The route
The new Scally Rally route for this year is inspired by the Mille Miglia, the race that was best described by Enzo Ferrari as 'the world's greatest road race'
The original races were run from 1927 to 1957 and covered a route from Brescia in northern Italy down to Rome and back to Brescia again. The total distance was just over 1600km, or 1000 miles, hence the name.
More reading here on the Millie Miglia itself:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mille_Miglia
http://www.millemiglia.it/inglese/home.html
The crew
Bit of a change in crew for 2010, Glenn couldn't make it along this year so I teamed up with the Martini Passat lads from last year to form the dream team Il Meglio:
Graham 'GK' Kavanagh
![Image]()
Previous rallies; Arctic 2009
Two important characteristics for any Scally team member to possess are a good sense of direction and a mechanically sympathetic driving style. Unfortunately Graham is totally lacking in both respects. What exactly he brings to the team is unclear, but we let him come along anyway
![Image]()
Enda 'The Hammer' Henry
![Image]()
Previous rallies; Arctic 2009
No Scally team should leave home without a hammer and we were no exception. As fond of the throttle as he is of the champagne, Enda is the man we generally keep in reserve for the all important anchor leg each day.
Marc 'Unicef' O Brien
![Image]()
Previous rallies; Arctic 2009
Nicknamed because of his propensity to lose bets and end up buying dinner for other people, Marc is continuing the fine tradition of Wexican participation in the Scally Rally that was begun by our own Brian and Nicky in 2006 and 2007.
Me
![Image]()
Previous rallies; Madrid 2006, Rimini 2007, Arctic 2009
Well what can I say, after three previous rallies I thought I'd seen it all. How wrong I was. The time I spent while not driving was divided roughly in three. One third of the time was spent shouting at Enda for bouncing the car off the rev limiter while overtaking in dubious circumstances, the second third praying that the brakes would stand up to the treatment Graham was giving them on the downhill runs in the mountains. The final third was spent sleeping while Mark drove
![Image]()
The Car
To go with the shakeup in team personnel came a change in choice of car. The criteria were that it had to be big, comfortable, have a decent turn of speed and also have air conditioning if at all possible. The ideal car for the job came along in March, a 1994 E34 525i Sport.
![Image]()
Prep work:
The car needed minimal preparation work. I gave it a full service, changed the rear brake pads and changed the brake fluid. I also found and fixed some vacuum and breather leaks in the air intake system. The only other thing I did was fit an Alpine iPod head unit.
Spares:
Unlike previous years we didn't have the luxury of space to carry spare parts or tools. So my emergency kit consisted of the contents of the BMW's toolkit, oil, water, brake fluid, power steering fluid, WD40, cable ties and a fire extinguisher
![Image]()
Day Zero - Dublin to Calais
![Image]()
Well this day was much the same as previous years, catch the 08:45 fast sailing from Dublin to Holyhead and then from there head for the tunnel at Folkestone.
So to spice things up a bit this year Enda decided to see just how late he could leave it to get ready while still making the boat. I can now confirm that you can show up at 08:32 and still make the 08:45 sailing. Can't say I'd recommend it though!
The rest of the day was uneventful, we got the 18:29 train from Folkestone to Calais, found the hotel without any trouble. The hotel was something special that's for sure. Graham had booked it and had clearly fallen for the marketing as he was delighted with the French charm of the place which had been described as a 'boutique hotel' in the advertising bullsh*t...
![Image]()
Meanwhile Enda was delighted with the bathroom facilities
![Image]()
![Image]()
While Marc was most appreciative of the interior decor
![Image]()
![Image]()
We rounded off Day Zero in traditional style with a quick tour of local establishments specialising in the sale of food and alcoholic beverages
![Image]()
The new Scally Rally route for this year is inspired by the Mille Miglia, the race that was best described by Enzo Ferrari as 'the world's greatest road race'
The original races were run from 1927 to 1957 and covered a route from Brescia in northern Italy down to Rome and back to Brescia again. The total distance was just over 1600km, or 1000 miles, hence the name.
More reading here on the Millie Miglia itself:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mille_Miglia
http://www.millemiglia.it/inglese/home.html
The crew
Bit of a change in crew for 2010, Glenn couldn't make it along this year so I teamed up with the Martini Passat lads from last year to form the dream team Il Meglio:
Graham 'GK' Kavanagh
Previous rallies; Arctic 2009
Two important characteristics for any Scally team member to possess are a good sense of direction and a mechanically sympathetic driving style. Unfortunately Graham is totally lacking in both respects. What exactly he brings to the team is unclear, but we let him come along anyway
Enda 'The Hammer' Henry
Previous rallies; Arctic 2009
No Scally team should leave home without a hammer and we were no exception. As fond of the throttle as he is of the champagne, Enda is the man we generally keep in reserve for the all important anchor leg each day.
Marc 'Unicef' O Brien
Previous rallies; Arctic 2009
Nicknamed because of his propensity to lose bets and end up buying dinner for other people, Marc is continuing the fine tradition of Wexican participation in the Scally Rally that was begun by our own Brian and Nicky in 2006 and 2007.
Me
Previous rallies; Madrid 2006, Rimini 2007, Arctic 2009
Well what can I say, after three previous rallies I thought I'd seen it all. How wrong I was. The time I spent while not driving was divided roughly in three. One third of the time was spent shouting at Enda for bouncing the car off the rev limiter while overtaking in dubious circumstances, the second third praying that the brakes would stand up to the treatment Graham was giving them on the downhill runs in the mountains. The final third was spent sleeping while Mark drove
The Car
To go with the shakeup in team personnel came a change in choice of car. The criteria were that it had to be big, comfortable, have a decent turn of speed and also have air conditioning if at all possible. The ideal car for the job came along in March, a 1994 E34 525i Sport.
Prep work:
The car needed minimal preparation work. I gave it a full service, changed the rear brake pads and changed the brake fluid. I also found and fixed some vacuum and breather leaks in the air intake system. The only other thing I did was fit an Alpine iPod head unit.
Spares:
Unlike previous years we didn't have the luxury of space to carry spare parts or tools. So my emergency kit consisted of the contents of the BMW's toolkit, oil, water, brake fluid, power steering fluid, WD40, cable ties and a fire extinguisher
Day Zero - Dublin to Calais
Well this day was much the same as previous years, catch the 08:45 fast sailing from Dublin to Holyhead and then from there head for the tunnel at Folkestone.
So to spice things up a bit this year Enda decided to see just how late he could leave it to get ready while still making the boat. I can now confirm that you can show up at 08:32 and still make the 08:45 sailing. Can't say I'd recommend it though!
The rest of the day was uneventful, we got the 18:29 train from Folkestone to Calais, found the hotel without any trouble. The hotel was something special that's for sure. Graham had booked it and had clearly fallen for the marketing as he was delighted with the French charm of the place which had been described as a 'boutique hotel' in the advertising bullsh*t...
Meanwhile Enda was delighted with the bathroom facilities
While Marc was most appreciative of the interior decor
We rounded off Day Zero in traditional style with a quick tour of local establishments specialising in the sale of food and alcoholic beverages
