907 replies to this topic

[minisi35]

You and me both!

Its our own fault for having kids (but so worth it!)

[rally1380]

You and me both!

Its our own fault for having kids (but so worth it!)

 

True......for me, it hasn't exactly helped with organising a rally to a stupidly high standard!!!!!  I make a rod for my own back sometimes!!!!!  Oh and I've bought another car in the meantime to do targa rallies!!!!

 

But one thing is for sure, I will be progressing Barry to 'fighting fit' status as soon as I can.....I've got a rally itch and it needs scratching.

[minisi35]

You and Me both!! Its like a drug

I have another project on the cards also

[28hodge]

VALE OF CLWYD CLASSIC  2015

 

 

SNIP

 

 

 

 

 

Regularity 5 next over towards the area I grew up in so nice to be on some more really familiar ground….we only dropped 10 seconds on the entire section!!!  Test 8 first, then afternoon coffee/cake (did I mention it was civilised) and then Test 9 at the same venue.

 

SNIP

Just been re reading this, and noticed the orange mini in the foreground. Thats my mini!! 

 

I know the guy i bought it off helped organise the Vale Clwyd classic from what he told me.

 

Hope FrankenBarry is sorted soon dave.

 

PS i am nicking your harness bar design as mine has the identical cage in it, and the harness attachments currently are in the rear parcel shelf. Its passed MOT's like this apparently but im not sure how? either way I'll feel happier with them attached onto a harness bar.

[rally1380]

 

 

 

Just been re reading this, and noticed the orange mini in the foreground. Thats my mini!! 

 

I know the guy i bought it off helped organise the Vale Clwyd classic from what he told me.

 

Hope FrankenBarry is sorted soon dave.

 

PS i am nicking your harness bar design as mine has the identical cage in it, and the harness attachments currently are in the rear parcel shelf. Its passed MOT's like this apparently but im not sure how? either way I'll feel happier with them attached onto a harness bar.

 

 

 

Brynmor has never really 'organised' the VoCC, but he has run tests on the event for them. Brynmor is a Broughton and Bretton MC member and has been clerk of the course on many road rallies so definitely knows the lanes of north wales - in fact this photo was taken just down the road from his mum's house.  I navigated for him on the 2015 Automark rally when he had a red 205 GTI and we finished 3rd overall....not bad considering the car was a right lemon and overheated on the first selective!!!!!!  Weirdly I've been chatting to him earlier today as we may be doing the Farrington road rally together in his Scooby.

 

Harness bar - yeah, definitely don't use the parcel shelf as it really isn't strong enough in a proper impact.  My design on the other hand was strong enough in an impact as I tested it...ha ha. I'd suggest a better method of connecting it to the diagonals than I did but the idea in principle works very well.  I've actually since cut it up for use in another car as the mini is getting rebuilt with an all singing, all dancing cage with built in harness bar (or at least that is the plan!!!)

 

FrankenBarry has still just to gain any forward momentum due to lots of other things happening, but rest assured, he will be back fighting fit at some point.

[Mexicotait]

Just read this from start to finish what a brilliant read
I have a MK2 Escorts that I use for road rallying and Targas as well as doing some historic events

I know a few people you Mentioned and we have been at same events as each other in the past
Was at the devils own this year

Also graham c on here is a familiar name its luke with the red mk2 friends with Ali Procter and Andrew fish

Hope you get the car rebuilt into the new shell

I was in a similar place last year when I wrapped the rear end of my mk2 round a concrete post
Ended up rebuilding the whole car took best part of a year


My next project will be a clubman once my new garage is built
You have given me a lot of inspiration
Best of luck

[rally1380]

"It's been a while....."

 

It's been a while since I posted something meaningful and unfortunately there really isn't much in the way of 'Mini' progress and I shall cover the reasons shortly.  One thing I have managed to do 'mini' wise though, is to drag my engine out into the garage and remove the plugs to check all was well and it isn't toast after the full frontal it endured. Plugs out and a good squirt of fresh oil down the bores and the thing spins over freely without a problem and smooth as the day I built it. Obviously we may encounter some damage to the cam since the dizzy took a fair old whack but so far so good.  And before anyone says, it is getting stripped down before it’s reinstalled to double check everything – I think for the cost of a few gaskets it’s a worthwhile exercise and it’s still running on that ‘second-hand’ head gasket so I think it’s time that gets replaced and we see what my ‘proper’ head can do…..maybe even a new short block build too….we shall see.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So the tricky subject of the lack of mini progress…..quite simply I’ve been avoiding it.  I’m not going to beat around the bush – since my accident I’ve been avoiding doing any work on any of my cars and my head has not been in a very good place. I’m not saying this to get any sort of sympathy, just letting you all know why it’s taken me the best part of 2 years to get round to turning the engine over…daft int it?  Well no, no really, as now I can look back on the time post-accident and see that I was not very well and things were fairly dark. As part of the claim process (still ongoing by the way!!!), I was having sessions with a therapist to try and sort my noggin out and get me thinking a bit more positive and to look forward rather than dwell on what has happened.  During one of these sessions, one of my ‘homework’s’ was to get back out competing and because a cheap car had come up for sale via a mate of mine (Brynmor who I have navved for in the past (red 205) and will do later on in another post) I saw the ideal opportunity to test the water and see if I’d lost my bottle. Car bought, and all I did was put tyres and a sump guard on it and the entry was in.

 

 

ERO Oaks Trophy Targa

 

Also, with organising of the KDMC Targa gaining momentum, it seemed a good idea to sample what Ecurie Royal Oak MC had in store for competitors seeing as the event is well and truly on my doorstep.  The event started just outside Congleton at the Waggon and Horses pub in Eaton and with scrutineering passed, it was time for Jen and myself to scoff a bacon butty and a brew whilst looking over the test diagrams that lay ahead of us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First up was the Chelford Car Boot venue with two very nice flowing tests using the gravel perimeter tracks with a mixture of 90 degree corners and tight technical sections. 4min 02sec and 3min 00sec were our two times here (7th and 6th fastest respectively) and whilst not troubling the leaders, it was a very respectable start to the event considering I’d not driven the car on knobblies before and had very little idea of how much I could push or how late I could trust the vague Ford brakes.  This was also my first rally back in the driving seat since my crash in the mini, and I wasn’t quite sure how I would be if I’m being honest…..so far so good and although the confidence wasn’t at 100%, it felt OK.

The rest of the morning was a real mixed bag – grass field, concrete farm tracks and a gravel/mud/old airfield test. Test 4 we beat the bogey (as did a few others) and then test 5 we were 4th fastest and the car was starting to feel better – or as good as a standard bargain basement car could!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo Credit : Andrea Boerngen

 

The afternoon was a reversal of the mornings tests with nothing really to report other than on the ‘field’ test up on Mow Cop I carried a little bit too much speed over the cautioned yumps and on the landing my sump guard dug in and ended up splitting the guard in two and biting a chunk out of the turf……oops!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back at the Waggon and Horses we tucked into our provided BBQ evening meal and mulled over the day’s action with fellow competitors. Everyone had a blast it seemed and I think ERO will have a full field of competitors in 2018 and I urge many more KDMC members to get out and compete or support the event in a marshalling capacity.

We finished the day 5th overall and very happy to be so high amongst some ‘proper’ rally cars and crews that wouldn’t be out of place on a stage rally.  Brilliant navigating (shouting at me for going the wrong side of a cone!!) by Jen who hasn’t been in a rally car for quite some time as she’s been busy….pregnancy does that apparently!!!!

 

Anyway, the upshot was I enjoyed myself and although I’m definitely rusty from a competing point of view, the exercise of entering an event to see what would happen worked and with the rally being based around an area I knew it was a gentle easing back in that I so desperately needed.

Edited by rally1380, 26 January 2018 - 03:02 PM.

[Richard19]

Glad you are on the mend Dave. I know from personal experience these thing take a while and have to be worked at. Doing something you enjoy is one of the best medicine for the body & mind and I really hope you have found your love, that you undoubtedly have, for your cars and Motorsport. The results shows that there is plenty of natural talent there and the rusty bits will soon be gone with some more rallying.   All the best Dave and I really hope 2018 is a good year for you.

[rally1380]

Glad you are on the mend Dave. I know from personal experience these thing take a while and have to be worked at. Doing something you enjoy is one of the best medicine for the body & mind and I really hope you have found your love, that you undoubtedly have, for your cars and Motorsport. The results shows that there is plenty of natural talent there and the rusty bits will soon be gone with some more rallying.   All the best Dave and I really hope 2018 is a good year for you.

 

Cheers Richard.  Yeah it knocked me for six and I didn't realise to be honest.  I had been keeping my motorsport toes in the water with a bit of navving, but it wasn't what I really wanted to be doing and it was just a sticking plaster on the bigger issue that was having an effect on home life too.  If I had broken my legs in the crash I would have been able to process that injury, but this wasn't (and still isn't) visible so seemed to be none existent...... all very odd and has robbed me of a big chunk of time that I will never get back.

 

On the bright side, I'm now most certainly looking forward to getting the mini back fighting fit and fingers crossed there will be progress in 2018 once the Ibiza is back in one piece - which is about to commence. The Puma is now sold on for quite a good profit, so it's now full steam ahead with the projects that matter.

[GraemeC]

Great to hear your making progress and will be back out.

let me know if there are any parts you need to help get it back together.  For instance if you need it, I have a full oil cooler set up including filter head I'd let you have for a fair price.

[rally1380]

Great to hear your making progress and will be back out.

let me know if there are any parts you need to help get it back together.  For instance if you need it, I have a full oil cooler set up including filter head I'd let you have for a fair price.

 

Hi Graeme. Cheers for that. I will be in need of a cooler as mine did get munched....although weirdly it didn't puncture and held all it's oil.  Rad didn't let go either so I think it was only the dizzy and alternator that stopped the car from running.  Unsure exactly yet what way i'm going with this rebuild. The first thing I really need to get decided is the roll cage which I will discuss in upcoming posts......be currently we still have a blank canvas.

[rally1380]

Next up from my 2017 outings was............

 

116 Targa Tracks

 

The 116 Targa is not a new event for me having competed for the previous two years as a navigator barking out orders.  2017 would see me change seats as I wanted to see how the Puma would go on a proper welsh rally and Jen was keen to do another event. Austin was left with his nana for the day and we headed to Cerrigydrudion and the Glan Y Gors kart track where the event is based.

 

Scrutineered (with repaired sump guard), signed on and a handful of KDMC Targa fliers distributed to the other competitor’s windscreens and we were ready.

 

First test was at the kart track and with a 30^th overall fastest time it was off up to Clocaenog for test 2.

 

‘The Windmills’ where next and it was a test I was familiar with on previous Vale of Clwyd Classic events so ‘game on’. Slippy would be the adjective to best describe the test and paying attention to the nav would also have been helpful. Jen called the 90 right well in advance, but I wanted to keep my foot in over the brow until the very last minute….perhaps a bit too much!!!!  The corner came up much faster than I thought it would and we were travelling about 20mph faster than ideal. Slammed the poor Puma into 2^nd, stomped the brakes (Now with improved feel thanks to Brembo discs) and the car stood on it’s nose and ‘pheeeew’ we made it round!!!!!  NOTE TO SELF – Listen to the nav!!!! 3min 8 seconds and 16^th fastest on test 2 – that’s more like it!!!!!!

 

Next up was a ‘proper’ gravel forestry test in Clocaenog at Gorsedd Bran run by Bala & District MC. If any of the tests had a pukka ‘rally’ feel, this was it. Off the start line it was fast downhill into sweeping turns with deep ditches either side that would swallow the Puma……gulp!!! PC3.1 was next then a rough uphill climb into a 90 right and more ditches and sweeping turns using the camber of the road to ‘hook’ the front wheel over and drag the Puma around the bends……I enjoyed it a lot!!!  This test had it all….even a jump!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo Credit : Dylan Sion Richards

 

 

5min 59sec of test time and we were now up to 23^rd overall.

 

Next up was Nant Mawr and Crossley’s which were both a mixture of farm tracks and shed’s to navigate through.  We must have been doing something right as we were up to 18^th overall as we left here heading towards St. Asaph.

Test 7 was a short blast down a farm drive and then we went on to Kinmel Park WRC-2 run by KDMC and Phil Bateman.  3…..2…….1……and away we went straight into a chicane of cones and cleanly through. Next up was a jink right, left, right at cone B and I noticed my best mate stood there on marshal duties…..it’s a shame I didn’t keep my eye on the cone (IDIOT!!!!) and unfortunately clipped it receiving a 10 second penalty!!!)……doh! The rest of the test was just a pure laugh and nice a neat apart from over cooking into an uphill 90 left which saw the puma venture up a bank and through a bush…..all good fun though…ha ha.

 

Thankfully the Lunch halt was next and we were lying a very respectable 21^st overall

 

The afternoon was a variation of the morning tests and it was business as usual……almost!  Test 9 was a monster 3.9 miles and combined tests 5 & 6 – I’m not sure what exactly happened, but it was on a downhill 90 Right that the car just seemed to understeer away from the apex and I ended up stuffing the Puma into the fence on the outside of the bend. We were probably only stuck for about 30 seconds, but it definitely had an effect on the rhythm through the remaining test and I was all too aware that something may now be hanging off on the front (it was!).

 

A return trip through Clocaenog went well again and by now the weather had started to turn and a typical Welsh Summer rain shower (monsoon) was making the tests a little less grippy……and when I say less grippy, I’m comparing that to slippery, so maybe it should read….’even more slippery’.

 

A reverse run through the ‘Windmills’ was next and an uncharacteristic line fault at a PC (me being a little lax on the middle pedal!) gave us another penalty, but this time a whopping 30 seconds!!!  Grrrrr!!!!

Last test was a meander round the kart track and then to the final MC and a well-deserved feed.

 

We ended the day 26^th Overall and 8^th in Class. But had we not have received 40 seconds worth of penalties and tried to mate a Puma with a fence post we’d have been into the top 20 with ease…..next time we will be!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by rally1380, 26 January 2018 - 03:04 PM.

[rally1380]

More ramblings from my occasional 2017 trips out.................

 

Automark Farrington Trophy road rally

 

I’ve competed on this event 3 times in the past and was in fact myself and Jen’s first welsh road rally in the mini back in 2013 – unfortunately we retired that night.  Fast forward 4 years and I was swapping seats again to wrestle an OS Landranger 116 and try and keep us on the right route.

 

My driver for the night was Brynmor Pierce in his Subaru Impreza - the very same car (minus stickers) he had just competed on the Wales Rally GB National finishing in the top 40.

 

Ruthin Cattle Market was the opening scene for this final act of the KDMC road rally championship and it was weather as usual in north wales that evening – wet and freezing!!!

 

With the route plotted in plenty of time (6 whole pages worth of GR’s make your eyes go funny after a while!!!) we had a swift brew and then it was time for business. We headed south east towards Llangollen and section 1 saw us venture through Bryn-Chwareu farm just behind Llysfasi College – a great section of gravel and mud criss-crossing the farm and then spitting you back out onto the road once the ever-important Code Board had been noted down.  We were going well and seemed to be dropping only small amounts of time and by SF1 we’d only dropped 1min 39sec.

 

Section 2 up towards the Horseshoe Pass had to be cut a little short due to ice, but we cleaned the remining competitive section, and then into selective 3 and 4 west and then south of Ruthin.

 

It was SS5 when things started to get very interesting with the marshal warning us that it was a bit slippery……No kidding!!!!  We were now in Clocaenog and the tiny forest roads were white over with ice and even though we had 4 wheel drive the car seemed to be sideways a lot!!!!  This section we saw all manner of tyre marks heading in all sorts of directions (usually towards ditches and hedges) and fair do’s to Brynmor, he drove well and we were 5^th fastest through to TC5A dropping only 58 seconds……game on!

 

At Petrol (Glasfryn on the A5), we were 11^th Overall and 1^st in Class.

 

From here we did another loop near Cerrigydrudion and then headed (Neutral) up the A543 northward to a great section across the moors past Llyn Aled (South of Llansannan) where we saw a green Nova well off into the moors – Crew OK, just dented pride and a nav scratching his head at missing the obvious 90R.

Another section had to be cut short due to ice as the leading cars couldn’t make it up a hill (chaos ensued)…..and we were now well into the small hours (5am to be exact!) and I think both Brynmor and I were ready for our breakfasts, but it was the last selective so we had to keep pushing.

 

That was until we reached a particularly tricky SGW (Stop, Give Way to those not in the know) hairpin left at a farm called Carreg-y-garth (GS 05 59 for those interested).  It was downhill into the SGW, then HP left (3 point turn due to the layout of the road) into a PC.  At this PC we were stopped getting our card signed and in the rear view mirror car 24 comes flying around the SGW on the handbrake with no sign of stopping or indeed giving way!!!!! Queue them then catching us on the following section and Brynmor and myself taking a bit of a hump and switching off – We were just a bit narked that it seemed crews were not being penalised for blatant rule bending, let alone breaches of the highway code!!!! 

Sure enough, when the results were published, this very same none SGW’ing car had overtaken us in the results and finished 1^st in class by a mere 18 seconds.  Had we flown every SGW through the night, I’m sure we’d have been much higher….but hey ho, that’s cheating is it not?

 

Either way, we were more than happy to finish a proper Nat B road rally a very fine 8^th Overall and 2^nd Semi-Expert crew.    

 

 

 

 

 

Photo Credit : Joseph Gilbertson

[panky]

Great reports - I'd be off into the first ditch

[rally1380]

Great reports - I'd be off into the first ditch

 

Cheers. You never know unless you try?  Great fun can be had at grass routes level motorsport......and it can be done in a standard car if you wish......in fact there is an Autosolo at Demon Tweeks this weekend...check it out.