It was always going to be ambitious.
Getting to Reims isn't that big an ask, despite previous attempts being thwarted, but getting there after a normal working day on Friday, then getting back in time for a normal working day on Monday AND taking in the 2nd Automobile Excellence Weekend long the way is quite a bit to pack in. More so when the Channel Tunnel catches fire 24 hours before one is due to depart.
In the company of Steve and Rob a small formation from Crossflow Squadron headed for Dover in mixed showery weather fully expecting to get delayed for hours due to all the Tunnel traffic being diverted to Dover and it's iconic White Cliffs. Sailing across to the equally iconic Dunkerque with Norfolk Lines was surprisingly pleasant experience and we used the time on board to eat and catch up with some vital blokey talk about Crossflows.
By the time Dunkerque hove in to view it was around midnight, but this then led to an awesome night drive down to St Omer, across flat, misty fields. We did have a quick stop for fuel, and this was a bit weird. A totally deserted filling station, with just us, and a couple in a Mercedes who showed a more than passing interest in the Caterhams. A distinctly continental approach ensued, with the first question not being the quintessentially chavtastic "'Ow fast does it go mate?", but a more technically astute "How much does it weigh?".
Despite some spirited driving and empty roads we arrived at our night stop around 3am and maybe just a little too soon we were sat in breakfast. Some of the accents in the dining room suggested some Bosch spies were in the area, so we slipped away unnoticed and continued to Reims. At first the weather was epic, clear blue skies and bright sunshine, ideal for blatting, but as the morning turned in to afternoon the heavens gradually opened until we had little choice but to stop and add roofs to the Sevens.
At first, we hoped this would be a temporary measure but as we got closer to Reims the rain got heavier and it slowly became apparent that the rain was in for the day.
Arriving at the circuit the first hint of the driving we'd come to see was a series of random diversions around the route of the old circuit. The Gendarmes stood around as only Gendarmes can, sending us in completely the wrong direction but with such nonchalance as to appear convincing.
After a little scouting round we found ourselves on short finals to the muddy field that doubled as a carpark for the weekend, but on seeing a tractor already struggling to return cars to the tarmac we made the reluctant but ultimately wise decision to abort for the day and simply head for our hotel. This was a great little bolt-hole, offering individual garages for the Sevens, and after emptying the cars, giving them a quick clean and drying out our kit from the day, we forgot the idea of seeing any circuit driving for the day and debriefed the day's excursion over beers and, obviously, Champagne. Reims city centre was drizzley and grey, but enhanced by the presence of an amateur jazz band who had apparently got lost on their way to a football match.
Next morning, although the rain was gone it left behind a muddy quagmire in the fields around the Circuit de Gueux. So we stopped short and parked up the kites on a nearby access road and walked the short distance to the centre of activity. Despite reservations about the effect of the previous day's weather, the effort in getting to the circuit was rewarded with some up close and personal motoring action. Unlike similar events in the UK, the Automobile Excellence weekend allowed us to really mix with some classic machinery - to touch it, smell it and feel the heat dissipating from the engine after a few sprightly laps round the old circuit. It was all very informal and relaxed, typically French with none of the Health and Safety nannying so common elsewhere.
Getting to Reims isn't that big an ask, despite previous attempts being thwarted, but getting there after a normal working day on Friday, then getting back in time for a normal working day on Monday AND taking in the 2nd Automobile Excellence Weekend long the way is quite a bit to pack in. More so when the Channel Tunnel catches fire 24 hours before one is due to depart.
In the company of Steve and Rob a small formation from Crossflow Squadron headed for Dover in mixed showery weather fully expecting to get delayed for hours due to all the Tunnel traffic being diverted to Dover and it's iconic White Cliffs. Sailing across to the equally iconic Dunkerque with Norfolk Lines was surprisingly pleasant experience and we used the time on board to eat and catch up with some vital blokey talk about Crossflows.
By the time Dunkerque hove in to view it was around midnight, but this then led to an awesome night drive down to St Omer, across flat, misty fields. We did have a quick stop for fuel, and this was a bit weird. A totally deserted filling station, with just us, and a couple in a Mercedes who showed a more than passing interest in the Caterhams. A distinctly continental approach ensued, with the first question not being the quintessentially chavtastic "'Ow fast does it go mate?", but a more technically astute "How much does it weigh?".
Despite some spirited driving and empty roads we arrived at our night stop around 3am and maybe just a little too soon we were sat in breakfast. Some of the accents in the dining room suggested some Bosch spies were in the area, so we slipped away unnoticed and continued to Reims. At first the weather was epic, clear blue skies and bright sunshine, ideal for blatting, but as the morning turned in to afternoon the heavens gradually opened until we had little choice but to stop and add roofs to the Sevens.
At first, we hoped this would be a temporary measure but as we got closer to Reims the rain got heavier and it slowly became apparent that the rain was in for the day.
Arriving at the circuit the first hint of the driving we'd come to see was a series of random diversions around the route of the old circuit. The Gendarmes stood around as only Gendarmes can, sending us in completely the wrong direction but with such nonchalance as to appear convincing.
After a little scouting round we found ourselves on short finals to the muddy field that doubled as a carpark for the weekend, but on seeing a tractor already struggling to return cars to the tarmac we made the reluctant but ultimately wise decision to abort for the day and simply head for our hotel. This was a great little bolt-hole, offering individual garages for the Sevens, and after emptying the cars, giving them a quick clean and drying out our kit from the day, we forgot the idea of seeing any circuit driving for the day and debriefed the day's excursion over beers and, obviously, Champagne. Reims city centre was drizzley and grey, but enhanced by the presence of an amateur jazz band who had apparently got lost on their way to a football match.
Next morning, although the rain was gone it left behind a muddy quagmire in the fields around the Circuit de Gueux. So we stopped short and parked up the kites on a nearby access road and walked the short distance to the centre of activity. Despite reservations about the effect of the previous day's weather, the effort in getting to the circuit was rewarded with some up close and personal motoring action. Unlike similar events in the UK, the Automobile Excellence weekend allowed us to really mix with some classic machinery - to touch it, smell it and feel the heat dissipating from the engine after a few sprightly laps round the old circuit. It was all very informal and relaxed, typically French with none of the Health and Safety nannying so common elsewhere.
At some points, we could get to within ten feet of the track edge, and although the cars were being driven with a degree of restraint, the dust kicked up by the tyres mingled with the smell of hot oil every time a classic went by. Although only a small event in its very earliest stages, the Automobile Excellence weekend oozed atmosphere, with the Bugattis and Bentleys looking all the more authentic for the addition of some mud in their tyres and the signs of general weathering.
All too soon it was time to head for home, the return journey being far easier due entirely to much more favourable weather. That said, we successfully missed our pre-booked ferry causing a two-hour delay. Bloody French.
But it had been worth it. And we'll be going back next year.
