Almost every year like this and this year it’s time for the Eifel Rally Festival. Favorite race and the only one I visit in Germany. Nice historic cars that unfortunately you don’t often see in their natural environment but only in car shows. In this particular event you will not see spectacular passages, but rather you go to hear and see them. Owners and drivers in most cases are collectors who have spent large amounts to acquire them or build a replica. Among them every year there are old drivers, such as Stig Blomqvist who has been present at the race in recent years. But this year he had Fabrizia Pons as co-driver who was in the Audi team together with Michรจle Mouton. This year the race may not have had Thierry Neuville in his amazing Peugeot 306 Maxi but he sent two cars from his collection, the Ford Fiesta WRC and the Citroen DS3 WRC.
The race is three days with the first being the shakedown. After I went for a look to the service, the bad weather didn’t allow me to take enough photos, but my mind was always on the ride I was going to take in a racing car. But the problem was that I didn’t know who the driver would be and what car. Where I was waiting for my turn, they tell me that I will go with Bruno Thiry with a VW Golf 2.I’m a bit strange with the car but I say fine, I’ll go for a ride with a former driver WRC. I put on the helmet, fasten the seatbelts and we go for the start. Go and I am surprised by the speed that an old racing car had but also how a level driver WRC turns it on wet. Amazing experience! There are about two hours left to finish the shakedown and I choose a classic spot known since the special has been the same for the last few years.
Friday the program has only one special but twice. Enough of the spectacular passages and the rain helped several times. End of the day with nice photos from a spot that finally had enough and different shots which I personally like as I never sit in the same spot for a long time. Saturday is the last day, the program is simple. A special twice again after several nice races pass at the end. First point in the forest with dirt and mud. The initial point didn’t drive me crazy, so I walked further into the forest to see if I could find something interesting. Lucky in the end because I found cut tree trunks and combined with the green trees, the frame was perfect! Second pass same spot as last year since I didn’t have the courage to walk but still got some good ones. Unfortunately, several races did not pass because in this race it is not mandatory to do all the special stages and there are many who do not want to put their expensive cars in the dirt and mud. On the positive side of the race is that for the first time I was accredited in a race in Germany which made my life easy but also allowed me to make one of the best albums I’ve done.
