The Endurance Rally Association’s inaugural Baltic Classic Rally will see over 70 crews flagged away from the start line in Copenhagen on Sunday 28 May, competing in vehicles which represent over fifty years of motoring heritage. As befits an ERA event, the views are set to be stunning, the competitors varied, and the hotels second to none.
Entrants range from a brace of 1925 Bentleys to a 1978 Opel Kadett Coupe, with models chosen from rallying favourites like the Volvo Amazon and Ford Escort through to exotic Aston Martin DB5s and pre-war Lagondas.
Crews to watch out for include experienced rally goers Bill Cleyndert and Jacqui Norman in the Bentley Super Sport, winners of the inaugural European Cup on the Peking to Paris 2016, Jim Grayson and Simon Spinks in the 1969 London to Mexico Ford Escort, and Ludovic Bois and Julia Colman in the Volvo Amazon of the same year, all ‘P2P’ alumni.
Starting from Copenhagen’s Clarion Hotel, the route will head through Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland before finishing in Berlin on Saturday 10 June, covering over 4,200 kilometres in 14 days.
Highlights include a drive across the Oresund Bridge – the longest road and rail bridge in Europe, a visit to the SAAB museum in Trollhattan, and a sumptuous ferry across the striking Stockholm Archipelago. With almost no darkness, the views are exquisite even in the small hours.
Other attractions for entrants include the Riga Motor Museum, newly reopened with phenomenal vehicles in Latvia. Circuit and rallycross tests join experiences on Finnish gravel roads such as Ouninpohja and Ruuhamaki, and a long regularity event on a former Soviet airfield. On the last morning, the city of Szczecin plays host to a special mystery test, before the finish at the Brandenburg gate in Berlin.
ERA Rally Director Fred Gallagher said: “This is a new adventure for us, with a fantastic entry list, and we think this is going to be one of the highlights in the Endurance Rally Association calendar for years to come. While we have explored some of the territory covered before in an early outing of the Peking to Paris, there is a lot of exciting new territory which we’re keen to share with our competitors.”
To follow the Baltic Classic as well as for more information on other ERA events including the 2018 Road to Saigon and Trans-America Challenge with entries still available, visit endurorally.com.
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