Behind them, the chasing pack was led by the two Frazer Nash-BMWs of Peter Kite and Pete Johnson and Gavin and Diana Henderson, now in hot pursuit. With just seven seconds separating them, and less than 20 seconds covering the top six, all was still to play for in the second half of El Clavel.
And so it turned out.
After two glorious nights in the ancient city of Santiago de Compostela, the route headed back east towards the finish at the Palacio de la Magdalena, once the royal summer residence, in Santander. With the weather turning distinctly autumnal, crews faced a series of map-based epics through the mountains before a sprint finish featuring two laps of the Cibuyo kart circuit.
By the end of the fourth day’s action, it was all change at the top. The 1935 BMW 319 of Irvine Laidlaw and Annabel Jones negotiated the competitive sections with minimal penalties to leap from sixth to first. The Hendersons moved up to second, with David and Jo Roberts’ 1929 Chrysler 75 Roadster third, ahead of the Kite/Johnson Frazer Nash, which had been slowed by an alternator issue.
The brace of once-leading Talbots were now back in fifth and sixth, with the Woofs dropping from first to fifth after their AO75/90 suffered a broken spring.
After overnight rain, a damp and misty dawn awaited those waking in the Parador ahead of another major mountain crossing. Four Tests and three Regularities lay ahead.
An atmospheric morning of driving culminated in three Speed Tests bookending lunch at the Langreo Raceway complex, followed by a further wet Regularity that put crews’ map-reading skills to the test and the day’s fourth Test at the Soto de Dueñas kart track.
Although the final Regularity was cancelled because of unforeseen roadworks en route to the beachside overnight halt at Mirador La Franca, there was another shuffle at the top of the leaderboard, with the Hendersons’ Frazer Nash becoming the fourth different leader in just five days.
Irvine Laidlaw’s BMW had slipped back to fourth, while Peter Kite bounced back to make it two Frazer Nashes at the head of the field. Andrew Boland’s erstwhile leading Talbot was back up to third.
With the sun back out, the final day delivered another driving classic, featuring two concluding Speed Tests at the superb Karting La Roca circuit, a pair of Regularities and a final Route Check over the Alto de la Barrancosa, widely hailed as the most beautiful road of the entire event.
Having taken the lead with the finish in sight, the Hendersons were not to be denied their first major victory after so many near misses.
“This has been a fantastic rally, tough at times but always enjoyable,” enthused a delighted and relieved Gavin. He also praised the Rally the Globe team for masterminding another superb event.
“It’s our first win but is the second rally that the car has won, the first being the 1939 RAC!”
As ever, there were also discretionary awards, with the Spirit of the Rally going to Michael Cotter and Mark Brien, who hurled their BMW into every corner as if it was their last.
Craig, Chloe and Agnes McWilliam took the Against All Odds trophy for their efforts in getting their chain-driven Frazer Nash to the finish despite a succession of mechanical issues.
