Well, 2012 California dreaming is over. I’m just back from ten days in California, and a trip to Rennsport Reunion IV.
Paddock walks are the cornerstone of any historic race event and Rennsport was no exception. Walking around the paddock here was Porsche overload. One car I was glad to see was BB 2277: the Porsche 911T driven by Björn Waldegård and Lars Helmer on the 1968 Monte Carlo Rally.
Amongst some of the greatest Porsche cars in history, the 911T may have looked a little underwhelming, but 1968 was a key year in Waldegård’s career. It was also a challenging run of the Monte.
Starting from Athens, Dover, Lisbon, Frankfurt, Monte Carlo, Oslo, Reims and Warsaw, the ’68 Monte saw some terrifying accidents. While being driven by navigator Luciano Lombardini, Sandro Munari’s car crashed, killing the man behind the wheel.
Close to Le Mans, the car of New and Chitty crashed into a passer-by’s vehicle, causing it to burst into flames and killing the driver. New was later charged with manslaughter, but both rallyists escaped with minor injuries. While the rally was going on, Porsche driver Zasada withdrew from eighth place following the death of his father.
At rally end, it was Porsche driver Vic Elford who led the 150 finishers home. The rally ran from the 20th to the 25th of January 1968, and I was born on the 26th. I like that. Björn Waldegård came in tenth but learned his way around – he would win the rally in his 911 for the next two years.
Björn Waldegård is, of course, driving for Tuthill Porsche on this year’s Safari Rally. The rally starts in just under a month’s time and runs for ten days through East Africa’s wildest terrain. More news of that as the start date approaches.
