The Blue Diamond Riley Services team in the 2019 Rallye Monte-Carlo Classique

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You might look outside daydreaming of driving your PreWarCar, especially when the weather is good. But there are always a few (very enthusiastic, some call them crazy) people who are dreaming of exactly the opposite. Driving their car in the snow. Then you better start preparing for the famous Rallye Monte-Carlo Classique. Which is just what the Blue Diamond team did! And what a fantastic time they had! The Blue Diamond Riley Services team told us about their experience during this challenging but enjoyable adventure.

The Blue Diamond Riley Services team

The Blue Diamond Riley Services team was the largest single-entry team to compete in this year’s Rallye Monte-Carlo Classique. The team consisted of five pre-war Rileys and one post-war MG— with four of the six cars prepared by Blue Diamond. Even as three-time Rallye Monte-Carlo Classique finishers, it was a test of endurance for both the drivers and the cars, battling alpine passes and sub-zero conditions.

The adventure began from the Blue Diamond based in Bicester heading to Clydebank on 29 January. What would normally have taken six and a half hours in a modern car on a clear day took closer to eight hours when you added in the age of our vehicles and the lack of protection from the elements- of which we experienced rain, sleet, snow, snow and, err, more snow! Torrential rain and snow did nothing to dampen spirits, and the team pressed on through Staffordshire, Cheshire, Lancashire and towards Cumbria. We arrived safely in Clydebank to take part in the welcome dinner and to ready ourselves for the start in the morning.

A total contrast in terms of weather greeted crews as the start of the 2019 ACM Monte-Carlo Historique/Classique, after arriving in the grey and mist hues of Tuesday, the sunrise the split the sky over Clydebank was a stunning sight. First over the ramp were John Lomas and Martin Greaves in the 1936 Riley Sprite, closely followed by the Twelvetrees in a 1933 Riley 9 Monaco, Richard and Noel Schneider in a 1936 Riley Kestrel and Chrisso just behind them in a 1931 Riley 9 War Department Tourer. All crews who left Clydebank made the overnight halt at Ye Olde Bell at Barnby Moor, the warmth of the log fires and charm of the Inn making all the trials and tribulations of the journey worthwhile.

The next day’s run from Barnby Moor to Banbury was pretty insignificant with very little to report apart from some fantastic ingenuity from Chrisso Rheault in the WD Tourer. The steering column bracket broke while he was driving, but with Chrisso being the unflappable guy he is, he affected a repair with a spare USB cable that has managed to sustain the errant steering column right through the UK to France!

It was easy to lose track of the time we had travelled, since setting off from Calais and having had three-hours to kill in Reims, it had already started to feel like a long time awake. A look on the map and the distance we had yet to cover when we eventually left Langres was daunting, but more about that later. What greeted us at Langres was just astonishing, almost beautiful, while we parked up, we saw the early numbers just about to leave.

It was around 01:00 Hrs as we left Langres, the town was still, and as we left the walls behind us and headed out into a still night, the fog fell, and when I say ‘fell’ it literally dropped on us like a freezing cold blanket. Visibility in places fell to less than 5 metres, short staccato breaks in the all-enveloping mist left you feeling optimistic and euphoric that it had ended, only to be smothered again as you rounded a curve to be greeted with an almost eerie silence, the small rear lights on the Rileys and MG almost disappearing a second or two in front of you. It continued like this for what seemed like an age, there were several checkpoints for crews to visit along the way, all manned enthusiastically by local motor clubs who were excellent in their welcome and execution. The night was long and seemed, just like the prevalent fog, it would never lift.

The first daylight checkpoint was at Bourgoin-Jallieu, and it was here the team ran into a very, very big wall, metaphorically speaking. The alarm went on our phones to get us awake and ready for the cars to arrive and they weren’t far behind our estimates. First up was the Sprite, JLo dragging himself out of the car for a live piece to camera and then falling on the floor in exhaustion, the fog, terrain and distance had taken its toll heavily on the crews. Adam and Craig both mentioned they had been at their lowest point during the whole event on that section with the Twelvetrees reporting a similar feeling.

A few of the team decided to attempt to run over the Col de Turini, so our media guy headed up to try and get some images of the cars as they neared the top. The road up was clear, albeit, down to single-track in places but clear. First up came the Sprite and this was soon followed by the MG TC. We had made it! One of Rallye Monte-Carlo’s most famous points. The snow was crisp but not as deep, and it made for a stunning backdrop before we headed down the Col. We dropped through Sospel with the light fading and descended into Monte-Carlo through Beausoleil, throwing the bags in The Fairmont we headed to the finish ramp on the Marina, close to Rascasse. Friends and family were there to greet the crews, and it was fair to say it was quite a joyous and emotional time. The cars were treated to a glass of Champagne and crews departed to dress for dinner which was being held at the Automobile Club de Monaco headquarters, a truly historic place. What a dinner it was, Cepe foam with Foie Gras, St Peter (John Dory) with Truffle and a Tuile with fresh fruit and sorbet, no meal in France would be the same without Cheese, the final course being three soft kinds of cheese that were both delicious and pungent at the same time.

Words by the editor and Nicola Tessier. Photographs courtesy Will Broadhead Photography.

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