Ex-pat Graham Denby’s latest message from Portugal

Apr 1 2009 by Our Correspondent, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

I KNOW I’ve banged on about the country seclusion we have out here – peace and quiet and all things natural.

Well, the beginning of April is when technology really encroaches in the shape of The Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2009.

This year’s event runs this week from Thursday to Sunday and we’ve got one of the special stages slap bang on our doorstep on Saturday.

Reading from my information leaflet, it seems we will be seeing the cars from around 10am as we’re virtually at the start of this leg and it should be complete around 3pm among clouds of dust and shale.

All in all there are five special stages spread over the Campo around us on Friday and Saturday all within easy driving distance. We seem to be sat in the centre of the whole of the five stages and we’ve even been noted on the route map for Saturday as ‘Zona Espectaculo 1 – Alcaria Alta’.

Quite a mouthful.

We didn’t see a great deal of it last year, apart from groups of marshals setting out the course and generally jobsworths about, but there were certainly quite a number of spectators out watching the race, mainly on corners for the thrills and spills.

We could see – or better – hear the cars on the top road at the back of us, but the engine and wheel noise was mostly drowned out by the sound of r’lass tutting about how she couldn’t get out for a ride.

I couldn’t quite see our ‘fat boy’ Murphy keeping up with them somehow.

A number of our ‘expats’ neighbours along the route make it a bit of an event and have a barbecue party. This has to be planned carefully because on the day of the race stage, roads are shut down and access is denied all over the shop.

Supplies must be laid in early and folks are restricted to shanks’ pony.

It’s obviously a real big thing here and our rough track circuit no doubt tests cars and drivers.

There are obviously quite a few of them out at any one time driving up my backside on the IC-1, letting me know they really need to get past.

Honestly, I’ve towed cars that were further away from my back bumper!

There was also a cross country motorbike rally earlier this year over roughly the same course.

That also stirred up the dust. It wasn’t as well marshalled and there seemed to be more enthusiasm in mapping out the course with striped tape beforehand than there was for removing it afterwards.

There are still remnants hanging around. We’ve removed most of it along our track. It spooks the horses I’m told ... frequently!

We’re going to pop up to the track this year and take a few photos for our portfolio we keep here for information and points of interest for our guests.

It’s probably best take along a few chilled beers as it’s going to be real dusty and thirsty work.

Graham Denby can be contacted via email at Alcaria.alta@gmail.com