Peak performance
The mountains never seem to end. They command the landscape with immense weight and soar up to incredible heights. I can take a moment to stare in awe at the peaks touching the clouds, or the jagged edges framing huge valleys beneath, but only a moment. A corner, a loose rock, or another sports car is coming and I have to re-focus on driving. It’s all flashing by in such an adrenalinefuelled blur that I have to keep asking my co-driver what time it is and how many passes we’ve done. It somehow figures that, just over 10 hours into our 12in12 Rally, we’ve done 17 passes and are homing in on number 18. Fuel is low, the sun is setting and I’m watching the instruments like a hawk. But we’ll make it. We have to make it.
I first stumbled upon the 12in12 Rally in Spring 2021 I and soon realised that it was pretty much exactly the alpine driving holiday I’d been dreaming of for years. The main event is a day driving a selection of largely unknown mountain roads in the North West corner of the Alps, at least 12 and up to 21 passes shared between France and Italy. With just 12 hours, plus one for lunch, it’s a challenge, with driving right at the forefront, so it tends to attract some great machinery and people. I signed up, began chatting with the others and got myself ready.
My machine, as you may have read in issues of MG Enthusiast since the Spring special of 2020, was getting towards something that I could consider Alpine Rally ready. The MGF’s main problem areas had been addressed, some performance bits fitted and it had even been track-tested a few times. I set my attention to wrapping up the last few jobs ahead of the big event scheduled for September 2021, trying not to think too much about the constant jeopardy of the global Covid-19 situation.
The track days had consumed most of my front brakes,
