Bonjourno. Apologies for the delayed blog post so have an essay instead.
Thursday was finally time to start making a few valuable rally points en-route from Brussels to Strasbourg... Not that it was easy to find the required left hooker Mini, but luckily we did manage a bit of crafty mirror magic to seal the deal. A fantastic pizza was enjoyed in Luxembourg with team Celica. By the team we had motorway blasted to Luxembourg, clocked up a whopping total of 9 over takes and many complimentary honks and thumbs up for the Wonder Wagon, we decided it was time to try the Mini's country road skills on a fantastic drive in to Strasbourg. We managed to find check in on time and enjoyed a night of socialising at the campsite bar.
Early rising the next morning, a bee line was made for Vaduz in Liechtenstein with a mission to top the previous days 9 points. This time we decided to convoy with Team Rodney and Squeak the Rover 25 for a couple mo laughs and games. First stop was Colmer in France where we discovered Duff beer and began our point making mission with a cheap but of Statue of Liberty tat; a lighter that is also a bottle opener and officially the cheapest tat to be seen of any team. The next point scoring mission was a spot of sneaky off-roading in a rural field en-route to a twisty German road we had spotted on the map with a 1200metre summit and then Zurich. After failing to find an open bank in order to complete the mission 'attempt to open a Swiss bank account' a bit of rethinking was in order and as it didn't specify we had to open it in a bank, a trip to McDonalds was in order, with footage to follow. This scored us the maximum 25 points plus bonus for sheer audacity. After making speedy retreat from Zurich with an angry manager on our tail Ken Block caught us up and joined the convoy... Or at least Team Focus in their Monster logo covered Ford, making the next mission 'swap your team members' a peace of cake and bonus points for taking people from two teams and not just one. Team members swapped, it was time for a ten car convoy up to the castle in Vaduz! And as with any convoy of ten crudely decorated cars full of students, the local rozzers decided to come too... Being friendly, we let them. So check in and our day of shenanigans scored us a whopping 44 points and putting us second and only 5 points behind the home team Swiss, not including bonus points.
Saturday morning saw a rather large convoy through Switzerland and up in to the alps for a fantastic blast through the 60 hairpins of the Stelvio pass. For this, however, a bit of fettling was required by removal of the grill, propping the bonnet 3 inches open and stiffening the dampers in order to improve engine cooling and handling in the hair pins. A fuel stop dropped us 5 minutes behind the convoy, and as the firm favourites of least likely to make it up, we were very happy to overtake several of the rear cars and barrel up through the pass without issue despite the 100kg box on the roof. After lunch at the top, we set the pace back down with Rodney, the TESTTUBES and Team Volvo. Videos and images to come. With the cooling system working well, it was time to head further south and in to the heat of the Italian Lakes. With the tent pitched right on the shore of Lake Garda it was time for the worlds most needed swim to cool us from the Italian heat, and the boiling green house we call a car. After BBQ and beer it was time to hit the Garda's premier club for the BoB party... And those that remember say hat it really was a great night, those that don't remember include Sam and Al, yet some how, the Rik survived the death cocktails of Vodka, Rum, Gin, Schnapps and other unidentified spirits that gathered in a single pint glass.
With the two drunks having commandeered the tent, Rik made use of the beach and had the greatest and most beautiful sleeping bedside view in Europe, even if it was rather uncomfortable. But no matter, a morning swim in the lake cured that issue.
And now here we are, blasting in convoy with the TESTTUBES on to Trieste, where we are promised Italy's finest ice cream. So the only problem we have had with the Mini is engine cooling in this heat which means that the heater is constantly on in order to draw the heat out of the engine... And in to the already sweltering car. So hence the door is wedged open with wood and cable ties. Yet, even with the open door and missing grill, we still can't move for waves, photos and stories from every former Mini owner in Europe, especially the Swiss.
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