Arrival at night - RAID Prolog Zurich
The RAID Prologue Zurich took place for the 11th time, a short rally from Zurich to Basel via the Black Forest, for some of the participants a welcome preparation for the actual RAID Suisse-Paris. For the first time, the race started in the evening and the first participant was released at exactly 18:30. Arrival at the Pantheon in Basel was at 22:00 at night.
The weather was at its best and the 35 participants drove from Zurich towards the southern Black Forest in the warmest orange sunset light. After a dinner in a romantic restaurant in the Black Forest, the night stage to Basel followed. The prologue ended under a clear starry sky and still warm temperatures.
The winners of the RAID Prologue Zurich were Theo Imhof and his authentically dressed co-pilot Olga Imhof in a 1963 Jaguar E-Type.

RAID Suisse-Paris 2013: 111 jewels on their way from the Pantheon Basel to Chantilly Castle
Divided into three categories, 111 classic cars started this year's RAID Suisse-Paris with an enormous variety of brands: 45 different brands were at the start! The teams of drivers were just as diverse, coming from around ten countries: in addition to Switzerland's neighboring countries, they also came from Holland, Luxembourg and even China (Hong Kong).
The rally begins
On Thursday morning, August 22, 2013, the rally got underway: the participants parked their vehicles in the surrounding areas of the Pantheon in Muttenz near Basel.

There wasn't much time for chatting: we had to fit the start numbers, study the road book, carry out final checks on the vehicle, rearrange the luggage if necessary and then it was already time for technical scrutineering. Nevertheless, we were able to talk to some of the participants: in keeping with the variety of brands at the RAID Suisse-Paris, the teams were also very diverse. Experienced riders who had taken part in almost all previous RAID rallies were accompanied by newcomers who were trying to read the special notation of a road book for the first time.

When asked what motivated them to sign up, they revealed: "We are actually friends of last year's winner Andreas Locher and he encouraged us to sign up. But the decision was made very late and we've had our hands full the last few weeks getting our vehicle ready for this rally. The rear brake light didn't work until yesterday. Today it will work, hopefully also later at the scrutineering." With a smile, the two of them returned to the road book.

Although there was one victory to be won in each category, the participants hardly got involved in any competitive battles; the "newbies" benefited much more from the experienced rally professionals who parked their vehicles next door: the roads in France are much worse than in Switzerland, which is why the night stage is particularly difficult because the potholes are very hard to see in the poor road lighting. The pros also advised against taking shortcuts: the organizers are known to build secret checkpoints into the routes that are not recognizable as such in the road book. If you missed one of these checkpoints, you would receive penalty points.
As a spectator, you quickly learned to distinguish between the experienced rally participants and the newcomers: while the latter nervously leafed through the road book until shortly before the technical inspection, the former calmly mounted their number plates and joked with their neighbors, including the participant with number 100, who confidently claimed to be better than his neighbor with number 99, after all, he was "not quite 100" ...

After the technical inspection and the presentation of each individual car by the walking car encyclopaedia Ruedi Wenger, we set off on our journey to Paris from the Pantheon round building in Muttenz near Basel.

Not by the direct route, of course, and not a single meter on the freeway! Everything on beautiful, winding roads through forests and fields, over the Vosges and Ardennes through parts of Belgium. The RAID organizers around Hans André Bichsel have put a lot of effort into the choice of route.
The rally newcomers Thomas Gerber and co-driver Peter Suter, who had just been interviewed, were also visibly pleased with the weather and the course of the first stage:
Vétérans
The first category of veterans includes all pre-war cars. They always attracted the most attention on the drive, because for most spectators they come from a completely different era than the one they experienced themselves. Shapes, sounds and smells from another world: it's fascinating! The oldest car, which also had the starting number 1, was a Sunbeam 20/60 from 1925. 11 cars took part in the veteran category.
The winner of this class was the almost 90-year-old Sunbeam of Christian and Fabian Thomi.
Tourisme - the smallest at the front
If you want to take it easy and see the RAID more as a cultural trip, choose the Tourisme category - the best occupied class with 83 cars. It actually represents the RAID ideal of cruising and enjoyment. Of course, driving as accurately as possible and finding the right route quickly was also important here in order to score as many points as possible.
The Tourisme category was won by the Austin Mini Cooper S from 1968 with Basil and Fritz Erath at the wheel, while last year's winner Andreas Locher in a Jaguar 420 came second, 30 penalty points behind. The Austin Mini was also the overall winner!
Sport
Those who like to travel a little faster will find what they are looking for in the third category, Sport. The target times are shorter than for Veterans and Tourisme. For example, a distance of 135 km had to be driven at an average speed of 46 km/h, in Tourisme it was 43 and the veterans could take even more time at 38 km/h. 17 vehicles started in this category - in each case as the last to be able to roll up the field from behind, so to speak.
Bojan and Brigitte Pajic-Eggspühler took victory in the sports category in their 1978 Lotus Esprit S2.
Ladies' Cup and Young Riders Trophy
For all three classes, there was also a special Ladies' Cup for ladies-only teams and the Young Drivers Cup for teams under 35 years of age. The entry fee of 4250 to 4750 francs was reduced by 300 francs for the young drivers.
The winners of the Ladies' Cup were Nelly Gartmann and Sabina Schneider in their 1973 ambulance VW T2b.
The Junior Trophy went to Mike Müller and Olivier Schneider in the 1963 Triumph TR 4.
The journey is the destination
The route on Thursday led from Muttenz over 230 km to Nancy. An overnight stage of around 100 km was planned for the Sport category. Friday had two stages on the program: the first 160 km led to the Pont d'Oye castle in Belgium. The afternoon stage went from there over around 220 km to Reims, where the Mumm wineries took the opportunity to host the entire fleet of vehicles in their hallowed halls and to present each participant with a glass of the fine wine.

On Saturday, nasty rain clouds woke the RAID column from their previously sunny dreams. The open-top drivers, who did not have a soft top on board, were particularly hard hit. But with the right clothing and the right attitude, they made sure that the 210 km journey to the Château de Chantilly was even more fun.
All three days were peppered with special stages. A certain distance had to be covered between two measuring tubes in a specified time. These so-called "hose tests" were still relatively harmless. Much greater demands were placed on the riders' intuition and sensitivity on the gas pedal during search drives, where they had to find the destination themselves using rough maps or a few clues.
The "professional" RAID riders were of course armed with several stopwatches, calculators and headlamps or had even pre-loaded their laptops with the relevant formulas, which then spit out the exact arrival times. There was always a queue in front of each measuring tube, because once again you were too early and didn't want to get any penalty points.
If you didn't want to be in a good position, you simply rode past the convoy or waited in the next street café for the convoy to pass and then joined it again at some point. If you got completely lost, a sealed envelope with the exact route was on board. Anyone who opened the envelope or lost it received penalty points. And, of course, navigation devices were considered a breach of style.
Elaborate organization
A TCS vehicle and various auxiliary vehicles from the organization also accompanied the RAID. In the morning in particular, one or two cars needed a little jump-starting help or assistance if a small repair had to be carried out en route. For example, the fuel pump on the 1948 MG TC promptly stopped working. Fortunately, the crew were well aware of the weaknesses of their protégé and had a replacement with them, which was quickly fitted so that the journey could continue. A doctor also drove along out of competition in his Porsche 993 and would have been quickly on hand in the event of an emergency.

Overall, the organization deserves a lot of praise, even if minor problems such as not enough seats at the food before the start in the Pantheon or the one or other error in the road book caused annoyance. However, this was quickly forgotten after the first few meters behind the wheel or the road book. Of course, we don't know what (marital) dramas took place in the cars when the co-pilot made a mistake or overlooked a turn...
Happy spectators
There were also some interesting scenes on the roadside. It seems as if many car fans in the villages and towns they passed through were at least as well prepared for the RAID as the participants. Everywhere people were standing along the roads or had made themselves comfortable with folding chairs and parasols in the best locations and applauded every car.
The special stages on the village squares attracted a particularly large number of citizens, who peppered the waiting drivers with questions. It's well known that you can speak to Swiss people in French without hesitation. And apart from one exception, the majority of all participants came from Switzerland.
Whether highly concentrated and - in the truest sense of the word - calculating or just for fun: all but two cars made it to Chantilly Castle around 37 km north-east of Paris.
Race director and RAID boss Bichsel was already waiting there with the long-awaited checkered flag and a firm handshake. The RAID Suisse-Paris 2013 was now history again. A wonderful story that was brought to a cheerful close with food and drink in Paris.
Anyone who is not afraid of ice and snow should register for the winter RAID in January 2014. There will also be another summer RAID to Paris, with a few new ideas and surprises in store. But we're not supposed to write anything about that today...
More about the RAID at www.raid.ch
Ranking list RAID Prolog Zurich 2013
Tip: Click on a column title to sort the table accordingly
| Rank | St-No | Vehicle | Year | engine capacity | Penalty points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | Jaguar E-Type | 1963 | 3800 | 14 |
| 2 | 33 | Jaguar E-Type V12 | 1973 | 5343 | 104 |
| 3 | 16 | Oldsmobile F-85 Cutlass Convertible | 1963 | 3500 | 132 |
| 4 | 29 | Mercedes-Benz 280 SE 3.5 | 1973 | 3500 | 178 |
| 5 | 17 | Peugeot 404 Cabriolet | 1965 | 1618 | 195 |
| 6 | 34 | Porsche 911 G | 1977 | 2700 | 209 |
| 7 | 18 | Jaguar E-Type semi light weight | 1965 | 4200 | 218 |
| 8 | 30 | BMW 3.0 S | 1974 | 2986 | 230 |
| 9 | 4 | MG A | 1956 | 1500 | 235 |
| 10 | 27 | Rolls Royce Corniche | 1972 | 6230 | 273 |
| 11 | 23 | Morgan Plus 4 | 1966 | 2138 | 279 |
| 12 | 2 | Bentley Mulliner | 1951 | 4257 | 296 |
| 13 | 9 | Alvis TD 21 Series 1 DHC | 1961 | 2993 | 319 |
| 14 | 14 | Jaguar E-Type | 1968 | 1500 | 346 |
| 15 | 22 | Mercedes-BenzSL 230 Pagoda | 1966 | 2300 | 367 |
| 16 | 31 | BMW 2002 | 1975 | 1990 | 472 |
| 17 | 32 | Volkswagen Golf 1 GTI | 1976 | 1600 | 521 |
| 18 | 28 | Lamborghini Espada GT400 S3 | 1973 | 3929 | 595 |
| 19 | 12 | Ferrari 250 GTE | 1963 | 2953 | 909 |
| 20 | 13 | VW Beetle Cabriolet | 1963 | 1200 | 1097 |
| 21 | 5 | Mercedes 190SL | 1959 | 1900 | 1110 |
| 22 | 10 | Austin Healey Sprite MK1 | 1961 | 948 | 1654 |
| 23 | 21 | Jaguar E-Type 4.2 | 1966 | 4234 | 1707 |
| 24 | 11 | Jaguar E-Type | 1963 | 3781 | 1814 |
| 25 | 25 | Dodge Dart 383 GTS | 1969 | 6300 | 1907 |
| 26 | 3 | MG TF | 1954 | 1250 | 3131 |
| 27 | 24 | NSU Prinz 1000 TT | 1967 | 1085 | 4278 |
| 28 | 1 | Rolls Royce Phantom 1 | 1928 | 7668 | 8926 |
| 29 | 35 | De Tomaso Longchamp GTS | 1979 | 5700 | 10115 |
| 30 | 19 | Morgan 4/4 Series V | 1966 | 1498 | 10243 |
| 31 | 8 | Peugeot 403 Sedan | 1960 | 1405 | 10275 |
| 32 | 37 | Porsche 911 Speedster | 1993 | 3600 | 11057 |
| 33 | 7 | Facel Vega Facellia | 1960 | 1650 | 11957 |
| 34 | 36 | Ferrari 308 GTB | 1979 | 2926 | 13025 |
| 35 | 26 | Fiat 124 Spider | 1970 | 1438 | 14283 |
| 36 | 38 | Morgan Aeoromax | 2009 | 4799 | 18650 |
Ranking list RAID Suisse-Paris 2013
Tip: Click on a column title to sort the table accordingly
| Rank | Start no. | Vehicle | Year | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 69 | Austin Mini Cooper S | 1968 | Winner category Tourisme |
| 2 | 68 | Jaguar 420 | 1967 | 2nd place category Tourisme |
| 3 | 39 | Triumph TR 4 | 1963 | 3rd place in the Tourisme category, winner of the Young RAIDER's Trophy |
| 4 | 1 | Sunbeam 20/60 | 1925 | Winner category Vétérans |
| 5 | 11 | Fiat 1100 | 1939 | 2nd place category Vétérans |
| 6 | 5 | Alvis Speed 20 Special | 1934 | 3rd place category Vétérans |
| 7 | 107 | Lotus Esprit S2 | 1978 | Winner category Sport, winner team classification |
| 8 | 4 | Alvis Firefly Special | 1933 | |
| 9 | 74 | Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce | 1978 | |
| 10 | 87 | MG B | 1974 | |
| 11 | 106 | Alfa Romeo GTV | 1972 | |
| 12 | 100 | Bentley Spec. Donington | 1951 | 2nd place Sport category |
| 13 | 108 | BMW 3.0 CS | 1972 | 3rd place in the Sport category, team winner |
| 14 | 72 | Citroën 2 CV | 1970 | |
| 15 | 109 | Lotus Turbo Esprit | 1980 | |
| 16 | 62 | Peugeot 404 C | 1963 | |
| 17 | 82 | VW Type 27 | 1973 | Winner Ladie's Cup |
| 18 | 111 | Morgan Plus 8 | 1973 | |
| 19 | 102 | Alfa Romeo Giulia TI Super | 1964 | |
| 20 | 21 | Austin-Healey 100 M | 1956 | |
| 21 | 110 | BMW 2002 tii | 1973 | |
| 22 | 10 | Buick Eight Roadster | 1938 | |
| 23 | 64 | VW Beetle Cabriolet | 1973 | |
| 24 | 2 | Studebaker Commander Big Six | 1927 | |
| 25 | 77 | VW 1302 Beetle | 1972 | |
| 26 | 32 | VW Beetle Cabriolet | 1961 | 2nd place Young RAIDER's Trophy |
| 27 | 42 | Chevrolet Corvette | 1963 | |
| 28 | 6 | Packard 120 Six | 1937 | |
| 29 | 30 | Austin-Healey | 1960 | |
| 30 | 7 | Buick 8 Special | 1937 | |
| 31 | 36 | Opel Rekord Ascona Coupé | 1962 | |
| 32 | 73 | Alfa Romeo GT 1300 Junior | 1970 | |
| 33 | 47 | Ferrari 308 GTS | 1978 | 2nd place Ladie's Cup |
| 34 | 28 | Mercedes-Benz 190 SL | 1959 | |
| 35 | 99 | Alvis Tourer 4.3 | 1936 | |
| 36 | 105 | Porsche 911 T Targa | 1971 | |
| 37 | 29 | Aston Martin DB 2/4 MK III | 1959 | |
| 38 | 95 | Bentley Turbo R. | 1989 | |
| 39 | 9 | Jaguar SS 100 | 1938 | |
| 40 | 26 | Mercedes-Benz 220 S | 1958 | |
| 41 | 13 | Aston-Martin DB 2/4 MK III | 1958 | |
| 42 | 81 | Triumph MK IV | 1973 | |
| 43 | 59 | Jaguar Mark II | 1966 | |
| 44 | 31 | Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II | 1960 | |
| 45 | 20 | MG A | 1956 | |
| 46 | 60 | Aston Martin DB 6 Vantage | 1966 | |
| 47 | 79 | Volvo P 1800 ES | 1972 | |
| 48 | 63 | VW Karmann Ghia Cabriolet | 1967 | 3rd place Ladie's Cup |
| 49 | 24 | Austin-Healey 100-6 | 1957 | |
| 50 | 45 | Jensen Interceptor III | 1974 | |
| 51 | 40 | Austin-Healey 3000 MK II | 1963 | |
| 52 | 112 | Alfa Romeo GTV 2.0 America | 1976 | |
| 53 | 27 | Porsche 914/6 Targa | 1970 | |
| 54 | 46 | Jensen Interceptor III | 1975 | |
| 55 | 104 | VW Golf 1 GTI | 1976 | |
| 56 | 58 | Morgan 4/4 Series V | 1966 | |
| 57 | 78 | VW 1302 Beetle Cabriolet | 1972 | |
| 58 | 48 | Jaguar XJ | 1986 | |
| 59 | 16 | Mercedes-Benz 170 S | 1950 | |
| 60 | 66 | Mercedes-Benz 250 SL | 1967 | |
| 61 | 41 | Chevrolet Corvette | 1959 | |
| 62 | 38 | Alfa Romeo 2600 Spider | 1962 | |
| 63 | 35 | MG A Mark II | 1962 | |
| 64 | 44 | Mercedes-Benz 280 SL | 1971 | |
| 65 | 71 | Dodge Dart GTS Convertible | 1969 | |
| 66 | 22 | Mercedes-Benz 300 SL | 1956 | |
| 67 | 67 | Lancia Flaminia Coupé Pininfarina | 1967 | |
| 68 | 43 | MG C | 1969 | |
| 69 | 85 | Jaguar E Type V12 | 1973 | |
| 70 | 25 | Jaguar XK 150 | 1957 | |
| 71 | 14 | MG TC | 1948 | |
| 72 | 18 | BMW 327/2 | 1953 | |
| 73 | 50 | Porsche 356 C | 1964 | |
| 74 | 23 | Jaguar XK 140 DHC | 1956 | |
| 75 | 61 | Porsche 356 SC | 1965 | |
| 76 | 19 | Chevrolet Bel Air Sedan | 1955 | |
| 77 | 76 | Triumph Stag | 1971 | |
| 78 | 80 | Fiat Dino | 1972 | |
| 79 | 94 | Morgan 4/4 | 1981 | |
| 80 | 49 | VW Beetle II Deluxe | 1964 | |
| 81 | 70 | Ford Mercury Cougar V8 | 1968 | |
| 82 | 88 | Porsche 911 S Targa | 1976 | |
| 83 | 113 | Porsche 911 G | 1977 | |
| 84 | 3 | Riley Nine Brooklands | 1929 | |
| 85 | 52 | Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray | 1964 | |
| 86 | 15 | Citroën 11 BL | 1949 | |
| 87 | 91 | Citroën 2 CV 6 | 1978 | |
| 88 | 96 | Porsche 911 Cabriolet | 1994 | |
| 89 | 51 | Volvo P 1800 S | 1964 | |
| 90 | 103 | Jaguar E Type 2+2 | 1968 | |
| 91 | 114 | Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC 5.0 Series 107 | 1979 | |
| 92 | 56 | Mercedes-Benz W100 | 1965 | |
| 93 | 89 | Cadillac Eldorado | 1976 | |
| 94 | 90 | Cadillac Eldorado Convertible | 1976 | |
| 95 | 34 | Mercedes-Benz 190 SL | 1961 | |
| 96 | 65 | Mercedes-Benz 230 SL | 1967 | |
| 97 | 17 | Jaguar XK 120 OTS | 1952 | |
| 98 | 33 | MG B GT | 1967 | |
| 99 | 115 | Mercedes-Benz 280 SL | 1980 | |
| 100 | 83 | Fiat 124 Spider | 1973 | |
| 101 | 84 | Alfa Romeo Montreal | 1973 | |
| 102 | 93 | Citroën Méhari 4x4 | 1981 | |
| 103 | 8 | Riley Kestrel Sports Big4 | 1938 | |
| 104 | 86 | Jaguar E Type | 1973 | |
| 105 | 75 | Mercedes-Benz 280 SL | 1970 | |
| 106 | 53 | Cadillac Eldorado Convertible | 1976 | |
| 107 | 37 | Mercedes-Benz 190 SL | 1962 | |
| 108 | 54 | Cadillac Eldorado convertible | 1972 | |
| 109 | 55 | Cadillac Eldorado Convertible | 1975 | 3rd place Young RAIDER's Trophy |
| N.G. | 101 | Alvis TD 21 DHC Series 1 | 1961 | |
| N.G | 57 | Pontiac Le Mans GTO Convertible | 1965 |













































































































































































































































































































































