An all-female crew took a major trophy for the first time on a Rally the Globe event when Charlotte de Montmorency and her aunt Philippa Bailey took pre-war honours in their 1928 Triumph Dolomite on the latest Generations Rally from 22-24 March.
After highly acclaimed events in the Lake District and on the edge of the North Pennines, it was Rally the Globe’s third running of the popular rally – in which crews much comprise two different generations – and was centred around the Carden Park Hotel & Spa in Cheshire, attracting a record-breaking entry of 90 pre-1986 cars.
They ranged from vintage Bentleys to a host if 1980s cars including Range Rover, Ford Capri, Mini Mayfair, plus, as well as the usual rally suspects from Porsche, Jaguar, MG et al, it was refreshing to also see a Bristol 405, Fiat Dino Coupé and even a Morris Ital.
The three days of competition included tests at Oulton Park, closed road sections and much more, the second day being an epic 173-mile route across the Welsh border which included a spectacular lap of the Berwyn Mountains and a trip to the Eryri Snowdonia National Park. There were, of course, adverse weather conditions and a seasonal mix of sunshine, heavy showers, and brief but bruising hailstorms. Sunday’s shorter 95-mile route included four further Tests and three Regularities.
When the results were announced, just two seconds separated the top two in both major categories. In pre-war de Montmorency and Bailey held off the fast finishing 1926 Bentley Supersports of father and daughter Nick and Jess Sleep with former leaders Graham Goodwin and Tommy Stevensen ensuring there were two Bentleys in the top three in their 1925 Supersports.
‘We’ve had class wins before but this is our first overall and it’s a big first for me and a big first for Charlotte,’ enthused Bailey. ‘It’s been such a beautifully run event. We didn’t do anything remarkable; we were consistent and we kept it steady and simple. We didn’t overcomplicate anything and tried to have a laugh along the way.’
In the equally fiercely-fought Classic class, Jack and Simon Brien’s 1972 Porsche 911 just pipped Roger and Leigh Powleys 1972 911E with the Triumph TR4 of Tomasz and Michal Dzitko in third.
Simon Brien said: ‘This is great for us; we won the Carrera Riviera last year which was a real highlight but this one is also special. It was short and sharp but very enjoyable. Jack’s navigation was pretty handy, too, and we were on it during the Tests where we split the driving.’
The Spirit of the Rally trophy went to Wendy O’Donohoe while the Against All Odds ccolade was given to George and Angus Johnson who battled through the rally in their 750cc Austin 7 Ulster.
The 2025 Generations Rally will be based at The Majestic Hotel & Spa in Harrogate from Friday 28 to Sunday 30 March 2025. Entries are open; see the Rally the Globe website to enrol.
2024 GENERATIONS RALLY: TOP FIVE RESULTS
Pre-War Category
1. Charlotte de Montmorency & Philippa Bailey (GB) 1938 Triumph Dolomite 1m:38s (time penalties)*
2. Nick & Jessica Sleep (GB) 1926 Bentley Supersports 1m:40s*
3. Graham Goodwin & Tommy Stevenson (GB) 1925 Bentley Supersports 1m:57s
4. Vincent Fairclough & Victoria Steele (GB) 1948 MG TC 2m:16s
5. Jonathan & Peonie Proctor (GB) 1925 Bentley 3/4½ 2m:26s
Classic Category
1. Jack & Simon Brien (GB) 1972 Porsche 911 0m:53 (time penalties)*
2. Roger & Leigh Powley (GB) 1972 Porsche 911 E 0m:55s
3. Tomasz & Michal Dzitko (PL) 1963 Triumph TR4 1m:07s*
4. Dick & Harry Baines (GB) 1965 Austin Mini Cooper S 1m:12s*
5. Paul Taylor & Sophie Haslam (GB) 1974 Ford Escort RS2000 1m:15s*
