COUPE DES ALPES

foreign [Music] kilometer foreign [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] 56 production cars from eight countries struggling to win a cup an Alpine cup the dream of every rally driver to win a cup your car must maintain a set average speed over a 2400 mile course from the coast it's easy going to the Alps then across the border into Italy by night and a race to the end of the first stage at brescia 600 miles without a break from stage swings Northeast over the toughest passes in the dolomites then back towards France again to finish at Meijer but there's worse to come the final stage twists South by a gap an 1100 Mile Stretch to end at Marseille 73 hours driving with only three breaks and to make sure that you keep up your average there are 73 checkpoints along the Route one second late at any of these and your cup is lost Marseille Paddy Hopkins Triumph is the first car to take its place on the starting route [Music] and the second man's off too French Champions Torres with his German Porsche is a contender for a cup so to his collage winner in 56 again on an Alfa Romeo the time card is handed to Ronnie Adams any Monty winner is a serious challenge [Music] and so believe it or not is Phil camp but none doubt the seriousness of the battle for the ladies prize Annie swabo only 22 but already French women's champion Pat Moss Sterling sister a rising star but new to the Alpine so is Mary Handley page with her Works Rapier European Champion Nancy Mitchell won the ladies prize and a cup last time and Hall did the same in 53 and she's out to do it again now here comes the first real challenge up the coldest you've got to average nearly 40 miles an hour foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] Peter Harper is Britain's most successful rally driver but his Sunbeam is being had us by a Volvo Harper's rivaled Guna Anderson from Sweden is well on his way to becoming Champion rally driver of Europe now the phones is trying hard too steady you're not alone on the road Mr Owens [Music] [Applause] Spectators the world over always encourage drivers to go as fast as they can even when it makes things difficult for those behind solidus is trying for his third consecutive Alpine cup tell me wisdom and his little sprite an old hand on a new car but already they're finally going very tough [Music] [Applause] [Music] first of the 73 checkpoints and newcomers learn how to stamp the time on that all-important card when Long Shadows play tricks with the driver's vision [Music] sunlight still lingers ahead like the Alpine Giants alos and The Fortunes of many will change during the night [Music] the French Italian border balasat's Triumph has made it and John gotz on time two but only by four seconds many are less lucky and wisdom and Pat Moss are the only girl still on time [Applause] now for an easy one through Sunny Italy [Music] blockley's Austin Healey is out on the road to Monza Monza circuit is one of the special tests and stories has High Hopes here everyone is out to improve on the speed set for his class so as to win the points that the side the outright winner the big cars have to average 85 miles an hour for three laps Mercedes sweeps into the lead [Music] then the Ferrari and see us often hear it foreign [Music] has made the fastest time of the day it's an easy run on a good road to pressure and most drivers have time to refuel but even on an easy run someone can be unlucky Core Business standard is three minutes late some are pleased with life others just want to go to bed it's time for sleep and the cars are locked away until tomorrow the first stage has taken a heavy toll 56 Crews left Marseille hoping to win an Alpine cup but already 12 have dropped out and 28 arrive late at the checkpoint so now only 16 Crews can win an Alpine cup the second stage runs Northeast towards Austria over some of the highest passes in Europe crochet domini vivioni penis Monte jovo stelville and gabia then back towards France again over the great Saint Bernard to finish up Niger and it's a four o'clock start [Music] foreign [Music] storms pass towards the crochet domini a pass never before used in a rally [Music] [Music] there's stories in this portion and here's his main rival constant in an alpha already the new pass has claimed a victim the AC is a white off but the crew are safe if you still think rally driving is easy just follow Peter Harper on The Descent [Music] [Music] but it's getting worse but now the surface is damp too not water but petrol from tax Mercedes a stone pierced his tank and now he must rely on gravity [Music] in the valley of scalde everyone is trying to make up time loss before school pario a title section than many expected Torres still has a clean sheet but now comes the vivioni foreign [Applause] is the only French car left in the rally it's tough on the cars but the Jaguars still in showroom condition foreign [Music] everyone is busy making up time before the checkpoint [Applause] now the showroom doesn't seem so close and the Citroen made it too but they've left something behind the Porsche has suffered too but Therese has kept his clean sheep [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] dust is the great worry on the possibly pennies but it's not so bad when you're the first car through like paddy hopko the potato the foot of the Brenner and now we swing back towards France again [Applause] the tribes of fitterington and Anna swabo forced their way up the Jobo pass [Music] visibility is getting worse with every car [Applause] storage can still win a cup but the Porsche has had another bump [Music] the standard has been driven flat out from the word go but it's still got plenty of steam so has Hopkins tram a pause to cool off for ahead lies Italy's highest pass [Music] [Applause] through Murano Westward towards the stelvio that name wakes Annie up she's third in the ladies class but the stelvio could change things the leader Pat Moss is doubtful of her spark plugs teammate jack Sears is helping but he runs the risk of losing more time but Annie's got her worries too not even a Parisian can charm that barrier up before the train arrives [Music] and now there's a Grand Prix to the stealth foreign nine thousand feet the most spectacular climb in the world and already the first screaming towards the summit it's Paddy Hopkins Triumph but something is wrong the rear tire is gone and so has Paddy's cup [Music] but let's have a go at the climb ourselves the checkpoint in the valley our card is tempt fell off [Music] the alpha is going like a bomb but ahead someone's in trouble and Annie swabo spun her Triumph [Music] still to come [Music] [Music] on we're through and the road's still clear foreign but the Denzel isn't making things any easier for the next man [Music] Annie limps away before the Denzel but her rally is run [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] tically trying to make up time lost further down but as balasat's Triumph that makes fastest time [Music] [Applause] all right only one more hairpin the 48. [Applause] and we've made it with just nine seconds to spare next comes the garbia the most deadly of the lot [Music] a shocking surface unfence drops and worst of all clouds [Music] [Applause] [Music] the gavia hairpins help to even things up for the larger cars can lose seconds [Music] [Applause] foreign The Descent gives small cars a chance to win back those seconds lost through lack of power [Music] once more dusk Falls as the rally heads back from the dolomites to the Alps thank you now we Veer North touching Switzerland and Finnish in Meijer balasat's on time the only Triumph that can still win a cup and got two and two other healers as well but the little Sprites have found the schedule too tough this is Constance first Alpine but he's up among the leaders the alpha of recent Venture is putting up the best performance of the rally so far and wisdom lead the ladies and still have the chance of a cup Nancy Mitchell's co-driver made a mistake earlier and now she's being more cautious so to the park for me and bid [Music] of 44 cars the pressure only 16 had the chance of a cup on the way to mageev nine more retired and a further five lost time now just 11 can win a cup the final stage is the toughest of all 1100 miles and 47 calls [Music] 31 hours driving from the Swiss Alps to the Mediterranean door and the first cars are getting ready to leave for Marseille they'll still be at the wheel this time tomorrow Mary hand the page is down to third in the ladies but she's away with no trouble a night in the open but no repairs allowed you're allowed to replace the tires and that's for safety sake Constance alpha sounds as crisp as ever [Music] success but they've lost marks by pushing Anderson's Volvo has been most impressive and his chances of a cup are as good as anyone's [Music] right from the start the face is Keen and even harmer can't afford to let up call dear friend and the morning Miss still hangs low Anderson's first attempt to win an Alpine cup but you think he'd been driving on these roads all is life more of a timed climate and everybody's trying really hard [Applause] but fast driving alone won't win that cup you've got to be on the right road all the time [Music] now the cold do granier foreign [Music] driving as though he were at Le Mans because there's always the chance of a class win [Music] 10 o'clock Frank Franz has been at the wheel for six hours but he still hasn't had time for breakfast foreign [Music] 's impressed by the three white Alphas in close formation the three best performances so far and a good Prospect of an Alpine cup each no wonder everyone's happy La mote and the call Domini [Applause] it's a loose nut surface with lots of dust but it suits Anderson but it's just like Sweden [Music] tunnels mean trouble sunlight to total darkness is more than the eye can take there's only one thing worse the change at the other end [Music] when you're trying to make up time there are so many things that can hold you back it may be another murderist or tire trouble on a tight section when you have no time to finish the job or perhaps a procession but usually breaks are the biggest wire whether they be drum or even discs it's always one long battle with time itself next comes a speed test on the super old with an almost impossible time schedule [Applause] the superdawn has the surface of the clotchi domini the narrowness of the gavia the dust of the mini and the twists of the vivioni [Music] [Applause] everyone is struggling to make their handicap time but no one has done it yet [Music] foreign [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Anderson wins The Climb and now he leads the rally but it looks as if everyone's lost their cup for the first time the alphas have been beaten into second place and they are not so happy now nor is Pat Moss she's lost her lead in the ladies class but the man is ripping touch she's lucky to keep going things are looking up for Mary Handley page see second again in the ladies now at the next checkpoint Nancy Mitchell realizes she's back in the lead things look Grim for Pat but maybe that clutch can be fixed but Mary's after that lead too and now she won't even trust her co-driver to check in teammate Peter jopp has forgotten the handbrake an easy thing to do when your Chief rival is just across the square the Volvo's in trouble too Anderson still leads but there's 500 miles to go now Mary won't even trust the officials Springs was leading the small cars but he'll have to watch his navigation [Music] now everyone's waiting for Gap where there's time allowed for a meal foreign [Music] hard driving a short break is welcome [Music] but owners can relax immediately but the works drivers have to face up to the team manager [Music] foreign [Music] but most people reach the park for me without mishap [Music] night Falls and the rally is moving towards another dreaded part of the course unknown to them ten Crews can still win a cup there were doubts about the exact length of the super long so it's been decided to restore the Cup's loss there but now they're on Hellfire Luke gallivier izawa ban kayole and two more cups are lost Anderson's Volvo crashed when in the lead collars was third when his Alpha blew up and they're still the alos [Music] thank you [Applause] foreign [Music] manufacturers whose cars are tested on a course like this when the results are studied the world over from France Citroen with their id19 from Italy Alfa Romeo and their julietas foreign from Britain roots and the sunbeams standard with their triumphs poured and their Zephyrs and BMC with the Austin healings with a touch repair Pat Moss is coming up fast now the big worry is to keep going foreign driver behind [Applause] in the carousel most people know the quickest line [Applause] but there's always someone who wants to be different this is more volatile a 12-mile speed climb right over the top of the highest margin of divorce foreign check before Marseille [Music] everyone's getting nervous it maybe breaks or tires overheating that's about suspension or the engine itself all the electrics can lose marks too and this is the last chance to put things right after the car the crew they overheat too the two Peters job and Harper seem certain of a cup already they're putting the mats away stripping for the beach or even getting ready for the party but others aren't in party mood at all and now it's time to leave for the home stretch 31 hours on the road and at last we're approaching Marseille foreign [Applause] [Applause] but there's just one more test [Music] [Applause] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] and for seven Crews that dream has come true seven out of 56. to the French pair constan and delajanist an Alpine cup and best performance of all on their zagato-bodied Alpha Julieta [Music] an Alpine cup and second place to claru Angel in their Alfa Romeo TI recent Venture of Germany another cup again with an alpha Britain's first Cup this year to balisat and Berto with their Triumph tr3 another to Edward Harrison and dick haverson on a four and the two Peters in a Sunbeam have pulled it off as well and so have Shepard and Williamson in an Austin Healey and the ladies prize finally goes to Patmos and Anne wisdom both from famous motoring families but now names in their own right there may be longer rallies and some say even tougher ones but in its challenge of the mountains the Alpine is unique [Applause] foreign [Music] [Applause]