Day 0

Having already visited Málaga in early July there was considerably less to be done than on a typical “Day Zero” so I arrived at a busy airport in the early afternoon. After a visit to our team hotel it was time for lunch at the typical southern Spanish time of 16:00.

“Day Zero” on the event will be focused on the usual pre-event practicalities in the afternoon, with Scrutineering and Signing-on both due to take part at our seafront hotel, before a group Welcome Dinner.

My companion for the recce, trusty Jim Smith, had a late arrival and slept near the airport so it was an early night for me.

Day 1

Jim picked me up bright and early at my hotel in a Citroën C3 rent car. Our friends at Monit supplied us with a cable to connect the car’s OBD port to the tripmeter so we were wheel-driven, a great advance on using a GPS trip with hire cars.

We were soon on our way and plotted a route from the rally hotel, the Miramar, to the start location at the splendid Museum of Automobile & Fashion. We will have a leisurely 10:00 start on the event and competitors will have the opportunity to view the exhibits, coffee in hand. Our first regularity section started right on the outskirts of town and is a fine, twisting road over the Montes de Málaga. We found a good coffee halt by chance before another timed section took us to lunch. The beautiful setting amongst immaculate gardens will be appreciated by all.

We had a couple of options in the afternoon, but having received a great welcome from the family at Karting del Sol we inked that venue into the schedule. A short hilly section then saw us arrive in Nerja where our modern hotel has splendid sea views.

Day 2

We started the day following the surprisingly quiet coast road towards Motril before heading inland again. In the Sierra de Lujar, between two regularity sections, we passed through a narrow village, with white cliffs on our left and typical houses on the right. Fine for Classics but a modern Supercar would never get through! The scenery was splendid throughout and we identified a simple mountain hotel where we will take both coffee and lunch with an interesting loop in between. We then headed west in a valley dominated by the Sierra Nevada on our right, before a final short but sharp regularity and a simple drive into Granada, our home for the next two nights. Our hotel is the stunning Alhambra Palace Hotel, right next to the famous landmark of the same name.

Day 3

We spent all morning on remote roads on the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada. We were warmly welcomed in the village of Trevélez where we hope to line up the competing cars in the town square while taking mid-morning refreshments. The great roads and scenery continued before we passed over the Puerto de la Ragua and descended onto the Spanish Plain at La Calahorra, dominated by a dramatic Moorish castle. We plan to have a pair of tests before and after lunch at an impressive race circuit. From there it is a short run back to Granada where the relatively early arrival will allow time to explore this wonderful city.

Day 4

After an easy departure from Granada, we found ourselves in hundreds, or even thousands, of olive groves. Every square metre of every hillside was covered with the trees, all in neat rows. One of the day’s three regularity sections made a real impression on us and we noted, “Very twisty, demanding and fabulous!” And it was. We discovered a great venue for a late lunch before heading through yet more olives to Jaén. We will stay at the impressive Parador perched on a hilltop above the town with fabulous views in every direction.

Day 7

Jim and I had made good progress so decided not to take a free day in Córdoba but continued on with rally Day 7, and it was a good thing we did. At the most northerly point of our route, we discovered that the quality of the roads declined to the point where they were unusable on a Carrera. Great for a Challenge or Marathon but not for the fine cars we hope to attract on this event. We headed back to our morning coffee halt before heading off in a different direction altogether from that which was pre-planned. Everything worked out nicely and we arrived tired but relieved at the imposing Parador de Carmona where the rally will sleep at the end of Days 7 & 8. This is another hotel with incredible views, which stands on the ruins of an impressive 14th c. Moorish castle.

Day 8

Back on schedule we headed northwest into the Sierra de Aracena, an area not much frequented by tourists due to its remoteness. The roads were traffic free and flowing before we found a fine regularity and a pleasant village square for morning coffee. Roads that turned into gravel goat tracks and a long-abandoned restaurant that still has an active website delayed us for a while, but an encounter with an English hotel owner and a great regularity soon had us back on track. We drove through the incredibly impressive Rio Tinto mine before discovering a road with more road signs than would normally be encountered in 100 kilometres of travel. The fact that in 25 kilometres we didn’t see another car and it was twisty enough for a regularity made it seem even more bizarre.

Day 9

Saying goodbye to friendly Carmona we headed south, passing through the town of Morón, where for some reason Jim was reluctant to be photographed with the locality sign! The Puerto de las Palomas was a wonderful surprise and probably my favourite section of the entire event. We had a wide choice of roads before we descended to the Atlantic coast and its very welcome, cool breezes. The bridge entering Cádiz is extraordinary and reminded me very much of some seen in January’s short trip to Japan. The Parador in Cádiz is a modern building with fine views over the ocean.