Rallye Notes...

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Special thanks to the Allard Owner's Club for letting us repost this story...

Notes from a Nervous Navigator on
Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique 2012  -  29 Jan to 4 Feb

Car No:239:- 1950, Allard P1
Driver – David Loveys, Co-driver – Roger Loveys

In January 2011 David announced his intention to enter the rally to mark the achievement of Sidney Allard winning the Monte-Carlo 60 years ago. It was only when I was presented with the application form to check that I knew this was a serious project. I immediately started my research and discovered Richard Disbrow, a driver who had completed the rally in 2011. Richard proved to be brilliant. I met up with him and he always responded immediately to my email requests for information and did his best to alert us to the extreme nature of the event – “Its unbelievable, a flat out road race from start to finish. I don’t know how the French allow it on their roads”. I also arranged to drive to Nice to visit friends so that I could check out part of the route and familiarise myself with driving and navigating in France, something I had not done for over 20 years.

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Rallye Monte Carlo Historique - 2012

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In celebration of the 60th anniversary of Sydney Allard’s victory in the Monte Carlo Rally, an Allard once again braved the roads from Glasgow to Monte Carlo in competition. The Rallye Monte Carlo Historique (RMCH) is essentially the modern running of the same rally Sydney won 60 years ago. Typically the RMCH is limited to cars produced between 1955 and 1980, but thanks to the lobbying efforts of Allard owner and Monte Carlo resident, Alex Edmonds, the 1950 Allard P1 of AOC Captain Dave Loveys and brother Roger was granted special entry.

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Success! The 1952 Monte Carlo Rally

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There's probably no better way to commemorate Sydney Allard's win in the 1952 Monte Carlo Rally than by posting a firsthand account of their ordeal. The author is unknown, but it's assumed to be either Sydney or Tom Lush. We've also included photos of the rally that we doubt you've ever seen. Enjoy!

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The crew for this Rally consisted of Sydney Allard, Guy Warburton and Tom Lush, and the crew arrangements were that Sydney and Guy should share the driving and Tom to be responsible for navigating and time keeping. The same crew had done the Rally previously and this arrangement had proved satisfactory.

We selected Glasgow as our starting point; the alternative starting places in Europe meant too long a time away from the office desk, and when the starting list was published we found we were the last but one to leave, there being 72 people; in front of us. Mrs. Allard and her sisters, who wore also driving in an Allard, were 15 numbers ahead of us and this order was of course kept until their unfortunate retirement some 300 miles from Monte Carlo.

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The Monte Carlo Rally, 60 years later

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Over the next few days, we'll be celebrating the 60th anniversary of Sydney Allard, Guy Warburton, and Tom Lush winning the Monte Carlo Rally in an Allard P1. The event started on Tuesday January 22, ending on Sunday the 27th. For those of you unfamilar with the classic Monte Carlo Rally, the event was a long distance road rally which emphasized navigation and timing on open roads as opposed to the special stage rally format we have today. In 1952, competitors started the rally on Tuesday January 22 from select cities all over Europe. Start cities included Glasgow, Oslo, Stockholm, Munich, Palermo, Lisbon, and Monte Carlo. The Allard team chose to start from Glasgow because they felt it would provide the most favorable weather conditions en route to Monte Carlo. In 1952, the weather would play an important factor, with the Alps blanketed in thick snow the route would be treacherous. 328 teams started the rally...only 167 finished.

In over 100 years, only 5 Britons have won the "Monte" and only one driver has won in a car bearing his own name. The driver and car were both named Allard.

H&H Tackle the Mille Miglia Storica– May 2011

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-Simon Hope 

Click here or on any of the photos to view the rest of Simon's photos.

Some time ago I bought a 1950 Allard J2 that was supplied new to Colonel Rupert Larrinaga. An amateur racing driver and personal friend of Sydney Allard, Larrinaga was also a gifted skier who twice represented Great Britain at the Winter Olympics. ‘My’ J2 was one of several models he campaigned in anger during his four decades of stewardship. Though, by the time the two-seater passed to me it had been unregistered for several years was in need of some recommissioning, as well as painting.

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Allard of the Month - J1 415

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Ted Frost was a successful international motocross scrambler, trials rider and Norton works rider in the period immediately before and after WW2.  He owned the Drift Bridge Garage in Reigate Road, just outside Epsom, England. He had become friends with Sydney and his brothers through the Streatham Motorcycle Club, of which they were all members prior to the war.

He persuaded Sydney to build him a J1 for his use. Hence 79J415, the ‘Frost’ Allard, registration number MPG 250, was built and delivered on the 23rd September 1948. It was the thirteenth and last J1 to be made.

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Rallying With Sydney Allard

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By Hugh Braithwaite

Passing outside his office Ifirst saw the car that I had agreed to navigate in for Sydney Allard and my attention was immediately drawn to two unusual features. Firstly there was a long piece of angle iron sticking up out pf the floor beside the driving seat, topped off with a rubber bicycle handlebar grip. It was fitted so that the top was close to the gear change lever on the steering column. Secondly there was an enormous thick magnifying glass fitted on the steering column between the dash board and the centre of the steering wheel. I was used to all the usual fittings of flexi light for map reading, horn button on the navigators’ side to save the driver having to take a hand off the wheel and also for helping to steady the navigator's nerves, though I never admitted to this.

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