Friday 15th June.
After work I finished preping the car. I put the Falcons on and got all the spare parts loaded into boxes ready to be packed into the service car. I then got all the paperwork, race boots, overalls, helmets, stopwatches and clipboard ready in the car.
I wanted an early night but my nav, Kev stayed over so we ended up messing about watching rally videos and didnt get to bed untill about 2 in the morning!
Saturday 16th June.
Got up at 6.... yea right! Got up at 8 and had some breakefast. then got the spres from Kevs house and Dave turned up at mine as he was comming to service. We then got the cars loaded up and left for Wales at about 10.
The dirve was fun as I was in the mini and Dave and Kev were in the Reanult 5, dave kept leaning out the window and making me laugh!!
We finally got to Wales and I annoyed some locals by my car constatly backfireing through the centre of town!
We then stopped at a pub and had a look on a map to find th entrance to the service area, not realising that we were about 50yards down the road from it!
We got there and went strait to sound testing. Passed.
Then went to scrutinering. Failed, The pull cord for the kill switch had broken!!! Luckly I had a spare, then He said the seats were loose, which is a load of C**p, and there was a hole in my bulkhead, and kevs overalls were in kevs car which was back at the service area.
So we made a note of what needed doing andwent to signing on. I signed on, got the door numbers and got the maps, me and Kev then started to feel very nervous. The maps looked very difficult and complicated and the stages were 11 miles long!!!
After looking through the peper work we whent to the service area were we would be camping... But before we got there the starter motor burnet out, and set on fire!!! PANIC!!!
Luckly a friend had a spare one, so we fitted that and sorted out what needed doing to the car, we then went back to scrutineering and passed. phew!
we then left the cars in the service area and whent to the pub for a well earned drink.
then back to service, set up the tents then... back to the pub! after a nice meal we decided to go to bed as we were all knackered.
Sunday 17th.
5.30 we were woken by rally cars!!!
We all woke up to the sound of people taking there cars off there trailers and reving there engines. So, We got up dressed in or race suits and packed the stuff into the tent.
after breakfast (a swig of water and a rasian cake) we met up with some friends and drove to the service area for the rally.
A friend of mine, who also drives a mini had set a place up for us and so the two minis in class 1 set up in the corner and got our tools ready.
A friend of mine then turned up to help service and brought his Snap-on wizzy gun, what a ledgend! we the got something to eat from the burger bar.
We then sat around and read the paper for a bit whilst moast other people paniced as we were well prepeared.
We were first out at 9.16. at 9.05 me and kev got ready and got in the car. "dont go and bend it and give me something to do, I want to sit here and read my peper!" was the order from charlie before we left for stage one.
The drive from service to the stage start was about 1 1/2 miles of very thin tight country lanes. we arived at the stage start and by this point I was very nervous. Carewent is the hardest single venue rally, and I didnt want to bend my car!
We were bang on time and started the stage.
The start was good, and at first I though that it seemed quite open, I then soon realised that the roads got very tight. I battled with the cold tyres and started to get used to the conditions of the stage.
the roads were not much wided than my car and were not very clerly marked. we got caut up and passed by a very fast 205 GTi and then an F1000 Micra, who passed us and then span it into a fence!
there were cars all over the stage that had crashed out, but we made it though the stage only hitting 2 kerbs, when I got distracted by the micra. this damaged the rim and tyre.
There was a section though a quarry which had a 20ft drop on the outside of the corners. a very tight section passed some buildings, a jump flatout in 4th and a gravel section.
we finihed the stage with steem pouring out of the bonnet as we had overheated.
after a bit of work we were off to the second stage. This wet alot better with only one problem, we went strait on at a 90 right and ended up in a courtyard, with the car behind following!!!
At one point we went into a corner too fast and went strait on and came back onto the trach by driving up a mound and getting air onto the track!!! the spectators loved it.
and we then missd the final 90 Left to the flying finish but were still over a minuite faster then stage one.
stage 3 went really well and I thought this was our best stage.
we were flying along until one point were we went strait on at a junction and through a hadge, leaving a m mini shaped grove! we thought this was hilareous!!!
we lost our clutch completly during the stage and were still overheating.
we arived back at service with plants stuck to the car and a broken wheel arch. Dave though this was very funny. we were not 6th in class. we bled the clutch and drained the cooling system to re fill it with just water.
The we went onto the 4th stage, we were now running on Flacon tryes on the front as the Colways were worn out. There took a minuite to warm up. this stage went really well, we didnt go off atall, had not problems and we seemed to have fixed the clutch and overheating problem. me and kev were almost crying with laughter when we got the the corner with the mini shaped hole in the bush.
by this stage we were 4th in class and not far from the car in 3rd.
we then had an houtr for lunch, so after some food we changed the tie rod bushes and spanner checked the car.
when we were ready we set off for the 5th stage. when we were driving sown the road to the stage start the car cut out. the fule hose had come off the fule pump!!
Kev tried to get it on while I ran to the stage start, I ran the 1 1/2 miles in my race suite and boots! I got loads of blisters on my feet.
but when I arived they said we were 9 minuted late and were were excluded. we were gutted!
so we went back to service, packed up and then just watched the other cars.
we were both so dissapointed as we were 4th in class and really really enjoying it.
We left at about 6 after packing everything up and drove home, on the way home I overheated and we had to stop. then Kevs car split a rad hose and so we had to stop again. luckley the rescue car from the rally stopped and helped.
We limped it home.
It was a fantastic day evan though we were excluded. my mini made my proud.
http://www.edpphoto....midsum-2353.htm
http://www.edpphoto....midsum-1787.htm
http://www.edpphoto....midsum-1789.htm
http://www.edpphoto....midsum-1879.htm
http://www.edpphoto....midsum-2684.htm
http://www.edpphoto....midsum-3080.htm
http://www.edpphoto....midsum-3082.htm
http://www.edpphoto....midsum-3162.htm
http://www.edpphoto....midsum-3163.htm
http://www.edpphoto....midsum-3163.htm
http://www.edpphoto....midsum-3163.htm
http://www.edpphoto....midsum-3163.htm
Thanks to dave and Charlie for servicing. we couldnt have done it with out you.
Chris.
