11 July 2010 - Parcent Autoloco

We receive an email each week from the town hall to keep us up to date with what is happening in the village. This week read “Sunday 11th July the village celebrates the autoloco event where home produced go carts and ´mad cars´race down the hill to the Cooperativa. This is a great spectacle organised by village youths, starting after 10.30 in the morning.”

As Brits do, we arrived at 1030, and found the roads closed, a collection of Go-Karts, and lots of people strolling around. But it was well past 11am before the first Go-Kart was towed up the hill ready for the first race.

There is a group of helpers at the top of the hill who give each one a good push, and they then free wheel down the hill towards the Cooperativea. If they grind to a halt, they are given another push.

The village was crowded with spectators, and the entries had come from as far as Denia, with most of the villages in the valley being represented. As always happens, the whole village really entered into the spirit of the thing, and each driver was cheered and clapped as he flashed past.

It’s a shame that I don’t have sound on the blog, because the noise would have done credit to a Grand Prix. The sound system was on the steps of the Cooperativea, and the volume up full. The “music” was felt as much as heard.

There were a few young boys taking part, but most were older teenagers of young adults. It was all very macho, and everyone took it very serious. However the effect was often spoiled at the bottom of the hill, where there is a sharp left turn. Most came to grief here, and had to be pushed to the finish line.

It was very hot and tiring waiting around for the next one to come. So after two events we retired to the Cooperativea for a coffee and bacon bocadillo. Its very hungry work taking part in these village events!