Sunday 8 March 2020

Day 23 - Chequered flag

Two last-ditch regularities on glorious Kiwi gravel, with four time checks, on the last morning. Insouciantly despatched by our steely eyed navs and acquiring a paltry nine seconds total penalties between both crews. But would the duo of British everyman sports cars, combined age 106, continue to give their hearts for the final 200 kilometers to the finish? It was never in doubt. An interminable string of traffic lights into Christchurch gave the opportunity for a stately, triumphal (small T) procession through the roaring crowds to the finish. Well there were some friends and family to welcome us in the hotel car park anyway. The worthy winners submitted to their champagne shower, then we all went off to find the bar. Quietly happy with not being last. Peter and Penny had posted very creditable peformances in the MG, which despite being completely non-prepped for rallying failed to deposit any of its British Leyland entrails onto the route. And a late-stage tripmeter upgrade gave Penny a deserved chance to show her reg timing mettle in the last few days. TR4 Daphne continued her mechanical flounces to the end but still provided the platform for SuperMario and Rita to chalk up an eleventh place, on their maiden ERA rally.

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