RTG The Daily Dispatch EL CLAVEL 2026 - Day 0 - Flipbook - Page 3
13 to 19 September 2026
Day 1
Las Caldas to Santo Estevo (331km)
With an equal split of three Regularities and three
Tests, the first, and longest, day of El Clavel was
typically brisk. At 8.30am Loren Price dropped
La Rojigualda at the MTC in Las Caldas sending
the cars into the rugged campo of the Cantabrian
Mountains.
Fittingly, Graham and Marina Goodwin’s 1923, 3L Bentley
Blower, the first-ever supercharged Bentley, was number
one out of the blocks, with the rest of the exquisite field
hard on their heels. That was all but Brian and Catherine
Scowcroft, who were forced to stay an extra day in Oviedo
to source and fit a new radiator to their Chevy.
A regularity at Siones, after only 2.4km, showed the
crews that the Organisers meant business, but also that
the landscapes really were as good as had been promised.
14 September 2026
The Passage Control in Ventana, via the Puerto Ventana, the
highest point of the rally at 1587m, set us up for the crossing
of the Parque Natural de Babia y Luna. An area famed for its
beautiful landscapes and for originating the phrase “estar
en Babia” - to be lost in thought or daydreaming.
After this stunning blue-sky drive, their arrival at the Time
Control in Villablino proved to the crews that they weren’t,
actually, lost. There was time to take on a bit of refreshment
before the first Test of the event at the adjacent Kart track.
Here the drivers were given their heads through a series
of loops and chicanes before screeching into the stop box
alongside Iain Tullie and Elliot Dale’s stopwatch and clipboard.
An easy highway section followed, ahead of another two
fast and furious Tests around the Karting Cabañas Raras. The
lunch Time Control in Cacabelos restored calm with generous
plates of salad and tortilla bringing the crews back to full
strength for the two Regularities later in the afternoon.
Text & photos: gerardbrown.co.uk
Chris and Sophia Woodhouse, 1933 MG K3 Special Supercharged
Graham and Marina Goodwin, 1923 Bentley 3 Litre Supercharged
Vinnie and Dianne Hayes, 1925 Bentley 3/4½
www.rallytheglobe.com
