37 replies to this topic

[samperks]

Hey Cooperman!
just thought id say very insperational to see your still so stuck in and hands on with your racing a flying by the sounds of it! could you give any tips or advice on how to start joining the rallying scene as i think it could be something i would enjoy if not just to watch let alone race.

Cheers!

I see that you ae in the Wolverhampton area. There is an excellent club local to you. It's the 'Wolverhampton & South Staffordshire Car Club'. They run some excellent rallies and other events, so you could join and start by helping with marshalling on events to see how it all works. Then there will be members who will help with advice on the sort of events you wish to do and the car preparation for them. There will be autotests and small club rallies (both ideal for a Mini), larger rallies, probably sprints and maybe hillclimbs. If you 'Google' their website you'll get a really good idea. If you do to one of their club-nights you'll meet lots of enthusiasts who will be only too pleased to welcome another member.
As a marshal on rallies you are essential to the running of the events and get right up close as an official and get to meet the top crews and see how they do it.
It's all great fun and great for making new friends of all ages with similar interests.
Good luck with it all,

Peter

Brilliant ill look into it straight away (or atleast when my work is done

Thanks again its much appreciated.

[Cooperman]

Hey Cooperman!
just thought id say very insperational to see your still so stuck in and hands on with your racing a flying by the sounds of it! could you give any tips or advice on how to start joining the rallying scene as i think it could be something i would enjoy if not just to watch let alone race.

Cheers!

I see that you ae in the Wolverhampton area. There is an excellent club local to you. It's the 'Wolverhampton & South Staffordshire Car Club'. They run some excellent rallies and other events, so you could join and start by helping with marshalling on events to see how it all works. Then there will be members who will help with advice on the sort of events you wish to do and the car preparation for them. There will be autotests and small club rallies (both ideal for a Mini), larger rallies, probably sprints and maybe hillclimbs. If you 'Google' their website you'll get a really good idea. If you do to one of their club-nights you'll meet lots of enthusiasts who will be only too pleased to welcome another member.
As a marshal on rallies you are essential to the running of the events and get right up close as an official and get to meet the top crews and see how they do it.
It's all great fun and great for making new friends of all ages with similar interests.
Good luck with it all,

Peter

Brilliant ill look into it straight away (or atleast when my work is done

Thanks again its much appreciated.

If you do go along to one of their meetings ask in John Bloxham is there. He is a very good friend of mine and was the British Rally Champion in 1969 in an Escort Twin Cam in addition to being a really ace guy. If you do find him he will be very helpful to you, especially if you tell him that Peter Valentine referred you to the club.
Good luck.

[samperks]

Will do mate, ive just spent the last hour and a half on there website and looking thought the bulldog rally event! looks brilliant when ive finished uni in the next 6 weeks im gonna try n find some time to pop down to a general meet up looks like fun. even if i only went a few times as a spectator i think id enjoy myself.
thanks again for the advice its much appreciated!

[Artful Dodger]

my grandand finally stopped driving his (now mine) 72' clubman gt at age 89!!!! OAMD!!! old age mini driver!

[Jacko-lah]

i had a 85 year old guy come to my place to have some body work done and hes had it form new in 1992 and said he might give it me for 100 as he cant affford to do the paint scuffs on the car

It's a test. He knows the car is worth 15 times more than that, and he's testing your honesty, and your greed. And you failed.

I don't know but I see that level of taking advantage, as the very worst.

[Jacko-lah]

I'm just concerned that some of you younger guys on here might think that because some of us are over 70, then, in driving terms, we must be 'past it'. I also have a Rover 214 SI twin-cam rally car and when I helped organise a National Rally event recently I was asked to drive one test at competitive speed with my grandson holding a video camera. Despite having to self-navigate, my test time was still fairly competitive overall and as the video shows, we were 'well-sideways' at full power several times!
Of course, my most competitive days of rallying are over and I realise this. However, I can still drive at reasonably competitive speeds and try to pass some of this onto others and I still love building competition Minis for rallying. All the young Mini chaps in this area seem to come around to my workshop at my home for help and advice and I'm delighted that they do. I've even been asked to show one or two of them how to drive a Mini quickly, smoothly (that's the key) and safely in the twisty lanes at night. Of course, I'm delighted to oblige.
Recently I've not had so much time to spare as I've returned to gliding after a break from it of 46 years (yes, really) and I have to take a writted exam for my 'Bronze certificate' later this month in addition to a more advanced flying ability test.
I had lunch with Rauno Altonnen last year and he can still drive a Mini, and anything else really, at extremely high speeds. Paddy Hopkirk is still very good in one in addition to being a really nice guy.
Don't write off us 'old farts' too soon!

I wasn't trying to write you off, but the sort of old person I'm taking about, hasn't been over 40 mph in the last 25 years, doesn't have a mobile phone, hasn't heard of the internet, and doesn't realise their choice of car (some 20 years ago) is cool.

[Jacko-lah]

I followed an 'old biddy' in a 1.3i K reg cooper, about a mile, to her home, in order to give her my number

Aren't there "anti stalking" laws to prevent that sort of thing!!

I thought about posting her some old mini world magazines through her door.

[89mini-boy]

AGE IS JUST A NUMBER !!!!!!