Race 2 Raise Day 2 – The alps and broken glass!

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By Des Sellmeyer

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Race 2 Raise day 2

After a very succesful party in Geneva we got up at 10 o’clock and as usual I skipped breakfast in exchange for a couple more minutes in bed. After a short briefing about our journey to and through the Mont Blanc tunnel and a quick gasstop all of us drove to the Mont Blanc together. We were overtaken by Fiat Panda’s and many others who looked very suprised by the 27 stickered up dutch cars. At the first peage (Yes after a night in Switserland we were back in France) we all stopped for a little photoshoot. After this 10 minute break we continued to the tunnel. The tunnel is 13 kilometer long and the rules were very clear: 70 km/h max speed and 150 meters between each car, if you don’t follow them you get stopped and fined at the end of the tunnel so everybody behaved and when we got to the end we were threated with a beautiful view of the alps and the glaciers of the Mont Blanc. Another photoshoot and we were off into Italy for the first official checkpoint of the day.

Race 2 Raise Day 2: At the Mont Blanc

Today was the shortest leg of the tour, only 250 kilometers. The Audi TT roadster handed their navigation system over to one of the ladies in another Audi A4 and that’s why they had some trouble finding the checkpoint. The checkpoint was at a great bit of tarmac so some of the guys couldn’t resist doing a couple donuts and powerslides. After the checkpoint we were off to the first gasstation and autogrill at the highway to have lunch. Everybody went straight when our satnav told us to turn left, so we went left but after 10 kilometers of local roads we got a bit worried that they took a different onramp and were already at the gasstation. Just when we were about to reverse back on the onramp of the highway all the others pulled up behind us. We then continued to the first autogrill in a group, we passed an Agip and I spotted Peter in the Z4 M who left 15 minutes earlier to find the nearest Autogrill. Boyd in the leading A6 didn’t see him and all of us passed him, the hotel was only 50 kilometers away so together with the Alfa Romeo we decided to drive straight to the hotel and get some food there, but just when we overtook the A6 there was a big sign Autogrill. There we were told the finish wasn’t at the hotel but at the National Cinema Museum in Turin.

Race 2 Raise Day 2 Team GTspirit

After lunch or breakfast for some of us Olivier took the wheel of the Mini and Dian, my co-pilote joined Menno in the Alfa GT on the last bit of the day. Olivier had so much fun behind the wheel of the new R56 Mini Cooper S (he used to drive a R53 Mini Cooper S Works) that we missed the exit to Turin and took a little detour. At the museum most teams were already there and we quickly parked the car at the only empty spot in the street and got some food and drinks. The museum was very impressive but we rushed the tour with the guide. When we got back outside and sat down for some more beverages another car alarm went off, someone smashed the window of the Alfa Romeo GT and stole the satnav while we were sitting around the corner a mere hundred meters away. The car was full of broken glass and there was no sign of the thieves. We didn’t want to wait around and I offered to guide them to the nearest gasstation with the Mini so we could vacuum the car, after 15 minutes driving through Turin in heavy rain we gave up looking for the petrolstations listed in my satnav and went to the hotel. Menno called Alfa Romeo and carglass. Carglass offered to call him back at 8 the next morning with a solution for his window problem…

After a relaxing bath the taxi’s arrived to bring us to the restaurant. We soon experienced Italy’s finest when the restaurant that was reserved for our night in Turin was closed due to technical problems (bankruptcy maybe?). The taxi’s came back and brought us to an Italian restaurant only 200 meters from the hotel. The food was delicious and it was the best and funniest dinners we had during Race 2 Raise, we stayed at the restaurant till 1 am and then got back to the hotel. When we came back at the hotel the biggest party animals, with Danny (White ML 63 AMG) as lead character, were waiting for their taxi’s to the nightclub, we were not suprised that they didn’t get back to the hotel until 7 am that morning. I took a couple hours to do some work and upload some photos at the various forums and finally went to bed at 3 am. I offered the Alfa boys to stay with them until their side window was fixed and guide them to the next checkpoint as their satnav was stolen and with the white party in Cannes the next evening it promised to be a long next day!

Photos of Day 2:

Geneva to the Mont Blanc:

th 45615 race2raise day2 041 123 704lo th 45620 race2raise day2 042 123 587lo
th 45615 race2raise day2 000 123 633lo th 45622 race2raise day2 002 123 902lo
th 45622 race2raise day2 003 123 997lo th 45623 race2raise day2 004 123 545lo
th 45626 race2raise day2 009 123 774lo th 45628 race2raise day2 010 123 349lo
th 45629 race2raise day2 011 123 845lo th 45631 race2raise day2 044 123 1128lo
th 45633 race2raise day2 045 123 1024lo th 45635 race2raise day2 047 123 921lo
th 45637 race2raise day2 049 123 1190lo th 45638 race2raise day2 051 123 835lo
th 45644 race2raise day2 052 123 798lo th 45645 race2raise day2 053 123 689lo
th 45646 race2raise day2 054 123 376lo th 45651 race2raise day2 055 123 1128lo
th 45654 race2raise day2 056 123 827lo th 45655 race2raise day2 057 123 427lo
th 45658 race2raise day2 058 123 851lo th 45659 race2raise day2 060 123 758lo
th 45661 race2raise day2 062 123 989lo th 45666 race2raise day2 063 123 457lo
th 45667 race2raise day2 065 123 919lo th 45669 race2raise day2 067 123 381lo
th 45673 race2raise day2 068 123 661lo th 45673 race2raise day2 069 123 529lo
th 45675 race2raise day2 070 123 534lo th 45677 race2raise day2 071 123 1081lo
th 45678 race2raise day2 072 123 845lo th 45694 race2raise day2 073 123 814lo
th 45684 race2raise day2 012 123 988lo th 45689 race2raise day2 013 123 857lo
th 45692 race2raise day2 014 123 830lo th 45696 race2raise day2 015 123 1139lo

At the Mont Blanc:

th 46052 race2raise day2 079 123 795lo th 46051 race2raise day2 082 123 345lo
th 46051 race2raise day2 084 123 779lo th 46055 race2raise day2 085 123 542lo
th 46060 race2raise day2 086 123 500lo th 46061 race2raise day2 087 123 450lo
th 46063 race2raise day2 089 123 512lo th 46066 race2raise day2 090 123 994lo
th 46073 race2raise day2 091 123 746lo th 46072 race2raise day2 092 123 1066lo
th 46076 race2raise day2 096 123 432lo th 46078 race2raise day2 097 123 497lo
th 46079 race2raise day2 099 123 382lo th 46081 race2raise day2 100 123 426lo
th 46083 race2raise day2 101 123 1151lo th 46085 race2raise day2 102 123 1098lo
th 46086 race2raise day2 103 123 377lo th 46091 race2raise day2 104 123 514lo
th 46091 race2raise day2 105 123 1078lo th 46094 race2raise day2 106 123 453lo
th 46098 race2raise day2 109 123 1052lo th 46099 race2raise day2 110 123 370lo
th 46102 race2raise day2 113 123 486lo th 46106 race2raise day2 115 123 818lo
th 46106 race2raise day2 116 123 344lo th 46108 race2raise day2 117 123 732lo
th 46110 race2raise day2 118 123 923lo th 46115 race2raise day2 119 123 951lo
th 46117 race2raise day2 120 123 352lo th 46126 race2raise day2 121 123 1037lo
th 46120 race2raise day2 122 123 590lo th 46127 race2raise day2 123 123 525lo
th 46129 race2raise day2 124 123 547lo th 46138 race2raise day2 125 123 765lo
th 46133 race2raise day2 126 123 847lo th 46135 race2raise day2 127 123 1193lo
th 46141 race2raise day2 128 123 515lo th 46143 race2raise day2 131 123 400lo
th 46144 race2raise day2 132 123 1058lo th 46147 race2raise day2 133 123 809lo
th 46147 race2raise day2 134 123 914lo th 46154 race2raise day2 135 123 1022lo
th 46155 race2raise day2 136 123 636lo th 46159 race2raise day2 137 123 1053lo
th 46166 race2raise day2 138 123 873lo th 46167 race2raise day2 139 123 1050lo
th 46168 race2raise day2 140 123 549lo th 46170 race2raise day2 143 123 607lo
th 46176 race2raise day2 144 123 746lo th 46173 race2raise day2 147 123 1194lo
th 46175 race2raise day2 148 123 934lo th 46179 race2raise day2 078 123 486lo

Checkpoint in Italy:

th 46247 race2raise day2 155 123 1124lo th 46248 race2raise day2 156 123 593lo
th 46248 race2raise day2 157 123 756lo th 46255 race2raise day2 158 123 728lo
th 46254 race2raise day2 159 123 1022lo th 46255 race2raise day2 160 123 642lo
th 46261 race2raise day2 161 123 842lo th 46262 race2raise day2 162 123 877lo
th 46263 race2raise day2 163 123 540lo th 46273 race2raise day2 164 123 653lo
th 46271 race2raise day2 165 123 1030lo th 46271 race2raise day2 166 123 767lo
th 46285 race2raise day2 167 123 346lo th 46280 race2raise day2 168 123 526lo
th 46281 race2raise day2 169 123 1010lo th 46284 race2raise day2 016 123 659lo
th 46288 race2raise day2 017 123 373lo th 46289 race2raise day2 018 123 854lo
th 46289 race2raise day2 019 123 979lo th 46291 race2raise day2 020 123 408lo
th 46293 race2raise day2 021 123 852lo

Autogrill on the way to Turin:

th 46384 race2raise day2 170 123 773lo th 46381 race2raise day2 171 123 687lo
th 46381 race2raise day2 172 123 798lo th 46386 race2raise day2 173 123 769lo
th 46387 race2raise day2 174 123 713lo th 46391 race2raise day2 175 123 545lo
th 46392 race2raise day2 176 123 823lo th 46397 race2raise day2 177 123 1063lo
th 46394 race2raise day2 178 123 706lo th 46400 race2raise day2 179 123 871lo
th 46402 race2raise day2 180 123 395lo th 46404 race2raise day2 181 123 955lo
th 46406 race2raise day2 182 123 1171lo th 46409 race2raise day2 183 123 347lo
th 46411 race2raise day2 184 123 973lo

At the Cinema Museum in Turin:

th 46446 race2raise day2 188 123 560lo th 46445 race2raise day2 189 123 1000lo
th 46445 race2raise day2 190 123 557lo th 46448 race2raise day2 191 123 798lo
th 46449 race2raise day2 192 123 1051lo th 46452 race2raise day2 193 123 766lo
th 46455 race2raise day2 194 123 1192lo th 46456 race2raise day2 195 123 500lo
th 46459 race2raise day2 196 123 916lo th 46461 race2raise day2 197 123 656lo
th 46463 race2raise day2 198 123 587lo th 46467 race2raise day2 199 123 385lo
th 46468 race2raise day2 200 123 582lo th 46468 race2raise day2 201 123 892lo
th 46471 race2raise day2 202 123 1196lo th 46475 race2raise day2 203 123 1017lo
th 46478 race2raise day2 204 123 965lo th 46481 race2raise day2 205 123 872lo
th 46483 race2raise day2 206 123 443lo th 46485 race2raise day2 207 123 978lo
th 46486 race2raise day2 208 123 390lo th 46489 race2raise day2 209 123 814lo
th 46492 race2raise day2 210 123 1051lo th 46499 race2raise day2 211 123 392lo
th 46504 race2raise day2 212 123 594lo th 46506 race2raise day2 213 123 749lo

Dinner in Turin:

th 46584 race2raise day2 022 123 798lo th 46584 race2raise day2 023 123 717lo
th 46585 race2raise day2 024 123 365lo th 46588 race2raise day2 025 123 1161lo
th 46588 race2raise day2 026 123 1017lo th 46592 race2raise day2 028 123 1097lo
th 46594 race2raise day2 029 123 542lo th 46597 race2raise day2 030 123 1047lo
th 46598 race2raise day2 032 123 682lo th 46599 race2raise day2 033 123 503lo

More Race 2 Raise:

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