This year, STARC Aquitaine's annual meeting was held
on the 3rd and 4th of June. It consisted of a rally in the Medoc region;
an area just northwest of Bordeaux. This rally was dedicated to the
memory of Jean- Pierre Pic. Everyone regrets his passing.
22 teams were present at the start of this 2 day rally.
Saturday
morning, the teams gathered for breakfast at the Renault Garage of
Caychac Blanquefort. J.P. Blaizeau, a Renault agent and an Alpine
enthusiast, welcomed everyone. (He himself ownes an A610, a Spider,
and a V6 Turbo Europa Cup, and he was a competitor, too.) Cars present
included A110's, A310's, V6 turbo's, A610's, and an R5 Turbo.
The first stage of the rally brought the cars to Chateau
Aney at Cussac Fort Medoc, near Margaux village. The Raymond family
welcomed everyone to a tour of the chateau and a wine tasting. Everybody
enjoyed the visit!
The next stage of the rally took the cars to Pauillac. There the
cars parked along the Gironde river and the teams ate lunch.
After lunch, the teams received their afternoon instructions. This
stage would take everyone through the beautiful area between the Gironde
and the Atlantic Ocean. The speed limit was set at 40 Km/h so that
the scenery could be enjoyed.
The stopover point was Eau Medoc, at the prawn farm of Bernard Iung.
Here, under a sunny sky, the Alpinists were given a lesson in ecology!
The last stage of the day took everyone to Soulac sur Mer, where
the rally was greeted by the town officials. All of the cars were
displayed in the center of town just in front of the famous Abbey.
Later that evening, everyone gathered for dinner, and it was the
group's opinion that the day's events went very well.
The following morning the rally continued down a scenic coastal
road towards Montalivet. It was possible to see the results of last
winter's devastating wind storm on the nearby forest. Roughly 70%
of the trees were destroyed.
Along the way, Herve Valette's A110 experienced an electrical problem,
but it was quickly repaired by Philippe Perez, our auto electrician.
Thanks again!
The rally concluded at the lake near Hourtin. Here the prizes were
awarded...
1. Keskess-Keskess-Keskess with Alpine A310 Pack GT.
2. Eymeri-Eymeri on Alpine A110 (the first exit of these car)
3. Freyssenge-Freyssenge on Alpine A110 1300S (Congratulations Eric
!)
We also want to thank the team of Charleroi (from Belgium) who came
to our rally in a superb A610.
Next year's rally is scheduled for the 1st weekend in June, and
it will take place in the Sauterne area.
