Rallye des Jonquilles - 3 April - Northern France

[Crunchie Gears]

Twice a year the French car club "La Grange Aux Damiers" organise a rally.  The date for the first of 2016 is the Rallye of the daffodils on 3 April.

Head office and I normally go with some mates and make a weekend of it.

The weekend goes something like this:

Meet at the tunnel early Saturday morning (head office and I normally stay in the premier inn).
Regroup on the French side and Blatt on the back roads to a lunch venue.  Then on to an interesting place to visit.  Park up visit the attraction or sometimes our French hosts.  Blatt to the budget hotel.  Meet for diner, drinks and banter.

Sunday up early Blatt to start of Rallye (this time it is Bethune) where the Rallye takes over the town square.  Park up the Rallye have coffee and continental breakfast and book in.

The rally is about 100 miles and is a navigation rally with tasks to do on the way. There are three stages with differing tasks split by coffee at a Chateau and a very good lunch (with wine and so forth: could never happen in UK LOL).  Then back to the town square to await prise giving and banter before run back to the tunnel.

It is a good weekend away with car a chat.  No get speeds necessary as the tasks consume your attention and keep the interest.  You do need a co-pilot as they need to read the tulip route instruction and help with the tasks.

So anyone up for this:

1. Crunchie and Head Office
2.

http://lagrangeauxdamiers.com/2015/12/rallye-des-jonquilles-2016.html

[peterw]

Hmmm, Very Tempting, depends on Head office..

[Crunchie Gears]

Just heard back from the Rallye organiser and he is looking forward to our attendance.

I should have said all of the 150+ cars are all classics or sports cars 

[Iancider]

Gosh that does raise the high bar for class!

Can I do it?  thinking.....

Ian

[Crunchie Gears]

Gosh that does raise the high bar for class!

Can I do it?  thinking.....

Ian

LOL no everyone on the forum has sports cars.  The French club has a list of cars that can take part and most of our cars are on it.  I did have to ask for permission to go in the Ultima, they are petrolheads and said yes.

In previous years I have gone in a Vauxhall VX220T, a Westfield and a Morgan.  No issues.

Other people go in things like Renault Alpines, Escorts, TRs, Lotuses, 7s as well as some Ferraris and so forth. 

I can guarantee it is a good weekend away that is not serious but with a good opportunity for a partner friendly break, with banter, good food and kick a tyre or two.

[Crunchie Gears]

Here is the Rallye organisers email.

The cost of the Rallye including lunch for 2 is £70. 



The 10th Rallye des Jonquilles - Sunday, April 3, 2016 - stood as the anniversary event of the "Grange aux Damiers" and, as such, will offer to the 150 participants, a unusual course... that will end on historic rally roads hinterland of Béthunois.

The cars of the 100% British brand: TVR, which made the legend of Rallye des Jonquilles will, for the occasion, honored: 3000S, 1600M, Cerbera, Tamora, Chimaera ...

As according to tradition, the 2016 edition of the Rallye des Jonquilles will begin with the exhibition of cars at the foot of the belfry of Bethune, then dice 09:15, crews will set off from the capital of Artois for escaping on the roads of Ternois to explore the local cultural heritage ....



So, I send the entry form for this "10e rallye  des Jonquilles" (JPG or PDF format)

You can send it to me by email, duly completed. To pay a entry fees, you can do it with Paypal ( new payment address : lagrangeauxdamiers@orange.fr )

Progressively , you can find information on our website :  http://www.lagrangeauxdamiers.com/


Happy new year

Regards

Bruno
Ecurie de la Grange aux Damiers

[Almondsburyhills]

Yes up for this one , me and Steve the wife's will come too

[Crunchie Gears]

Yes up for this one , me and Steve the wife's will come too

Brilliant! 

Can you pm me your email address and I will send you the form.  Also it looks like we are going to to book the Inis in Bethune. On the Saturday we are likely to get an invite to their club house for lunch, they do it well so I will keep you in the loop.

Do you have a satnav that supports itinary files?  Not a problem if you don't but I can send you routes to do for the route out on Saturday when I have done them.

[Crunchie Gears]

Bruno the Rallye organiser has suggested this route for the Saturday.

https://theroadracer.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/route-to-air-sur-la-lys.jpg

Any takes?

[Iancider]

I would like to support you in this but there are several factors acting against me at that time.  I would love to do it but I don't want to fence sit and say maybe so in this case I will decline.   Thanks for the offer but I just can't do it this year.  Thanks for making the offer and setting it up though.  I hope you will get support for this.

Ian

[Crunchie Gears]

Ian no worries and thanks for your thoughts.

I am going with 7 other cars anyway so very happy 

There will another rally in September / October run by the same French car club.  If I can go I will post it up and see.

[Moleman]

I would love too mate but I have a few big trips I'm thinking of doing plus I need a bigger fuel tank for touring.
September could be a possible for me but I maybe doing SPA then. 

[Sumov8]

Our entry money has been accepted, just waiting for confirmation of the entry form, any info on what we are letting ourselves in for will be gratefully received, we have been on You Tube looking at last years footage and it all looks very exciting, just a small gearbox oil leak to sort out, a few of those jobs that you are just waiting for the weather to improve a bit and we will be ready, just have to sell it to our support crew now, the romantic weekend in Paris may not on the cards!!

Cheers Steve 

[Crunchie Gears]

Hi Steve

We are all booked in this hotel on the Saturday night:  https://www.booking.com/hotel/fr/ibis-styles-bethune-bruay-la-buissiere.en-gb.html?aid=304142;label=gen173nr-15CAEoggJCAlhYSDNiBW5vcmVmaFCIAQOYAS64AQTIAQTYAQPoAQE;sid=dd445f456603a8d2e705b684d228dbf8;dcid=2

As for the weekend.  Mary and I will book a hotel for the Friday night near the tunnel.  We get up early, meet with the other, who have not stayed over at the tunnel.  Introduce everyone and have a little banter.  We will bring some Danish pastries for everyone for breakfast.

Then on to the tunnel and follow a scenic route to a tourist destination and have some lunch have a walk or whatever and then take a route to the Hotel.  We normally go into Town have some diner and maybe a beer or two.

On Rallye day we make our way to the Bethune town square.  They take over the square for the Rallye and we park up and go and register, collect the Rallye pack and they provide a bit to eat and a coffee.  You then need to get organised and find out what they have set as tasks for the first stage.  You also may need to have the tulip routes explained if your navigator has not used them before.  I cheat a little as I put the finishing point in the satnav just in case we get totally lost. LOL.

The first stage normally ends a Chateau or Golf course and we have coffee and a biscuit.

The second stage will have different tasks to complete and will finish at the venue for lunch.  They provide a fair spread.  Then the last stage has no tasks and arrives back at the start.

Then we all wait for the awards and not that it matters other than to take the Michael.

We then jump in the cars and make for the tunnel and home.  I think one couple are going to stay an extra night. 

It is a good weekend and Mary likes it (there are lots of events she would not go on) and is even prepared to go this time in the Ultima (she does not like the car and would prefer the Morgan).  The speeds are sensible all weekend and the Rallye is very sensible because of the tasks.  There are a lot of Brits on the Rallye and a great deal of interest from the locals.  The organisers are very nice and welcoming.  All the instructions are in English.

I am delighted you are coming too and know you will have a great time.

I will pm you with my contact details so we can get it together.

[Crunchie Gears]

Here are the tunnel times:

Just checked 8.50 out on Saturday and 19.50 return on Sunday is £126 at the moment.

I will be booking tomorrow.

[Sumov8]

We are booked on the 08:20 chunnel so will hang around at the other end and travel down together, Sumo gearbox vibrating and making strange noises in third, so Alan's taking the Jag, all accepted by the organisers so we are looking forward to an interesting weekend, we will take plenty of photo's  and hopefully encourage a few more car's for next year.

Cheers  Steve

[Lucky Ed]

Sounds like a great trip. Have a great time

[sanzomat]

Have a great trip - looking forward to seeing the pix.

[Crunchie Gears]

We are booked on the 08:20 chunnel so will hang around at the other end and travel down together, Sumo gearbox vibrating and making strange noises in third, so Alan's taking the Jag, all accepted by the organisers so we are looking forward to an interesting weekend, we will take plenty of photo's  and hopefully encourage a few more car's for next year.

Cheers  Steve

Hi Steve

Rob driving a Caterham is booked on that train too.  If you stop at the petrol station just on the exit of the tunnel in Calais we will be along about 30 minutes after you as we are on the 8.50.

Time to practice your "Faire Le Bise"    before you set off. hahaha

See you Saturday.

[Almondsburyhills]

What a great weekend, will surely do it again 
The whole event was well organised and most enjoyable , well recommended .

[Crunchie Gears]

Head Office and I enjoyed the weekend and good to meet your team including service crew

I do not think we will make the next Rallye as we will be in Italy I think.

[Sumov8]

What a great event!!

We caught up with a few cars after the Chunnel at one of the many historic sites along the northern coast, where we followed in convoy to have lunch at the Rally head quarters for a spot of lunch and to pick up the Rally hand book which we would follow the following day, then onto the hotel where we washed up then found somewhere to eat in the evening.
An early start saw us meet at Bethune Square for breakfast, which was the starting point for the day's event, we had three stages following tulip junctions (a form of direction map based) at minute intervals we were set off and it was not long before we had taken a wrong direction, the skill was in judging the distance between junctions from the rally book, as when you turned right 200 yards too early you  were soon joined by other cars following you, why they though a Brit in a Jaguar XJS knew where they were going beat me!!

We made it to the end of the first stage where you could have a coffee, a wine or a small beer, after one of the cold beers (purely medicinal)  we set off again for the next stage, a bit wiser now we were marking the distances between junctions, using a Tom Tom a hand held Sat nav and the hand book we still made a wrong turn, along with an old porsch 911, a Renault 5 Turbo and a few TVR's after we found our error and got back on track we were soon at the lunch stop where all the cars paked up together and sat down for a 3 course meal, very refined with the odd glass of wine, as Alan was driving I was forced to drink his as it would have been rude to leave it.

We then re-joined the route that took you on a winding course back to Bethune Square, via very nice fast country roads and areas of beauty,

The square was again shut to normal traffic and we all parked up to await the results, no surprise in that we were not placed, but with the great weather and very friendly bunch of kit car enthusiast we had a great weekend.

There were no special skills required, as a lot of the cars just went from the start to the end of each stage enjoying the drive and not following the route.

A must for anyone wanting to drive on great roads and have a sociable time, I have tried to capture the atmosphere on the following pictures to give you at taste.

[Facial Hair Optional]

Sounds like you all had a fab time - nice pics too mate!

I can see one day I am gonna have to get the right sort of car for this lark 

[Moleman]

Very nice mate, nice cars, good weather, nice scenery, great roads with good people. What more could ask for. 

I wonder if Dave knows who owns the GTM. 

[sanzomat]

Was just thinking that - I'll look it up on the Spyder Register on GTMOC...

[sanzomat]

Yep, he's on there - forum name is Larkingabout, from Kent so no excuse not to go...

[Iancider]

Looks like a great trip - glad you all enjoyed it.

Ian