Grand Prix Polski Pojazdów Zabytkowych 2023
It won’t be a typical gallery. Usually, I travel as a photographer and have time to focus on finding perfect shots and ways of showing the character of the event. On the GPPPZ rally, I was one of the participants. As a co-pilot, I was focusing on reading the itinerary and managing time. I didn’t want to sacrifice our result for a few frames. Thankfully, I’ve managed to get some pictures, so now I can tell you the story of our first serious start in the classic car regularity rally and illustrate it with some analog images,
Let’s start by mentioning some basic facts about the event. GPPPZ stands for Grand Prix Polski Pojazdów Zabytkowych, which can be translated to Grand Prix of Poland for Classic Cars. The rally started in Warsaw, and its route led through the picturesque landscapes of southern Poland. Around 1,500 kilometers, with 25 regularity stages on the way. Sounds serious? It was! If this was not enough, 8 time trials on 5 racing tracks were organized along the way.
Those who regularly follow my publications may remember a few articles from different classic car rallies. Why am I now writing that this was my driver’s Adam and my debut? Reading the itinerary was nothing new for me, but doing it on regularity rally was.
During the first two days, I thought that it was an easy and quite boring job. Finding the way through the flat and relatively empty areas of central Poland was nothing special. Our experienced friends, Kuba and Krzysztof, who inspired us to participate, were convincing us, that the real rally will start when we’ll get to the mountains. They were right!
On the second day, we covered the way to Kielce. A relatively easy day was finished by something that gave us a hint of the difficulties awaiting us during the next few days. The time trial at the circuit was performed in darkness, rain, and dense fog. Even thinking about fighting for a good score seemed crazy. We drove it in survival mode.
The next day, the trip to the mountains began. The navigation started to become tricky, and keeping the pace was no longer that obvious. The level of difficulty was increasing proportionally to the beauty of the landscape. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t doing us any favors. We were approaching the border of Czechia when the sun started to set. No sooner than we crossed it, and started negotiating a narrow mountain road, a dense fog appeared. The visibility was so low that we were finding the crossroads only by relying on the distance measured by our rally app and comparing it to the one given in the roadbook. Looking through the window of the car wasn’t helpful at all. Thankfully, Czech roads are kept in good condition and have clearly visible lines on the sides. That can’t be said about their Polish counterparts. No lines and lots of potholes in the surface made the rest of this stage a nightmare to get through. After reaching the finish of the stage, most of the crews were exhausted. Another day on those roads wasn’t a welcomed vision. Fortunately, after a dinner, a glass of beer, and some discussions with other participants, the motivation to get into the car the next day came back.
The next day welcomed us with completely different conditions. Over 20 centigrade, sun and beautiful views of Sudety mountains. They may not be the tallest and most spectacular mountains in the World, but they have a specific character. Picturesque landscapes and unique architecture are complemented by curvy roads and the mysterious histories of the region. One of the best places for drivers in this country. I like visiting this region and was very happy to have another chance to experience its charm.
After the previous cold and dark days, the sun and warmth of the last day were so refreshing. During the day, we drove on many spectacular roads, but one stage had something special to it. It led through a region that has a very special place in the hearts of Polish rally fans: Patelnie Walimskie. Those two tight corners were witness to some of the most memorable motorsport events in the country. Each time, rally cars appear here, a huge crowd of spectators and photographers accompany them. Even for this event, a bunch of photographers decided it’s worth waiting here for the classic cars negotiating those slippery cobblestone corners. I was happy I managed to shoot one photo from the inside of the car.
Everything that has happened so far would be enough to make everyone more than happy with the event. The organizer decided, however, to end the rally with something even more spectacular. The last stage was very short, but won’t be forgotten. We were driving on an extremely hilly biathlon track. What a way to finish the rally!
Before I’ll summarize the event and our performance, I need to talk a bit about the photographic challenge. Not only taking photos was not supposed to distract me from my co-pilot role. To make things even harder, I took an analog camera and only 3 rolls of Kodak Gold film. Foreseeing what is going to happen and how many frames I can use, at which stage of the event, was tricky. In the end, I’m happy that I managed to capture the most important moments from those 4 days.
It has been a while since we crossed the finish line of the rally. I remember that just after the event, I'd had so many thoughts and comments. But now, when the dust has settled, I can only think about my positive memories. Nice moments with my driver and other friends, charming landscapes of the Sudety mountains, and the surprisingly comfortable Alfa Romeo. When is the next edition? Sign me in already!
