Scottish Austin Seven Club member Andrew Goodfellow is taking part in the Monte Carlo Rally this year, he writes:

I have entered this year’s Rally Monte Carlo in my 1930 Austin 7 Ulster along with my brother in law Derek. The first leg is from Paisley to Barnby Moor on the Wednesday night then on to Calais on Thursday. Friday see’s the start of the French Leg and we set off from Calais at lunch time. With 15 passage control points through the night ending up in Digne Les Bains before heading up through the alps and then down into Monaco on Saturday afternoon. We are also raising monies for a very worthwhile cause SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health), if you do wish to donate even just a small donation then please either through our Just giving Page www.justgiving.com/fundraising/AGoodfellow. Or you can TEXT RMCC86 £5 to 70700 Please help us reach our target.

I have attached the Monte Newsletter which give a wee bit more information on the Start at Paisley and you can follow our progress on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RMCC2017/ as live update will be posted along the way.

He also appeared in the Dundee Courier this week:

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/lifestyle/337426/enthusiasts-andrew-goodfellow-monte-carlo-rally/

Support his fundraising efforts if you can.

I presume the first overnighter at Barnby Moor will be at the Olde Blue Bell? Nice pub/hotel. It's an old coaching inn on the A614 between Retford and Doncaster. The A614 is actually the old Great North Road, before they built the A1 dual carriageway in the 50s or 60s.

I hope Andrew's car goes a bit faster then my RP. When I drove it down to France in 2001 it took me the best part of 10 hours to get from Sheffield to Dover, avoiding all motorways except the M25 Dartford crossing.

Location: Gard, France 30960. Used to be Languedoc-Roussillon but now it's Occitanie

Last prep. for Goodfellow and the Ulster at Dunford Towers tonight - leaves Paisley tomorrow at 6pm and plan is to be in Monte Carlo by late afternoon on Saturday. Raising money for Scottish Association for Mental Health. If you would like to donate, please do so here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/AGoodfellow

A lot of nervous tension this morning as they checked and re-checked paperwork, car, clothes and everything else. We discovered a small crack in the windscreen just as they were about to leave so I headed off to get another to fit if scrutineering were unhappy.

Here they are leaving, a mixture of excitement and stress!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wz5lJ3e67M&feature=youtu.be

I caught up with them later at scrutineering with the spare windscreen, turns out that they had passed without the need to change it however.

Here are some shots at scrutineering - they are booked to be sent off from Paisley Town Centre tonight at 6pm!

Not long to go now. Bonne route!

I hope they are aware of weather conditions as they travel south. Apparently in Yorkshire today it has been somewhere between "Not right warm" and "a bit bracing" whilst tonight it may even be "a bit parky" or even "Brass monkeys"

Location: Gard, France 30960. Used to be Languedoc-Roussillon but now it's Occitanie

In Ripon and I'd call it "crisp". An open car in this weather needs good thermal underwear. If they're stopping at Barmby Moor they'll be near enough to Longstones to get new tyre supplies…
Good luck chaps, crack on!

Location: Ripon

Quite an eventful night for Andrew so far!

They left Paisley just after 6pm - quite a send off...







However.....


About 9:15pm I got a call from Andrew to say that they'd had to be towed off the motorway to Cairn Lodge Services. Having removed the engine they'd discovered the flywheel had started to break up, the whole motor was put into the back of a modern car and brought up to Glasgow where we swapped the cast iron lining onto a standard flywheel. As we came to reassemble we found a crack in one of the seats of the toggle slots so replaced that for a standard one.













They left here at 11:38pm and headed back down to the car. Whilst putting it back in (and very tired) they dropped a nut in behind the flywheel!

Whilst removing the engine from the gearbox to retrieve the nut, it dropped and snapped off two of the bell housing studs!!

Eventually it all came back together and they headed back onto the M74 at 2:30am. Forfeiting their overnight stop near Bawtry they have driven solid ever since and are currently just north of Cambridge...



Car is maintaining a steady 60mph at 4000rpm but running cool. The new unbalanced flywheel causes some vibration just before 50mph in top but clears above mid 50mph.



They plan to catch a ferry from Calais this evening and get some well earned rest in a hotel near Calais.

Oh dear! Not a good start - still, at least it occurred within range of expert help. Better now than in a couple of days in the Alps!
Let's hope it's all trouble-free from here on ...

At Epping approaching the M25 as I type...

Great write up R. Glad to hear they are making good progress now.

Location: Teignmouth

Approaching the Dartford Crossing....

15 miles to Dover...

I feel for them. It is absolutely freezing cold in Herts. Hope it is getting warmer the nearer they get to La Continent!

Location: North Herts

Not really.
Today's weather in Rekkersland, only 30 miles from the Med:

Location: Gard, France 30960. Used to be Languedoc-Roussillon but now it's Occitanie

They have made it to Dover.

I have passed on all your good wishes here and off-line.

They have some modifications that should help with the cold but they are ostensibly open to the elements!

It's really good to see that there are still plenty of intrepid loonies out there.
Whenever I do anything like this (though not quite as challenging) I like to get the statutory breakdown out of the way early on, it sharpens the mind somewhat and the ears in particular…
I wish them good luck with the rest of the trip, they'll have a tale or two to dine out on when they get back!

Location: Ripon

I really do hope they've got good cold weather protection. Wind chill at 60mph can very quickly result in hypothermia if they're not properly wrapped up.

I know they've got Goretex and heated gloves but have they got full face helmets & balaclavas? They'll not get much heat from the engine running top down at 60mph.

Mind you Edward Whimper made it to the top of the Matterhorn in a set of tweeds and sensible shoes...

Location: Gard, France 30960. Used to be Languedoc-Roussillon but now it's Occitanie

In the Ferry queue...

Loving the updates. Thanks R.

Good luck lads, hope you catch up with the others. I'd hate to think that you might miss the free lunch at the end.

Finally - why do you have to go to the med, to get snow. Why can't we have some in the Midlands.

Location: Towcester

Many thanks for the story Ruairidh. Having an amazing time. Every if we had a wee little problem near Glasgow
On ferry and start the French leg at 12noon tomorrow. It's another over night stage and we will be in Monte Carlo Saturday mid afternoon.
Heated gloves shoulders and foot wear along with heated seats. But it still cold.
Cheers that's the ferry leaving
Can't wait till the next stage of the rally to start
Thanks again everyone for the good wishes

Respect

Great effort all round. Stick to it.

Location: South-East Surrey

It was never going to be easy! Great to hear that you are on the ferry after your problems. Good luck with the rest of the journey.

At least you're on target for the 'Against all Odds' Award

Marvellous show. Very well done. Friends did the same in the Riley 9 WD last year and my Grandson was heavily involved with the preparation of the car and its servicing in the UK so I've some idea of what's actually involved. They too had a problem early on (although that didn't involve removing the engine!) but after that, a reliable but sometimes cold run all the way to Monte Carlo followed by an equally reliable drive back North to Somerset. I really hope your experience mirrors theirs.

Steve

Location: North Yorkshire

Luckily Stanley Edge designed the car with extra bell housing studs so that the loss of two isn't a problem.

Very impressed with the effort

C

Hope all goes well from now on. Could you post us a proposed route down to Monte Carlo please.

Location: Gard, France 30960. Used to be Languedoc-Roussillon but now it's Occitanie

Andrew and Derek should be in France by now and heading towards a long awaited bed.

He tells me that he only managed about 20minutes of sleep and that when they left Dover it was 2°C, they have a large oil leak developing from the rear of the engine, they think it is coming format he valve chest however. They'll look in the morning and let us know.


RR - here are the links to the routes:

1800hrs Wednesday 25th
Paisley to Barnby Moor
https://drive.google.com/open?id=10y44gG7b7BZuy8r4MQlC1fsJoAM&usp=sharing

1000hrs Thursday 26th
Barnby Moor to Calais
https://drive.google.com/open?id=10H4X5W3_FdMnQAmc-Q1nerObChY&usp=sharing

1230hrs Friday 27th
Calais to Langres
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yik3vR6sQ16kK_ExDM2JdreL3MI&usp=sharing

Saturday 28th
Langres to Bourgoin-Jallieu
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1X4bSl0SkQaScXhL83dOUTfkRwDU&usp=sharing

Saturday 28th
Bourgoin-Jallieu to Digne Les Bains
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ce5DCwIA5vqi0pOdKhA3u4430PM&usp=sharing

Saturday 28th
Digne Les Bains to Monaco Pac Ferme
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1HS7acM6Srv6X8gZz8N_qWaP1AEQ&usp=sharing

Could anybody tell me the name of the digital device on the dashboard inone of the earlier pictures - the one showing the speed in glowing red?

Thanks

John

This?



I don't know the name but you are not the only one to have asked...

Location: North Yorkshire

You don't need one of those, Steve, you've got me!

Do you glow red in the dark then, Malcolm?

Thanks, Steve.

John

Location: North Yorkshire

Yes, if ever I do the Monte Carlo Historique I must remember not to take that particular pair of gloves!

After some well needed sleep Andrew and Derek left Calais around 12:30 today and are currently just north of Arras.

I have no update on the oil leak but they were not the only ones working on their car this morning....

They should be able to make reasonable progress today because the run down to Langres is fairly flat and the Nationale road network is reasonably quiet apart from the N44 around Reims which carries a fair amount of HGV traffic. When I drove the RP down here in 2001 I followed a similar route until I got to Vitry le François. We then had to take a detour to Troyes because all the hotels were full and the only one we could find with space was the Campanile in Troyes. That was an interesting run. It took about an hour to get there by which time night had fallen. A strange road in pitch black in an A7 with 6v lights was "interesting".

I presume they've got fuel stops pre-planned because there's not much available in the Plaine de Champagne region - place is just rolling fields for mile after mile after mile.

Is there anyone with them running back-up?

Location: Gard, France 30960. Used to be Languedoc-Roussillon but now it's Occitanie

They have a chase car - with some spares and fuel in.

They are currently on the A28 just north of Reims....



Headlamp has been refocused accordingly

Thanks for the updates Ruairidh, it's fascinating stuff and I'm sure all our thoughts are with them.
Crack on chaps!

Location: Ripon

Good Lord - that route looks suspiciously like the route we took to Monte Carlo in 1972 (with some variation). Not quite so quickly, of course

And the weather was slightly warmer...

Location: Cambridge

They are now near Troyes and we estimate this is just under 1/3 of the way down through his journey in France.

Has that coffee cup frozen to the scuttle? It was there at Dover...

Location: Ripon

They have reached Langres.

50 or so miles south of Dijon....

Theres a yellow narrow gauge railway running from Digne to Nice if they're really tired.

Location: Bristol

They are near Lyon.

Bourgoin Jallieu at 03:45.

We lost them on phone tracking for a few hours there due to poor signal.

They are back on line and have reached Digne les Bains. This is the final leg of the route links above.

Current location...

30 miles to go!!!