Dated 22 May 2000
For immediate release

The London - Lisbon Classic Rally, which starts from historic Hampton Court Palace on Saturday 14 October, and two days later from the stunningly modern Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, for crews from mainland Europe, has been greeted with such enthusiasm by would-be entrants that event organisers, HERO, have increased the limit on the number of entries accepted.

"Competitor response has been fantastic for the first running of this event. By the end of February we'd already reached our original capacity of 100 crews", explained HERO Director John Brown, "But rather than turn people away or put them on a waiting list, we've now secured more accommodation throughout the route. The rally, with its visits to historic palaces and port lodges in the warm autumn of Spain and Portugal makes an ideal late summer event. We look forward now to welcoming up to 150 classic cars from pre war to as late as 1976. Anyone still wanting to secure an entry should get in touch with us rapidly, though, as enquiries are still coming in on a daily basis."

The event has two strands: an easy-going Touring Rally, or a superb competitive Classic Reliability Trial. The latter is run under the new FIA rules for Historic Regularity Rallies, and will cover around 400km each day, compared with between 220 - 380km for the Touring event. There will be a splendid ceremonial finish for all entrants at Lisbon on Monday 23 October.

For full information, including a copy of the event Regulations and official Entry Form, contact HERO by phone on +44/0 1886 833505; fax +44/0 1886 833144; or e-mail [email protected].