Rally: Noele and Mario on tour again š„
FAMILY MATTER In 2013, Noele Illien persuaded her father Mario Illien to take part in the Beijing-Paris rally with her. In 2019, the motor specialist and his daughter, the journalist, are at it again. The Beijing Paris 2019 has been running since the beginning of June. Also back at the start: the 1955 Citroƫn Traction Avant 11B. In 2013, Noele and Mario Illien finished with [...]
The Peking Paris 2019 has been running since the beginning of June, and the 1955 Citroƫn Traction Avant 11B is back at the start. In 2013, Noele and Mario Illien finished the rally in 14th place with this very car.
Currently, as you read these lines, the two are in 50th place overall and 21st in their class with their No 63, whose engine found a miraculous 30 horsepower during the preparation phase.
The Citroƫn with steel monocoque and flat underbody is ideal for road conditions.
One of the last Citroƫn Traction Avant
The duo starts in the Post War category, although the car is technically a pre-war model, the Citroƫn Traction Avant was presented in 1934. But the model that Mario Illien searched for and finally found for seven months especially for the 2013 rally is one of the last ever built and dates from 1955.
Ideal for all road conditions
Why exactly the car? "This Citroƫn is one of the most robust cars ever built," says Mario Illien, explaining the advantages of the ancestor of the iconic Citroƫn DS. He continues, "It has a steel monocoque and a flat underbody, both ideal and practical in the road conditions we're dealing with. In colonial times, the French used it for the inhospitable conditions in the desert, and the car has stood the test of time."
Fast is not the answer at the rally
What did the two learn from their first participation six years ago? "First and foremost, to take more food with you on the road," Noele quips on her blog. At the time, they both lost a combined twelve kilos because they realized too late that snacks are very rarely offered along the route. But also that you shouldn't necessarily follow other participants blindly, they could have gone off the track just like you. And that speed is not always the best solution to get to the destination.
Over 13 000 kilometer adventure
So far - toi toi toi - daughter and father have survived the first stages of the 13,000-kilometer adventure well. Noele keeps an entertaining day-by-day blog where she summarizes the day's experiences. There you can also read in detail how successful engine wizard Mario Illien - countless teams have been successfully racing his products in the IndyCars, NASCAR, Indy 500 series since 1983 - transformed the gangster car (Inspector Maigret drives one of these!) into a vehicle suitable for rallying. The rally ends on July 7, 2019.
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