When Caravans International announced that it was staging a speed trial in which two cars would tow caravans around Monza for 5,000 miles (8,0476km) over a period of three and a half days, the first question on everyone’s lips was: why? Perhaps the idea was in response to Jackie Stewart’s concerns about Formula One safety – after all, giving a Ferrari or a Lotus a caravan to tow would certainly have had the desired effect of reducing speeds on Grand Prix circuits … all the more so if the likes of Clay Regazzoni and Jacky Ickx had to stop every couple of laps to shut the caravan door! Instead it seems that the exercise was simply an attempt to demonstrate the reliability and durability of the humble caravan.
The two vehicles taking part were a Ford Cortina 1600 (towing a four-berth, 10-foot caravan) and a more powerful Ford Corsair 2000E (towing a bigger and therefore heavier four-berth caravan, 12ft 6in long). A team of nine drivers (including two reserves) was assembled to work in three-hour shifts. To qualify beforehand, the drivers had to do two laps without stopping at 37½mph (60.3km/h), then two laps at 44½mph (71.6km/h), and finally two laps at 52mph (83.7km/h). Obviously there was a little leeway either side of these figures.
One might think – and with some justification – that towing a caravan round and round a deserted race track for over three days and nights at a steady speed of 60mph (96.6km/h) would achieve a level of mind-blowing tedium normally reserved for Channel 5 entertainment shows. As a spectator sport, it would be considered on a par with tile-grouting or pro-celebrity ironing. Yet the event was far from incident-free, enlivened considerably by the hundreds of rabbits which come out to play when Monza is not invaded by the tifosi. Other things went bump in the night, notably a wolf-like animal which Alan Hayes hit at 2a.m. on the back straight while doing 70mph (112.7km/h). The Cortina suffered a little damage but was able to continue after a two-minute stop to straighten out the wing. The mystery beast was left at the side of the track. On another occasion Ian Mantle encountered two young motorcyclists trying to ride up and down the banking and was fortunate to be able to squeeze car and caravan through between them. And John Yoxall narrowly avoided a young woman who had tried climbing the banking on foot but was sliding down out of control …
An additional hazard was the fog which had a habit of descending on the circuit at night, making it not only difficult to spot the rabbits but also to maintain the speeds necessary to produce a healthy average rate. After two days the Corsair began to lose a little power and resorted to following in the Cortina’s slipstream for long periods, but overall it was the bigger-engined car which came out on top. The Corsair (which made a total of 23 pit stops and lost 18 minutes for a generator change) covered the 5,000 miles in 81hr 22min at a speed of 61½mph (98.9km/h); the Cortina (with 27 pit stops) did the same distance in 82hr 47min at a speed of 60½mph (97.2km/h).
As for the caravans, they were towed impeccably throughout, any damage sustained being negligible. Happily, however, nobody present at Monza over those three days thought they had seen the future of motor racing.