Hello fellow petrol-heads...
AWESOME, EPIC, words simply cannot describe this...my final mileage count was 3148mi (5066km) including the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, France & Belgium....one day we had breakfast in Austria, lunch in Switzerland and dinner in Italy...
Autobahn, Nurburgring, LeMans, castles...the list goes on..
Having just returned and sorting through the 1000+ pix, it is sinking in how special this trip was.
Here is a link to the pix I loaded into photobucket, I've got loads more. There are video's aplenty on youtube, just type in "Shelby Run Europe"
Shelby Run Europe 2012 pictures by cali_kr - Photobucket
My 08 GT500KR left California on May 8, and will return late August...
Enjoy :beer:
The info below was the intinerary.
Day 1
Registration attendees Almere, The Netherlands Jun 29
This day can be used for detailing your car, shopping in Almere city center or Amsterdam (25 minutes by train). I plan to do an excursion in the morning 10 AM - noon to Muiderslot, a famous 13th century medievel castle, please let me know. Ontdek de middeleeuwen! | Muiderslot It is a 15 minutes ride to the small town of Muiden, where we will park and a 15 minutes walk through this old town. Beleef Muiden !
Opposite the hotel in Almere there is gas station with wash boxes, so you can detail the car for the Saturday.
In the evening we have a buffet with a briefing for our epic trip.
Day 2
Departure Almere - Nurburgring, D Jun 30 344 km/214 miles
This day we travel through the lowlands of the great rivers and the forested area of The Netherlands. We pass Arnhem and Nijmegen. On the bridges we cross over the rivers Rijn and Waal, the American and Canadian troops had severe battles with the Germans in WWII. Everyone knows the Operation Marketgarden where the 82nd (Screaming Eagles) and 101st (All-American) Airborne Divisions had to conquer those rivers. We will cross the German border and go south into the hills of the Eifel. We will arrive at the Hotel Eifeldorf in Nurburg, Germany in the early afternoon. For our stay in Nurburg we give every participant a Nurburgring track pack that consists of 4 laps on this 20 km, 73 turns track. People can do some laps in this afternoon so we have something to talk about during dinner. Don’t wreck your car, as the trip is just starting. http://www.nuerburgring.de/nl/ueberuns/streckeninformationen/nordschleife.html
In the evening we will have an authentic German buffet with local specialities.
Day 3
Nurburgring - Hohenschwangau, D July 1 594 km/369 miles
We will leave for a longer drive on several beautiful German Autobahns through German states Rheinland-Pfalz, Hessen, Baden-Wurtemberg and Bavaria in the South. We also have some unlimited speed sections on these Autobahns. In the late afternoon we will arrive at Hotel Muller in Hohenschwangau. We may have a meet and greet with some German GT500s along our route, which has to be worked out. Our hotel is very close to the castle Neuschwanstein. Bayerische Schlösserverwaltung | Neuschwanstein
In the evening we will have an authentic Bavarian buffet with local specialities.
Day 4
Hohenschwangau - Nauders, A July 2 282 km/175 miles
In the morning we plan to do an excursion to castle Neuschwanstein. After that we travel into the Alps. We will drive the very famous 188, the Silvretta Hochalpenstrasse. We will drive up to 2032m (6700ft) and see mountains up to 3300m (11000ft). In the afternoon we arrive at Hotel Tirolerhof in Nauders, close to the border of Italy. In the evening we will have an Austrian buffet with local specialities.
Day 5
Nauders - Milano, I July 3 390 km/243 miles
Leaving for Italy into the Dolomites. We will drive the road the guys from Top Gear drove. The most beautiful road in the world they say, the SS38 Passo dello Stelvio. 48 hairpin turns on the northside and 39 at the southside and the top is at 2758m (9000ft). Then we drive the SS300 into the region of Lombardy, famous for the Italian food and lakes. We will travel into Switzerland to St Moritz and back into Italy. We will drive along the shores of Lake Como, where many Hollywood celebrities have homes. We arrive at the Best Western in Milano, very close to the Monza racetrack. In the evening we will have an Italian buffet with local specialities.
Day 6
Milano - Monte Carlo, Monaco July 4 327 km/204 miles
Leaving in the morning to drive the Italian Autostradas to Genoa, San Remo and the Riviera coast. We travel into France and end in the small state of Monaco, Monte Carlo. You can spend some time here to walk around, visit the harbour or drive the Formula 1 racetrack route. We stay at the Novotel. In the evening a dinner by menu choice.
Day 7
Monte Carlo - Peyreleau, F July 5 577 km/359 miles
Going north on the Route Napoleon towards Castellane and the Gorges du Verdon. We travel through the Provence. This is the area where painters like Van Gogh and Monet got their inspiration from. The Gorges du Verdon is the Grand Canyon of Europe. After this scenic route we will go faster on the French Autoroutes. We will cross the largest suspension bridge in the world, the 1000ft high Millau bridge. We will arrive at Hotel de la Muse in a small village surrounded by high countryside. In the evening a dinner by menu choice.
Day 8
Peyreleau - Tours, F July 6 opportunity watch night practice 558 km/347 miles
This day we travel on the French Autoroutes at a modest 85 mph to cover the 5 hrs to Tours. We are close to Le Mans. After buffet dinner people can choose to stay at the Mercure hotel to relax, visit the old city or go to the Le Mans racetrack to watch the night practice.
Day 9
Tours - Le Mans visit track - Rouen, F July 7 93 + 212 km/58 + 132 miles
This day we will leave early for the big day to watch the Le Mans Classic races. http://www.lemansclassic.com/en/s01_home/s01p01_home.php
Carroll Shelby, Stirling Moss, Masten Gregory, Dan Gurney, Ken Miles, Phil Hill, Bob Bondurant and many others drove this track in the 50s and 60s. You will see over 400 race cars and 8000 classic cars on exhibition. Shelbys, Ferraris, Jaguars, Maseratis, Aston Martins, Ford GT40s, BMWs in abundance. We will park our cars in the paddock/infield area together with the French Mustang clubs. We plan to do a parade lap as a group. You are free to spent the whole day at the track. In the late afternoon we will leave for a short 130 mile drive to Rouen where we will stay at the Novotel. In the evening a buffet.
Day 10
Rouen - Almere, The Netherlands July 8 615 km/382 miles
Last driving day. We travel the northern hills of France into Belgium. We enter The Netherlands in the SW in the province Zeeland. Here we can visit the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier. This symbolizes the fight of the Dutch against the water. We pass Rotterdam and travel through the green heart of The Netherlands with many polders. We end at the same hotel in Almere where we have another diner and night to relax.
It is a driving event and it is all about driving your Shelby on the most beautiful roads and a mix of all countrysides of Europe. It will be exhausting, exciting and breathtaking. Maybe a once in a lifetime trip that we may organize only once. Most of the days we leave at 9 AM. We will stop at scenic points or nice places where we can have our lunches. We will have the hotels arrange fresh lunchpacks to take with us. There will be time to relax in the small towns we stay, but there will also be times that you curse your car for not having better seats. Keep in mind that the days in July are long here. At Dutch latitude the sun rises at 5 AM and sets at 10 PM. In Italy and France maybe an hr earlier in the evening. So if you want to enjoy evenings you can.
AWESOME, EPIC, words simply cannot describe this...my final mileage count was 3148mi (5066km) including the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, France & Belgium....one day we had breakfast in Austria, lunch in Switzerland and dinner in Italy...
Autobahn, Nurburgring, LeMans, castles...the list goes on..
Having just returned and sorting through the 1000+ pix, it is sinking in how special this trip was.
Here is a link to the pix I loaded into photobucket, I've got loads more. There are video's aplenty on youtube, just type in "Shelby Run Europe"
Shelby Run Europe 2012 pictures by cali_kr - Photobucket
My 08 GT500KR left California on May 8, and will return late August...
Enjoy :beer:
The info below was the intinerary.
Day 1
Registration attendees Almere, The Netherlands Jun 29
This day can be used for detailing your car, shopping in Almere city center or Amsterdam (25 minutes by train). I plan to do an excursion in the morning 10 AM - noon to Muiderslot, a famous 13th century medievel castle, please let me know. Ontdek de middeleeuwen! | Muiderslot It is a 15 minutes ride to the small town of Muiden, where we will park and a 15 minutes walk through this old town. Beleef Muiden !
Opposite the hotel in Almere there is gas station with wash boxes, so you can detail the car for the Saturday.
In the evening we have a buffet with a briefing for our epic trip.
Day 2
Departure Almere - Nurburgring, D Jun 30 344 km/214 miles
This day we travel through the lowlands of the great rivers and the forested area of The Netherlands. We pass Arnhem and Nijmegen. On the bridges we cross over the rivers Rijn and Waal, the American and Canadian troops had severe battles with the Germans in WWII. Everyone knows the Operation Marketgarden where the 82nd (Screaming Eagles) and 101st (All-American) Airborne Divisions had to conquer those rivers. We will cross the German border and go south into the hills of the Eifel. We will arrive at the Hotel Eifeldorf in Nurburg, Germany in the early afternoon. For our stay in Nurburg we give every participant a Nurburgring track pack that consists of 4 laps on this 20 km, 73 turns track. People can do some laps in this afternoon so we have something to talk about during dinner. Don’t wreck your car, as the trip is just starting. http://www.nuerburgring.de/nl/ueberuns/streckeninformationen/nordschleife.html
In the evening we will have an authentic German buffet with local specialities.
Day 3
Nurburgring - Hohenschwangau, D July 1 594 km/369 miles
We will leave for a longer drive on several beautiful German Autobahns through German states Rheinland-Pfalz, Hessen, Baden-Wurtemberg and Bavaria in the South. We also have some unlimited speed sections on these Autobahns. In the late afternoon we will arrive at Hotel Muller in Hohenschwangau. We may have a meet and greet with some German GT500s along our route, which has to be worked out. Our hotel is very close to the castle Neuschwanstein. Bayerische Schlösserverwaltung | Neuschwanstein
In the evening we will have an authentic Bavarian buffet with local specialities.
Day 4
Hohenschwangau - Nauders, A July 2 282 km/175 miles
In the morning we plan to do an excursion to castle Neuschwanstein. After that we travel into the Alps. We will drive the very famous 188, the Silvretta Hochalpenstrasse. We will drive up to 2032m (6700ft) and see mountains up to 3300m (11000ft). In the afternoon we arrive at Hotel Tirolerhof in Nauders, close to the border of Italy. In the evening we will have an Austrian buffet with local specialities.
Day 5
Nauders - Milano, I July 3 390 km/243 miles
Leaving for Italy into the Dolomites. We will drive the road the guys from Top Gear drove. The most beautiful road in the world they say, the SS38 Passo dello Stelvio. 48 hairpin turns on the northside and 39 at the southside and the top is at 2758m (9000ft). Then we drive the SS300 into the region of Lombardy, famous for the Italian food and lakes. We will travel into Switzerland to St Moritz and back into Italy. We will drive along the shores of Lake Como, where many Hollywood celebrities have homes. We arrive at the Best Western in Milano, very close to the Monza racetrack. In the evening we will have an Italian buffet with local specialities.
Day 6
Milano - Monte Carlo, Monaco July 4 327 km/204 miles
Leaving in the morning to drive the Italian Autostradas to Genoa, San Remo and the Riviera coast. We travel into France and end in the small state of Monaco, Monte Carlo. You can spend some time here to walk around, visit the harbour or drive the Formula 1 racetrack route. We stay at the Novotel. In the evening a dinner by menu choice.
Day 7
Monte Carlo - Peyreleau, F July 5 577 km/359 miles
Going north on the Route Napoleon towards Castellane and the Gorges du Verdon. We travel through the Provence. This is the area where painters like Van Gogh and Monet got their inspiration from. The Gorges du Verdon is the Grand Canyon of Europe. After this scenic route we will go faster on the French Autoroutes. We will cross the largest suspension bridge in the world, the 1000ft high Millau bridge. We will arrive at Hotel de la Muse in a small village surrounded by high countryside. In the evening a dinner by menu choice.
Day 8
Peyreleau - Tours, F July 6 opportunity watch night practice 558 km/347 miles
This day we travel on the French Autoroutes at a modest 85 mph to cover the 5 hrs to Tours. We are close to Le Mans. After buffet dinner people can choose to stay at the Mercure hotel to relax, visit the old city or go to the Le Mans racetrack to watch the night practice.
Day 9
Tours - Le Mans visit track - Rouen, F July 7 93 + 212 km/58 + 132 miles
This day we will leave early for the big day to watch the Le Mans Classic races. http://www.lemansclassic.com/en/s01_home/s01p01_home.php
Carroll Shelby, Stirling Moss, Masten Gregory, Dan Gurney, Ken Miles, Phil Hill, Bob Bondurant and many others drove this track in the 50s and 60s. You will see over 400 race cars and 8000 classic cars on exhibition. Shelbys, Ferraris, Jaguars, Maseratis, Aston Martins, Ford GT40s, BMWs in abundance. We will park our cars in the paddock/infield area together with the French Mustang clubs. We plan to do a parade lap as a group. You are free to spent the whole day at the track. In the late afternoon we will leave for a short 130 mile drive to Rouen where we will stay at the Novotel. In the evening a buffet.
Day 10
Rouen - Almere, The Netherlands July 8 615 km/382 miles
Last driving day. We travel the northern hills of France into Belgium. We enter The Netherlands in the SW in the province Zeeland. Here we can visit the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier. This symbolizes the fight of the Dutch against the water. We pass Rotterdam and travel through the green heart of The Netherlands with many polders. We end at the same hotel in Almere where we have another diner and night to relax.
It is a driving event and it is all about driving your Shelby on the most beautiful roads and a mix of all countrysides of Europe. It will be exhausting, exciting and breathtaking. Maybe a once in a lifetime trip that we may organize only once. Most of the days we leave at 9 AM. We will stop at scenic points or nice places where we can have our lunches. We will have the hotels arrange fresh lunchpacks to take with us. There will be time to relax in the small towns we stay, but there will also be times that you curse your car for not having better seats. Keep in mind that the days in July are long here. At Dutch latitude the sun rises at 5 AM and sets at 10 PM. In Italy and France maybe an hr earlier in the evening. So if you want to enjoy evenings you can.
