|  | | | As well as LBL for cars up to 1200cc, we are now planning MICRO MARATHON 2010 for up to 700cc (and pre-war cars up to 1000cc) on September 5-11, 2010: Click here for info and here to email us...  | |  | LBL 2010 IS HERE! For 2010 we are opening the event to cars that couldn't join us in 2008, either because their engines were a little too big or they were a little too new: 500-1200cc cars and three-wheelers. DON'T MISS THE STUNNING SLIDESHOW OF LBL 2008 - CLICK HERE TO VIEW IT!! | | The route for Liège-Brescia-Liège 2010 runs from Liège to Liège via Karlsruhe, Munich, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Ljubljana, Bolzano, Brescia, Bolzano, Munich and Karlsruhe. The entry fee of £3200 includes 11 nights in top hotels and ALL meals for two people from dinner on Thursday, July 15 to breakfast on Monday, July 26, plus rally plates, route book, maps, special tests, mechanical back-up and luggage transport. Entry fee at this rock-bottom rate must be paid by 31 January 2010. Get your Entry Form and Regulations, and get your name on the list - email us now! |
In July 1958, 54 pioneers in 27 tiny cars set out from Liège in Belgium in a brave attempt to prove that the new breed of tiny-engined cars, made popular by the Suez crisis two years earlier, were not just toys but could do everything their bigger sisters could do – and much more economically. The schedule was staggering. Cars would leave Belgium on Thursday evening, travel all night through Germany, cross the Alps via Austria then head east through the Dolomites into Yugoslavia, tackling many notorious loose-surfaced mountain passes on the way. Still without stopping except for fuel and snatched refreshment, they would turn around at Ljubljana and return through the Dolomites to tackle Europe’s most challenging mountain pass, the Stelvio, descending south to Brescia. There, the cars went into parc fermé, meaning they could not be worked on, for eight hours while the crews had a little rest (assuming, of course, that they arrived on time – none did) before heading back north up the Gavia pass and down the Stelvio, then up over the Alps, Austria and Germany, back to Liège, arriving Sunday evening. That’s over 2000 miles of flat-out driving, averaging well over 30mph through three nights in tiny cars with engines as small as 250cc. Just 13 of the 27 starters made it... | 
For 2008, we had the presumption to create a celebration rally over the exact same route (right), for the same cars plus slightly later cars in the same spirit up to 700cc. 54 - double the number in the original rally - started from Liege on July 11, 2008, navigating from Michelin maps provided and quickly learning our innovative route checking system that ensures you follow the correct route, or pick up penalties for taking the wrong roads... This was no easy cruise - torrential rain through Belgium, Germany, Austria, Italy and Slovenia added to the strain on the first four days, but crews and cars rose to the challenge. The sun finally joined us in Ljubljana and stayed with us to the end of the rally. Cars that could have been eligible for the original event competed in 250/350/425/500cc classes in the Authentic category; slightly later and larger engined cars competed in 425/500/600/700cc classes in the Spirit category. "Fantastic", "unforgettable", "wonderful", "the best rally ever" and "a life changing event" are just some of the many tributes that have been paid by competitors on the 2008 event... See the LBL08 page for full results and more photos. On July 16-25, the 2010 Liège-Brescia-Liège will take 10 days to follow the same route as in 1958, 52 years after the original rally. This touring event will cover approximately 200 miles (330km) each day, with competitive tests on private tracks in Belgium and Germany combining with sheer endurance to establish worthy winners. Crews will plot the route on Michelin maps from the original list of place names, adding navigation to the challenge, and further interest will be added by visits which we hope will include BMW’s superb museum at Munich, the charming Boxenstop Museum at Tubingen, the newly revamped motor museum at Engstingen, the personal collection of Italian engineer Gino Tonutti near Udine, the Museum of the Mille Miglia in Brescia and the stunning Schloss Lichtenstein in Germany. Two categories will be admitted – ‘Authentic’ for cars of 500-1200cc in engine size and age -related classes, pre-1948 and pre-1958; and 'Spirit' for cars of 500-1200cc in engine size and age- related classes, 1959-1968 and post-1968, so all compete against similar vehicles. Entries are coming in strongly now with lots of interest being shown: if you're thinking of entering, please do so soon to avoid disappointment, as at least one of our hotels can only accommodate 40 cars!
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