27. june 2004

Team manager Per Einarsson participated in the C-class driving his 1972 Alfa Giulia GT.

The cars in the C-class are typically road-legal and not tuned, and they are not fitted with special safety equipment like roll cages. The drivers don't need to have a Historic Rally (HR) license and don't need to wear fire-proof clothing, although it is recommended; only crash helmet and cotton overalls are demanded.

Per Einarsson was a bit worried about clutch slippage and the first training run confirmed that the clutch was indeed very loose, as it slipped all the way from the hairpin the finishing line. On the second run he was deliberately letting-in the clutch with a slam to minimize slippage, and this worked perfectly; improving the time from 1:04 to 0:58. In the afternoon the runs were officially timed, but as it also began to rain the times increased a bit.

The Blue Giulia GT made contact with the straw bales on the last right-hander while travelling in third gear at high revs, but the damage was only mental to the driver and a few small scratches in the paint. "I kept the pedal down and tried my best to control the drift", said Per Einarsson afterwards, "otherwise I would have spun, and damaged the rear panels".

Søren Bærholm and Claus Larsen were as surprised as the team manager himself when it was announced during the prize-giving that the ITR car had won 2nd in class.

Now the forreign hill-climbs are calling; the alps are next!

ITR participants:

Per Einarsson - Alfa Romeo 2000 GT Veloce (1972)

Best time - 1:01.3 (2nd in class, 9th over-all)

Søren Bærholm - Photo and video

Claus Larsen - Spectator

Fastest time of the day - 0:52.6 AC Cobra 289