LBL Rallies

Enjoy the authentic feel of 1950s car rallying: Liège-Brescia-Liège, Mycenaean-Minoan, Craic + more!

Since 2008, Classic Rally Press has revived the spectactular 1958 Liège-Brescia-Liège microcar rally. Following very successful rallies in 2008 and subsequently, it's time for the Diamond Jubilee, in July 2018! Our provisional schedule will take you through all the splendid passes tackled by those early pioneers as they thrashed little engines for 2000 miles over mountain pass after mountain pass

in search of glory – but this time, instead of non-stop for 64 hours, you can enjoy the authentic route over 11 days, with luxury hotels, all meals, fun special tests, fascinating visits, mechanic back-up – and the chance for the competitive to win superb trophies! Every finisher will receive a special, exclusive, Diamond Jubilee replica of the original enamel plaque awarded to the finishers on that historic 1958 rally. The principal event will be for exactly the same cars and classes as in 1958 and the only cars eligible will be those of a type identical to cars that would have been eligible in 1958 - up to 500cc with classes for up to 250cc and up to 350cc - plus three-wheel versions if mechanically identical (due to the vagaries of international competition rules, in 1958 3-wheelers couldn't compete against 4-wheelers - well, they can in our events!). That's all Berkeleys other than B95/105s, Messerschmitt KR200s and Tigers, Isettas, Heinkels, Zundapp Januses, Friskies, suicide-door Fiat 500s, early 2CVs, Isard/Goggomobil 300s and 400s, and more

There will be a secondary event run alongside, but entirely separate with its own prizes, for microcars in the spirit of the original event but a bit later, or with larger engines up to 750cc - all later Fiat 500s and 600s, later Citroen 2CVs, Berkeley B95s/105s, BMW 600s and 700s, and many more. For any information about our events, please feel free to get in touch by messaging us here or through our website!

30/05/2026

Day 9 of Lotus Liège-Brescia-Liège Rally 2027 begins with having to drag ourselves away from the delightful Hotel Adria in Merano - a real treat that I'm sure many participants will return to in future.
After a pleasant run along the old road from Merano to Bolzano, we begin our final major pass of the rally. Passo Pennes is an absolute thrill to drive - and to see from the passenger seats. It begins on the outskirts of Bolzano, as mountains loom topped by ancient castles on all sides. Then the tunnels start - at first with more castles between them. After a series of tunnels (where Lotus exhausts demand to be blipped!) we emerge into steep-sided gorges - which quickly give way to glorious open farmland dotted with farmhouses and villages. Mile after mile of fast roads sweep through the fields, climbing gently but steadily with gentle curves. After some 10 miles, the incline goes up a notch, the fields end and forests begin - quickly changing to open pastureland. The bends get tighter and suddenly the Pennes is a serious mountain pass - but still wide and fast, rising to 2211m at the summit.
The authentic 1958 Liège-Brescia-Liège Rally route, which we will follow in 2027, then drops down to Sterzing Vipiteno and up over the Brenner Pass into Austria - following the old road through charming villages to historic Innsbruck. Unfortunately for us, today had been chosen by some protest group to close the Brenner Pass all day! It's a major trunk route and alternatives are limited, so we were worried that the 2099m Jaufenpass and 2474m Timmelsjoch - our only practical alternative - would be clogged with traffic. Fortunately most people must have decided to stay at home, as the passes were quiet and we were able to make good progress.
The Excel's low oil pressure when driven hard only became a problem on the Timmelsjoch when we were stuck behind two cars that weren't moving over - so we stopped for 10min and set off again with a clear road. I'm convinced the oil cooler isn't flowing as when we stopped, it really didn't feel as hot as it should have been.
We were able to get back on route before the Austria/Germany border and check the afternoon's navigational challenge through tiny roads, before finishing in the town centre of Schongau, at the charming family-run Hotel Alte Post: next year the main square in front will be filled with Lotus cars...

29/05/2026

Day 8 of Lotus Liège-Brescia-Liège Rally 2027 is going to be a corker! We start from the amazing, huge historic palace hotel of Centro Paulo VI in the heart of Brescia - the city that hosted the ONLY stop on the 1958 Liège-Brescia-Liège Rally.
Heading out into the countryside, we will renew our long association with the Autodromo di Franciacorta (check out our fabulous drone video from LBL 2018 on the full circuit - www.youtube.com/watch?v=38FDjxv5dIk ). We will have a Special Test in 2027 on the superb, large new kart circuit.
The route then picks up the original 1958 rally route again, up the coast of beautiful Lago di Iseo, then climbing up, up through ancient Italian towns and villages to Ponte di Legno, where we turn off for the Passo di Gavia.
Much more challenging from this side, the Gavia is narrow and twisty with almost no barriers - but our ascent was an absolute delight, as we had no traffic in front and almost nothing the other way for the whole pass. Much better for the Excel's oil pressure, which takes a real hammering on the passes - as mentioned before, I'm convinced the oil cooler isn't flowing.
From the Gavia, we drop down to Bormio before tackling the Stelvio again, 40 hairpins up and 48 down. Liège-Brescia-Liège 1958 was unique in tackling both of these toughest Alpine passes twice, in opposite directions - and they did both overnight! We enjoyed warm sunshine again, and again were blessed with an almost traffic-free ascent - the only two cars we came up behind let us through, as mountain drivers should. Keeping the revs up is essential to keep the oil pressure off the bottom stop - and the Excel is such a delight to drive in the mountains with a clear road!
Reluctantly we headed down the Stelvio (waving a rapid modern Ferrari past half-way, then keeping with him to the bottom) and headed back through the beautiful apple plantation-clad valley to Merano - and a new hotel for the rally, the superb Hotel Adria www.facebook.com/hotel.adria.meran . This very civilised oasis in a civilised city is the oldest surviving hotel in town, built in 1885 and exuding quality and history throughout - even the lift is a renovated 1914 item that is an absolute gem.

28/05/2026

The full recce for Lotus Liège-Brescia-Liège Rally 2027 continues apace - we've crammed it into half-term for our daughter's school, the event itself will be a bit more relaxed! In fact the route I reported as Day 5 yesterday will be Day 6, as the rally will have a day off in beautiful Ljubljana, Slovenia's cosmopolitan capital city, whereas we had to press on.
So, today's report will be Day 7 of Lotus Liège-Brescia-Liège Rally 2027 - and it's a great one.
We set off from the top of Passo di Costalunga at 1745m, with stunning views of the Dolomites, to descend all the way to Bolzano. The Lotus rally will hit the motorway at this point to get up to the Stelvio more swiftly - but our recce is also for the 70th anniversary Liège-Brescia-Liège Rally in 2028, which will be for microcars up to 500cc as the original event was in 1958, joined by 700cc microcars in a separate category. We keep them off motorways, sticking to the old road as driven by the heroes of 1958 - and very scenic it is too.
Old road or not, we were soon back on the main road trekking up towards the Stelvio, through mile after mile of apple groves - this area supplies most of Italy and a fair amount of Europe with apples, which thrive in the valley's microclimate and plentiful supply of water from the mountains on both sides.
Topped up with 100 octane E5, we were ready to tackle the 2757m Passo dello Stelvio - the Excel showing its strengths as it whistled round the hairpins. We needed first gear for the tight Stelvio corners, but it went well - until baulked by a selfish Audi RSQ8 driver who crawled round every hairpin but ignored the first rule of mountain driving, which is to let faster traffic behind pass when you can. We just had to sit back and take our time, but the oil pressure wasn't so happy about that idea, so a lot of quick blips and clutch slipping were needed to be sure of not running any bearings... Maybe it's a pessimistic gauge, but pressure comes back up strongly when cooled by the mountain descent, so I'm pretty sure the oil is just getting too hot.
Anyway we made it up all 48 hairpins, and were relieved to find the Stelvio a good deal quieter than when we used to run this rally in July - and with a fair amount of snow still lying at the top.
On down 42 more hairpins to Bormio, on the quieter side (a delight), then over the stunningly beautiful Passo di Gavia. When I first drove the Gavia 30+ years ago it was still gravel - now it's surfaced but it IS a challenge, extremely narrow with almost no barriers and few passing places. Fortunately it was exceptionally quiet and a joy to drive!
Once down, we followed the original 1958 route all the way to Brescia - and it's great fun, passing through historic town after historic town, all now bypassed so reasonably quiet, all the way down to the glorious Lago di Iseo, a really beautiful lake with substantial islands too.
A thunderstorm was looming as we approached Brescia, complete with substantial hailstones! Drivers of lesser machinery were diving for shelter under petrol station forecourts - the Excel battled on, right into the heart of historic Brescia to a really amazing hotel, the Centro Paulo VI - a huge historic palace. On the rallies, cars will repeat the original event by gathering in a central piazza - hopefully Piazza Loggia as in 1958 - before heading to the hotel.

27/05/2026

Day 6 of Lotus Liège-Brescia-Liège Rally 2027 (day 5 will be a day off to explore beautiful Ljubljana) will see an early start from Ljubljana, Slovenia - heading west, back up into the amazing driving roads of the Dolomites.
First, though, we have a treat in store with empty country roads in beautiful Slovenia, winding up through lush pastures and small villages until we head onto a small pass through forests that only saw its gravel surface replaced by tarmac three years ago. We used to drive it on gravel, but the Lotuses will be happier with tarmac I'm sure, and it's super-smooth throughout... We've deviated from the 1958 route here, as it headed closer to Venice and up to Cortina on roads that are now uncomfortably busy and industrialised: we'll rejoin later.
As we reach and cross the Italian border, we enter a warm microclimate and the hills are lined with vines and prosperous wineries: we drive on through into Italy, where the vineyards still look successful but the industry that once thrived here too lies largely deserted. Long straight roads lead us to the mountains again, and some little-known but delightful passes take us back up to rejoin the 1958 route on the legendary Route des Cols. The Passo Pordoi in particular is stunningly beautiful.
All these roads are pure "Lotus roads" - the Excel is excelling itself (sorry!) - it's just so well suited with its incredible cornering ability, rock-steady feel, gutsy acceleration and super-comfortable seats.
Today it felt so much better than before, after Damir worked his magic last night - exhaust fumes much reduced and engine running smooth whatever the throttle opening.
My new worry is oil pressure - I changed the oil and filter before this trip, with a new Mann filter and c6 litres of Classic Oils 20W50. Pressure is really good when cold, but as it gets hotter on the passes the pressure really drops away, to the point where it's only showing 1 bar at 2000rpm, but goes back to 2+ at 2k after dropping down the other side of each pass. I suspect the oil cooler is clogged, so will take it off and flush it after this trip - it gets warm, but not too hot to touch...
We finish the day at Carezza, in the heart of the stunning Dolomite mountains - next year the rally will stay at the amazing Sporthotel Alpenrose, one of our favourite hotels on the whole rally.
Tomorrow? The Stelvio and Gavia - and Brescia. Can't wait!

26/05/2026

Day 4 of the Lotus Liège-Brescia-Liège Rally 2027 starts from the idylically-located Grand Hotel Misurina ( www.facebook.com/grandhotelmisurina ) and is the first full day of mountain passes, with some really brilliant driving roads to enjoy.
We stormed over the Passo di Mauria, before dropping down in the general direction of Venice, soon turning north again and enjoying the delightful Passo di Nevea, heading east towards the Slovenian border.
Passo del Predil takes us over the border, still with the border post in place - when back in 2006 we drove the first recce leading to reviving the Liège-Brescia-Liège Rally for its 50th anniversary in 2008, passports were still being checked here.
The day's highlight is the ascent of the spectacular Passo della Moistrocca, as it was known in 1958 - now known as the Vrsic Pass, it's one of the most challenging in Slovenia, climbing very rapidly in short, narrow bursts almost a full kilometre from hairpin 50 to the summit at 1611m.
Unlike the other passes today, which were remarkably quiet, Vrsic was heaving at the summit - work is proceeding apace with creating more parking space at the top. We headed straight on down for the fabulous descent, which has echoes of the 1950s rallying days with its cobblestoned hairpins. Originally these would have had just gravel in between them - the pass is all now metalled but the cobbled hairpins remain - and are remarkably grippy in all weathers.
After the descent, we follow the old road all the way to Ljubljana, with a few challenges for competitors to make sure they stick to the very scenic original route rather than bombing down the motorway!
After dropping Helena and Fifi at the Eurostars UHotel www.facebook.com/uhotelljubljana - which also hosts our Balkans Rally in April - I went straight to meet old friend Damir, a very resourceful mechanic who has saved us on numerous occasions in the past.
Exhaust fumes in the car were making travel unpleasant, and the engine spluttering on light throttle needed attention too. Damir started with the exhaust - I knew a stud was broken on the manifold-downpipe joint when I bought the car and sure enough, it was leaking and needed sorting properly. Damir battled for hours - a broken off stud extractor or similar was buried in the cast iron and resisted all attempts to remove or drill it out. Perseverance paid off and in the end he managed to drill and tap it, and get the exhaust properly sealed.
We then turned to the engine, and Damir put his hand over the front of the front carb - instantly curing the misfire! A screwed in plug and shaken its way out - and amazingly I found it still sitting in the cylinder head!
A late night but rewarding drive back to the hotel promises much more enjoyable progress tomorrow - not that the Excel wasn't enjoyable today, blasting up the passes was an absolute joy - you really feel how light the car is and how brilliantly designed the suspension is, as it hares round corners and hairpins without any lean or squeal. Back up into the mountains tomorrow it is!

25/05/2026

Day 3 of the Lotus Liège-Brescia-Liège Rally 2027 recce began with a delightful morning greeting in the very traditional - and stunning - small town of Weilheim, where the rally will stay in the excellent Hotel Vollmann ( www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100080902622773 ). We were serenaded by the town trumpeters, high up on the church tower - brilliant!
The route begins with a fun navigational challenge on tiny country lanes through beautiful farmland, with very little other traffic apart from bicycles. From there, we start the climb to the mountains proper, following the same route used by Rally Liège-Brescia-Liège back in 1958. We're soon crossing into Austria, dropping steeply down to Innsbruck then climbing again. Our route follows the delightfully twisty and scenic old roads, as they would have done 68 years ago, which are thankfully now bypassed by most traffic on motorways.
From Austria we cross the Brenner Pass into northern Italy, where the Excel gets even more thumbs up and waves than before! Scenery through the mountains is stunning, with castles and forts all around, and then we come to a superb climb up the pass to Lake Misurina and the stunning www.facebook.com/grandhotelmisurina - in a truly breathtaking spot overlooking the lake.
The Excel had a well-deserved wash on arrival - it's going well. Oil consumption is a little higher than hoped and the engine splutters on a light throttle, but floor it and it storms impressively up the passes. Attention to carbs, valve clearances and possibly rings will be needed after this trip!

24/05/2026

Day 2 of Lotus Liège-Brescia-Liège Rally 2027 starts with a great breakfast at the www.facebook.com/RadissonBluHotelKarlsruhe before heading out into central Germany, on a route carefully contrived to avoid the busiest towns and cities, instead meandering through historic villages with some great blasts through stunning farmland and countryside in between.
The classic cars were out in force today and it was amazing to see so many - lots of Mercedes and Opels, Ferraris and Fiats - even a Honda S800. No other Lotus today, but plenty of waves from fellow enthusiasts on the road!
Today's big visit was the superb Boxenstop Museum at Tubingen - www.facebook.com/BoxenstopTuebingen - the creation of one couple with a true passion for both cars and toys of all kinds. The museum is an absolute treasure trove and no matter how many times you visit, you'll see something new. Quite a few exhibits had changed since our last visit in 2023 - and it was great to see a shared passion for Lotus shining through ;-)
From Germany's industrial heartland, we headed out into the countryside again, seeing the fields gradually change from arable crops to grazing cattle, all interspersed with delightful deciduous forests - providing welcome shade on another very hot day for our Excel. She's been feeling the heat, spluttering on a light throttle (though smoothing out on full throttle) - but a tankfull of 102 octane brought an immediate improvement today!
As we headed towards Weilheim and the delightful Hotel Vollmann ( www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100080902622773 ) this afternoon, we could see the snow-capped outline of the Alps spread across the horizon ahead of us - our target for tomorrow!

23/05/2026

Lotus Liège-Brescia-Liège Rally 2027 will be on May 26 - June 7 next year - so we set off yesterday to drive a full recce in our 1985 Excel. Look out for daily reports for the next 10 days!
Liège-Brescia-Liège is a historic event, run in 1958 by the organisers of Liège-Rome-Liège, Spa-Sofia-Liege and other big-name events. It was a condensed version of the longer rallies, taking in most of the finest routes and passes but without the long slogs east and south - which makes it ideal to re-run in its entirety today.
The original event ran almost non-stop over three nights and two days, covering 3300km (2000 miles) including mostly gravel mountain passes with near-impossible average speeds. We aim to give you a flavour of the original event without those stresses, so it's divided into 10 days with nice hotels, some interesting visits thrown in and all the passes are now surfaced! We follow the original route as faithfully as possible, just cutting out a few bits that have become too busy over the last 68 years and leaving in 95% of the original route - which is fabulous!
Day 1 saw us leave Liège (where we stay in the lovely and very central Blooma Hotel Blooma Hotel Liège Centre - Handwritten Collection ) to make our way to the Palais des Princes Eveques where the original Liège rallies always started. From there, we followed a demon route out of the city, with a bit of historic Belgian pavé as a reminder of how it used to be!
The hairpins begin just outside Liège and the route, which skirts around Spa circuit before branching out across wonderful rolling hills, is an absolute joy to drive - especially in a Lotus! The Excel was really lapping it up, after a stressful day yesterday when holiday traffic in southern England had us crawling for over two hours in the heat. It's hot here too, but we keep moving!
Crossing the border into Germany, we were immediately flagged down by two German policeman - "Nice car, sir, they said in perfect English, just checking our daughter Fifi was properly strapped in in the back seat before waving us on our way with a smile!
We're now at Karlsruhe, Germany, ready to head on south tomorrow: email classicrallypress (at) yahoo.co.uk if you're interested in joining the rally next year!

23/04/2026

Day 17 of Balkans Rally 2026 - the final day of competition - began with breakfast at the charming Hotel Ptuj, after which we all headed for Maribor, just half an hour away, to display the cars in the Main Square and explore another historic Slovenian city.
At 10:30 prompt, the final navigational section began, heading west from Maribor along delightful sweeping roads through glorious countryside, climbing all the time through valleys and gorges. Traffic gradually dwindled and the roads became more challenging - especially as huge amounts of roadworks were under way to restore river banks destroyed by flash flooding.
Then we turned off into the forests, quickly onto superb gravel roads climbing steeply to the snow line: around 20km of smooth gravel gave a real taste of how rallying was in the 1950s - and the views were truly breathtaking.
We forged on, back on tarmac, winding up hairpins to the Austrian border, down the other side then up again to cross back into Slovenia - and finally down the other side to the finish of the rally.
More on that in tomorrow's report - for now, enjoy the photos of a splendid final day...

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