9 replies to this topic

[miniman24]

Does anyone have any idea what sort of information the route card holders would have been used to display in the rally cars? Obviously some kind of route info or specs, but how was it laid out? Cant find any good quality examples online and currently I just have a cut out from an old map in mine

[CMXCVIII]

Uncle Cooperman will tell you far more than I can, but you'd have had either a marked map or a road book of Tulip diagrams. Or pace notes if you were really pro and it was that sort of event! 

 

Don't forget you had a time card too - ususally stored in the navagator's door - that had to be marked at the controls.

[miniman24]

I like the Tulip diagrams one, now to create one to fit the card holder! I presume they would have been laminated?

 

Edit: To be fair, mine is not meant to be a rally recreation, its more my interpretation of a period upmarket Mini fitted to compete in road and time trial events, kind of grand tourer style, if a Mini can be something like that!

Edited by miniman24, 28 May 2014 - 07:38 PM.

[minispaniard]

a link to the Hughes Historic Rally website, this year's event is happening this weekend...

 

at the bottom of the page you can download the roadbook and regularity hand outs from last year, any good?

[CMXCVIII]

I like the Tulip diagrams one, now to create one to fit the card holder! I presume they would have been laminated?

 

Your flashy new one will be    but back in the 1970s when I was rallying, road books were printed or more usually Roneo stencelled onto cheap pulpy paper! They were disposable at the end of the event, remember!

 

[God! This dates me! You've probably never heard of a Roneo mimograph and I haven't thought about them for thirty something years!]

[Cooperman]

I always used these route card holders for sections where the co-driver (me) was driving on road sections of international rallies whilst the driver was asleep. In general the co-driver knew where he was going, but I would just jot down the important bits to remind me.

For example, if it was a very long section, say over 100 miles, I might put:

 

41.5 miles on A 49, then left onto A492 and 15.3 miles to XXXXXX,

Follow A492 for further 5 miles to left turn onto B4036 and go north for 6 miles to YYYYYYYYY.

Turn left at X-roads and go 3 miles to main control in Hotel.

 

Due time at main control, 03-45 hours.

[miniman24]

 

I like the Tulip diagrams one, now to create one to fit the card holder! I presume they would have been laminated?

 

Your flashy new one will be    but back in the 1970s when I was rallying, road books were printed or more usually Roneo stencelled onto cheap pulpy paper! They were disposable at the end of the event, remember!

 

[God! This dates me! You've probably never heard of a Roneo mimograph and I haven't thought about them for thirty something years!]

 

 

Nope, I had never heard of them, but the power of the Internet means that I now know all about them

 

So the route cards (or whatever info displayed) was very much individual to the driver or co-driver and how they liked to lay it out? IE there was no set format for the route cards and info?

[Cooperman]

On the UK Internationals (RAC, Scottish, Welsh, Gulf-London & Circuit of Ireland) we received a high quality road book with accurate 'Tulip' diagrams for the entire route. This also applied to many overseas internationals as well, including the Tulip, of course.

On some events the route instructions were less precise, but most would do a full 'recce' and make up their own Tulip route book.

These were looooong events with few breaks and it was necessary for the co-driver to do some of the driving. I always reckoned that on the RAC I drove over 50% of the road mileage whilst the driver drove the stages with the co-driver reading the notes or the maps as appropriate. It was hard work!

Experienced co-drivers were in demand, which is why my rallying did not cost me a fortune, and we generally knew the way from one set of stages to another in a different part of the country. So making up these little reminders was a help. We also used to have pre-arranged 'convoys' with other competitors on the long road sections which also helped. Of course, in those days amphetamine tablets helped on very long events!

If only we could bring back those classic days and nights of rallying in those now classic cars. It was wonderful!

[miniman24]

It does sound incredible, Id imagine that it is just not the same now (and far too costly for the common man to enter). Would love to have seen that scene back in the day, Id imagine there were some beer/pub sessions as good as the rallys! Also thanks for the info on the cards and Tulip diagrams, should enable me to create something more accurate than my current cut out from an old AA map.

[Cooperman]

The parties at the end of the major events were awesome  .

The RAC Rally, for example, once (in 1964 I seem to remember) took over 'The Talk of the Town' night club in the West End for the party and prize-giving.

The Gulf-London once finished at the Excelsior Hotel at Manchester Airport (1967). I once got home 2 days late as a result of that party - that took some explaining (don't ask!!!).

I got to the end of a Gulf-London Rally one year (1965), walked into the bar and a good friend bought me a pint of bitter. On top of the amphetamines it knocked me out and after almost 55 hours flat out and without proper sleep I then slept for 24 hours, missing the party & the prize-giving. We won a lot of money as well, but never mind.

I am proud to be a member of an organisation called 'Ecurie Cod Fillet' (Google it). It is an association of rally people from the 50's, 60's & 70's and we have some great re-unions with food, beer and laughter.  One member said that 'the older he gets the faster he used to be'. All sorts turn up from all over the World. Even Stirling Moss is a member as is Paddy H., Rauno Aaltonnen, Timo Makinen and most of the other famous Mini drivers from 1960's rallying. The only sticker on my road car is an Ecurie Cod Fillet one.

We all wanted to win major rallies, but we also wanted to have fun. Not like now when it's all commercial and cash-driven by sponsors.