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WHAT is the Monte?

MONTE CARLO rally

canoe kayak

At 98 years old, the Monte Carlo Rally Historique is legendary and very eccentric!  The 1969 Peter Cook and Dudley Moore comedy ‘Monte Carlo of Bust’ captured this brilliantly, hilariously following eccentric competitors lying, cheating and bumbling their way across Europe. Perhaps eccentricity is necessary; after all it is dangerous and adventurous in the old-fashioned sense of the word.  It’s not about hi-tech gadgets or v8 engines.  It’s about historic cars with no heating, icy mountain roads, hitting snow banks, flying around hairpin descents to avoid time penalties, navigating with paper maps and not falling asleep at the wheel after days without sleep.  

Debra will be utilising the years of experience she has had at navigating on expeditions around the world but, at the start of this project, was clueless about what it meant to be a rally navigator.  She will be co-driver to Anna-Louise Felstead (A-L). Debra and A-L met when they completed a World Record crossing of the English Channel by Dragon Boat together in 2007 and became firm friends.

A-L, a professional artist, started out painting beautiful artworks of classic cars but was encouraged behind the wheel by Jason Stuart, a passionate classic car racer and owner, in 2007 and she is now an experienced racing driver.  However A-L failed to complete the Monte Carlo Rally last year and, having seen Debra’s navigating skills during the channel crossing, felt they would make a strong team for the 2010 event. 

please check out the gallery and movie on the right.