RtG The Daily Dispatch - Carrera Andalucia - day 00 - Flipbook - Page 20
22 June to 3 July 2025
Day 11 Ronda to Málaga (168km)
3 July 2025
Photo: gerardbrown.co.uk
First for Steve and Jenny Verrall, 1939 Frazer Nash-BMW 327/80...
... and Ean and Alison Lewin, 1973 Ford Escort RS1600
After eleven memorable days, the last day of the
Carrera Andalucía came around all too quickly
and, as the rally left Ronda, there was familiar,
bitter-sweet, end-of-event feeling.
and Jenny Verrall in the Pre-war Category and Ean and
Alison Lewin in the Classic Category were declared winners
and led the traditional Champagne celebrations under the
arch. Drinks and a well-deserved lunch were then served on
the lawn. Then all that was required of the crews was to roll
down to the Miramar, freshen up and enjoy the evening.
With drinks in hand on the terrace and a few words from
Fred Gallagher it was time for the Prizegiving proper and,
once Loren Price and Russ Smith had correctly assigned
the overall and category prizes, two discretionary awards
were given.
The Spirit of the Rally was given to Ivan Mans and Archana
Roosen for bringing an amazing car to their first-ever rally
and embracing every aspect of the event. Matthew English
and Kristy Porter went home with the Against All Odds
trophy for nursing their Porsche 356 to the finish line with
a ‘wobbly wheel bearing’.
Both overall categories were won by previous RtG winners.
Steve and Jenny Verrall had taken the honours on the Ypres
Istanbul Challenge in 2022, whilst Ean and Alison Lewin
had reigned supreme on the Alaska to Mexico in 2023. But,
whilst the Lewins were driving the same car as they had
Glad to have finished, sad to be leaving, but with still some
fun to be had, lunch to be eaten and the prize-giving dinner
to enjoy. Once the engines had been fired up and everyone
checked out of the Parador, more amazing Spanish backroads revealed themselves on another beautiful morning.
A Route Check at the Puerto del Aire showed the rally
was heading the right way before the first Regularity from
Las Higueras. In the El Chorro gorge a Time Control in the
Finca Rocabella awaited, with coffee and cakes aplenty.
We were in big sky country and another Route Check in
La Torre made sure that no one missed any of the good bits
before the rally tackled the twisting Puerto Marín Regularity,
the last timed section of the event. Fittingly, it was the
reverse of the event’s first timed section, eleven days earlier.
A few more kilometres brought us to the finish line at
the Hacienda del Alamo. As the chequered flag fell, Steve
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