ENGINES RUNNING FOR THE CLASSIC CAR RALLY

ENGINES are beginning to run for this year's Majorcan Classic car Rally which after the massive exposure it enjoyed last year after being featured on Top Gear, this year's event is being hailed as the biggest and best ever.

As of yesterday, a total of 60 teams from all over Europe were registered to race but a few more are expected to sign up over the next few days, although they better be quick because the rally starts next Thursday, March 25.

A number of changes have been made to the rally this year and some spectacular cars are going to be racing.

The main race park is going to be in front of the Auditorium on Palma's sea front again but there is going to be a much larger mechanics park.
The course has also been altered with the rally taking the racers all the way up to Formentor, with lunch at the famous hotel, before taking them up the winding and treacherous mountain roads to Lluc.

Stage one is the night race on the Thursday after the special presentation of all the cars at the Parc de ses Estaciones in Plaza d'España at 7pm. From there they will head up to Galilea through Calvia and Capdella before returning to the race park in Palma.

On day two, the cars will race out of Palma to Coll Sa Creu, Esporlas, Valldemossa and back again before stopping for lunch in sa Calobra.
The afternoon stage will follow a route from Sa Calobra, back to Coll Sa Creu and then Palma with an estimated finish time at around 6pm.
Saturday poses to be a testing and exciting drive from Palma to Lluc via Caimari.
From Lluc, the cars will race down to Pollensa, turn round and head for the Campanet caves and then back up to Lluc via Caimari before returning to Pollensa and on to Formentor for lunch.

The afternoon stage will begin in Formentor, belt through the Port of Pollensa and on to Orient and then Bunyola before returning to base in Palma at around 5.30pm.

Last year the rally, which is into its sixth year now, attracted massive attention because the Top Gear team raced in the event which was filmed for the hit BBC show.