, just 10 minutes from the track. Having breakfast on the balcony watching the sunrise, it was difficult to justify why we live in London at this time of year. It is beautiful here.

The weather is hot. At the track temperatures have been near 30 degrees centigrade. This causes problems for drivers and spectators alike as there isn’t much shade at the track. There are some trees on the infield but they have been claimed by the first race fans to arrive at the circuit when the gates first opened.

The similarities between Sebring and Le Mans are everywhere.

Further along the Pacific Coast0

Wednesday 2nd February 2011

I woke up this morning to the strange collective sound of about 30 wild turkeys!  Ugly things really but can’t help feeling sorry for them – Thanksgiving soon comes round.

I can’t believe how lucky I’ve been with the weather here and everybody I meet tells me so – apparently I should be wearing gloves and a hat instead of shorts and t-shirt.  It gets a bit chilly at night though. At the Ranch there is absolutely no ambient light – they are very sensitive around here to uplighting, so there is an opportunity to star gaze in the true sense of the word – I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many stars.  It’s a pity I don’t know my Orion from my Big Dipper!

Spanish Bay Golf Course

After a leisurely breakfast I decided to take a drive down into Carmel and a have a good nose around at the multi-million pound houses that look like they’d blow over in a small breeze, before going back to Carmel Valley Ranch for a guided tour.  Although this place has a very nice golf course, they can’t compete with the courses down in pebble Beach – and at $500 a round at Pebble Beach who would want to?
So in order to make this facility more than just a golf course they offer various educational classes – cooking, bee-keeping, organic farming, guided tours as well as fitness classes and lesiure facilities.  Sounds like Butlins?  Believe me it’s far from it – shame I’m not staying longer.

H.

Thursday 3rd February 2011

Time to leave the Carmel Valley Ranch, it’s wildlife, tranquility (and fabulous infinity pool overlooking the links), and head to the other end of the scale – Laguna Seca Raceway. Set high up in the hills in a National Park, this track is like most race tracks when there is no event – pretty desolate – but the scenery and views up here are stunning.

Pacific Coast

I am really here in Monterey and Carmel for two reasons – the Pebble Beach Concourse and the racing events at the track such as the Moto GP and the American Le Mans Series.  All good so far, so keep an eye on our website www.traveldestinations.co.uk to see whats happening.

After being driven round the track at a very ladylike pace by the lovely Jeannie, (which was a bit of a relief really as the corkscrew is a 10 storey drop!), I head back to Monterey for what I can only describe as the best steak I’ve had in along time.  Can’t remeber the name of the place but will get back to you on that!

H

Saturday 6th Feb

Well my job here in Monterey and Carmel is pretty much done.
Travel Destinations are now able to get you here, book you a nice hotel, get you to the Pebble Beach Concours D’elegance and the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) at Laguna Seca.

Pacific Highway

But I couldn’t leave here without fulfilling my duty completely – after all, when you call the office to book, we need to be able to tell you about the area and what you can do here, so purely  for ‘educational purposes’, I took a drive down the coast from Monterey to Big Sur.  For some reason I always thought Big Sur was ‘surfers paradise’ – but is in fact walkers, hikers, twitchers, nature lovers and campers paradise. Needless to say I didn’t do any of those things, however just cruising along the coast I was extremely privileged to see a pair of Californian Condors, which I am led to believe are extremely rare, whales migrating south along the coast, sea otters, seals, sea-lions and a humming bird  – all in one day.  Just amazing to see all of these animals in their natural habitat.  For some though their natural habitat is dwindling, so I also took a trip to the Monterey Aquarium which is highly educational and a wonderful opportunity to see many creatures of the deep close up.

I am now off to San Francisco for a few days holiday. I know, I know – it sounds like I’ve been on holiday all week!

Have a nice day now y’all and come back real soon.

H

On the Pacific Highway0

Tuesday 1st February 2011

After getting up extremely early in Florida this morning for a six hour flight west,  it is still only 9.30am and I’ve already had breakfast and lunch!!

I am now driving down the Pacific Highway in California and it is beautiful. Although I have never been here before I have been having a bit of ‘deja vu’ –  the smells of eucalyptus and pine trees,  the rugged  coast, crashing waves, the low rise hills and peaks – It reminded me a bit of the northern coast of Spain (except they don’t have bobcats in Spain;  wandering through a field next to the road without a care in the world – a beautiful animal).

I decided to stop in Santa Cruz for lunch (and unfortunately a parking ticket!). It is an interesting town – part hippy, part surf dude, part Art Deco, but with a really nice atmosphere to it.

Further along the road I got to see more sandy beaches, more crashing waves and more artichoke fields(!) until I arrived at what I can only describe as pure bliss and serenity – the Carmel Valley Ranch.  This where our customers  will spend their time for the Pebble Beach Concours in August.  All of the rooms are actually suites and almost like individual houses –  Brand new, shiny and luxurious – with wild deer walking around outside beneath the balcony!  Can you imagine – sitting on the balcony and a family of deer walk past?  Serene and surreal.

There is a fantastic golf course here at the Carmel Valley Ranch but they aren’t likely to let the unskilled likes of me loose on it. I think will stick to their yoga class. Om Shanti.

H.

A great finish at the Rolex 24 at Daytona0

Sunday 30^th January 2011

Early morning mist and fog slowed the race to a yellow flag for a while this morning, but the sun burnt it off leaving it all to play for.  Sadly Doran Racing,  and our friend rookie Ross Kaiser, decided to cut their losses during the night after losing too many laps in a couple of unfortunate incidents in the chicanes, but there were still some big names hanging on in there.

The final hours at the Rolex 24 at Daytona

After a few pics in the pitlane and another Bud (light!), it was time to get to Victory Lane for the podium presentation and the chance to get you some race fan info!!

Huge congratulations to Chip Ganassi Racing, who not only took 1^st but also 2^nd place in the DP class, with Action Express Racing Porsche/Riley taking 3^rd, and the United Autosports team featuring the experience of British drivers Mark Blundell and Martin Brundle finishing a very creditable 4th.

1^st in the GT class was car number 67 with TRG Porsche GT3, 2^nd was Paul Miller Racing and a really well deserved 3^rd place to ….drum roll……….yes you guessed it, my favourite “Dr McDreamy” himself Dempsey Racing (in a Mazda!).

Mazda had a good result at Daytona

After all this excitement I am in grave danger of becoming disloyal to my first love – the Le Mans 24hrs race, but in the words of one of our regular Le Mans customers, that is here enjoying the sunshine, ”the Rolex 24 is a must – in addition to Le Mans”.

For those of you able to read between my cunningly disguised attempts to sound like I know what I’m talking about, you will have guessed by now that I actually know very little about the technical side of motor racing, but I am very aware that I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by, and unknowingly spoken to, some of the most successful racing drivers in their field this weekend. I have taken obscene amounts of photographs of people who may or may not be racing drivers but have a racing suit on so I thought I’d hedge my bets!

And I have to confess that I only knew who was in the lead at any one time because I asked a local!

So why exactly, you may ask, did Travel Destinations send me here?

Well, because I don’t need to know too much about the ‘techie’ stuff – I can leave that to the likes of ‘Hindy’ at Radio Le Mans and you, the real race fan. My job is to let you know about the Rolex 24 at Daytona, truly a race fans race; the electric atmosphere, the privileged experiences, the do’s, the don’ts, the sights, the sounds and the smells – and if I’m any good at my job at all I’ll see you back here for the 50^th Rolex 24 anniversary in 2012.

Why not call Travel Destinations now to register your interest at being here next year? The number you need is 0844 873 0203!

H.

Race Day at Daytona0

Saturday 29th January 2011

What an amazing day!

I got to the track early this morning for our customers to get their hotlaps.  The incredible Hurley Haywood was their hotlap driver in a very nice Porsche Panamera.  Bit chunky for the track I hear you say?  Apparently not!

Hurley Haywood talks with Robin Liddell

I am still amazed at the spectator access for this event – bearing in mind the teams and mechanics are about to be involved in a pretty big event in a few hours time, there are fans wandering in and out of the garages asking questions, getting in the way and the guys just take it all in their stride.  Hats off to them.

After a bit of sight-seeing (did I mention Patrick Dempsey was here?) there was a mass exodus from the garage area and at 2.15pm as the cars were pushed out onto the pitlane to a big fanfare and marching band, followed by the drivers.

Juan Pablo Montoya signing Autographs at the Rolex 24 at Daytona

This is what people have been waiting for – anybody and everybody on the track, lying down on the brand new smooth 31 degree tarmac, mingling amongst the cars, chatting to the drivers, – my mate JPM (Juan Pablo Montoya for those not in the know!), the very talented and not sure quite what to make of it all, Ross Kaiser – (best of luck to Ross)  and so many more familiar and very famous drivers in their own right – just there.  Unbelievable – I mean, it’s not as if they have anything else to do an hour before the race.

Then at 3.30pm – the first rev.  Wow! Difficult to put into words actually – just a fantastic experience.

Just loving it!

H

More from our lady In Daytona0

Friday 28th January 2011

Well this place just gets better and better! Sorry to rub it in but the sun is still shining and hotting up!

After a bit of chasing around and getting people where they needed to be, the morning has been  a huge success.

All our customers were offered the opportunity to visit the Sprint Tower suites this morning and the control tower. This is where what’s happening on the track gets transferred to the people on the ground – the heart centre of the race.

In the Daytona Paddock

So after the obligatory coffee and doughnuts and a privileged insight into the technical competitive side of this event from Mark Raffauf, the Grand Am director of competition, a trip to the roof of the sprint tower was the highlight – a bird’s eye view of the whole track – truly an amazing sight!!

View from the Sprint Tower

Back down in the garages all seems to be going well with practices – more people today and plenty more action.  Don’t have a press pass so am sat in the Sprint Fanzone, with a Bud (Light, of course), pretending to look like I’m working hard!

So I managed to blag my way onto a garage tour which was led by Robin Liddell, who this year is driving for Stevenson Motorsport (car 57).  It’s his 8^th race at Daytona so he was well qualified to educate even the most ignorant of race goers – just like me.

Needless to say I glazed over when it started getting too ‘techie’, but we bumped into Hurley Hayward, who despite retiring from racing last year, just can’t stay away from the Daytona Speedway. He’ll be in car 59 for Brumos Racing.

My tip for one to watch – Magnus Racing, car 44.
You heard it here first.

H.