Shropshire pair relive Monte Carlo Rally challenge
A pair of Shropshire petrolheads spent nearly a week in a classic car as they took on a famous rally.
Mark Butler, who runs Historic Motorsport Ltd at Eaton Constantine near Shrewsbury, took on the Monte Carlo Rally Classique with the former owner of the business David Sutton.
The duo set off from John O'Groats before driving a gruelling 1,500 miles to the south of France.
Despite a few problems along the way, the team completed the long journey in three days.
Mr Butler said: "The start at John O'Groats was wonderful. It looked like the whole town had come out to see us.
"It was the 90th anniversary of the rally and we went over the start ramp at 8.10am on route to our first stop which was Inverness Football Ground.
"The next leg took us through some beautiful countryside and our next stop was Paisley where the town centre had been closed for us to meet."
The race saw Mr Butler drive a vintage Lotus Elite across the UK and France while teammate Mr Sutton navigated the way.
Mr Sutton has been building rally cars for a number of years and was the only privateer to win two world rally championships.
There were problems with traffic jams and problems with the ferry on the way, which forced the team to start tackling the Eurotunnel across to France.
But when they arrived in France, Mr Butler said people were thrilled to see the historic car.
He said: "The interest in the Lotus seemed endless with people and enthusiasts waving and asking questions at the fuel stops.
"The next morning the town of Valance had come out in support, roads were closed and we were able to head for the Alps.
"We caught up with some other historic cars at that point and it looked like a scene from the sixties.
"In the final leg to the pier in Monte Carlo the roads where tight and very twisty through the the mountain tunnels, with lots of sheer drops – getting it wrong could have been fatal."
Arriving in Monaco, Mr Butler said they were greeted with cheering spectators and photographers.
And with such success, the pair already have plans to take on the historic version of the event next year.
