The car was not too badly damaged following the off on the Galloway Hills in September.  A new wing was needed and the suspension arms were replaced but apart from that it all looked fine.  Until the Sunday before Wales when the car wouldn’t start.  Gordon replaced everything he could think of, leads, coils etc. but no difference. The car was booked in with ProTec Performance to get the carbs tuned prior to heading to Wales so Gordon agreed to drop the car off a day early so that this problem could be investigated.  The laptop suggested everything was working ok but still it wouldn’t start.  The problem was finally traced to the crank shaft sensor bracket which had broken and the locating pin that prevents the sensor from moving was missing from the end of the bracket.  Once a new sensor bracket was fitted the car started straight away.

The car was picked up on Wednesday night and we headed to the service park at Deeside in North Wales.

Thursday was the day to get the car checked at scrutineering and to complete the paperwork. Everything went smoothly with no problems.

The rally started for us on Friday. There were six stages across North Wales.

The first, Clocaenog went fine. No dramas and we got up to speed quite quickly getting used to the slippy surface.

Next up was Brenig which was the longest stage of the rally at 18 miles.  It started fine but unfortunately quite early on we noticed some handling problems.  This got worse and it became clear that we had a puncture.  We still had about 8 miles to go so had no choice but to stop and change it.  It took around 3 minutes to change the wheel and then to complicate things further when getting back in the car the intercom lead had got trapped in the door and got damaged.  This meant that the last 8 miles were completed with Gordon being unable to hear the route notes.  Lots of hand signals were required from Ian to ensure we got slowed down enough for the tight corners. Fortunately we made it unscathed and got to the end without any further problems.

For the next stage in Penmachno we were able to switch to the spare intercom before the stage meaning that we were at least able to hear each other. The stage went very well, setting 25th quickest time. There was one small spin near some gates which was fairly close but fortunately just missed them and carried on.

The last 2 stages were in slate mountain, a short spectator stage at a slate mine.  The information before the event suggested it would be a bit rough so we were very cautious and didn’t take any chances. The fears were proved correct as there were huge ruts and also very large rocks on the road as well. The time for our first run through was fairly slow but it didn’t matter it would be a huge shame to break the car when the next day had some great stages.

The last stage of the day was another run round slate mountain and we got stopped near the end as a Subaru had hit a rock and completely broken the suspension leaving the car in the middle of the road blocking the stage.

We had to wait about 15 minutes for the car to be recovered and then we made our way back to the service area at Deeside.

Once back we noticed we had been given a wrong time from the blocked stage at Slate Mountain putting us down the results. We submitted an inquiry and were told that it would be sorted out.

Meanwhile David Alexander and Sam Black got to work checking the car over before the Saturday stages. The car had ran perfectly but the team found a few problems. There was a bent part on the front suspension and the nut had stripped meaning it was coming loose.  That was replaced and re-tightened ok.  Sam found that one of the back wheel bearings was in really bad condition and was concerned it wouldn’t make it to the end.  Gordon was able to use his contacts from when he worked in Shropshire to get in touch with a company that did 24 hour call outs for supplying bearings and they confirmed they had one in stock.  David and Ian set off for Shrewsbury to collect it.  It was quite late when they returned so Sam fitted it in the morning once it was daylight again.

On Saturday morning the incorrect time from the last stage had not yet been corrected and we had been put at the back meaning we were running behind cars that were much slower than us.  We asked the clerk of the course to look at it but he decided that there was no safety issue with us running with cars that we would about 3 minutes quicker than and were left to run at the back of the field.

The first stage of the day was Myherin which was very wide and fast.  Unfortunately in the first mile or so the car just slid off the road and the car got beached on the sump guard.  There were a few spectators at the corner but they couldn’t push it back onto the road.  We got out and attached the tow rope to the back of the car and we were able to pull it out back onto the road.  Unfortunately around 3 and half minutes had been lost.  However we got going again and caught and passed the 3 cars that had gone past us while we were stuck. We carry a GPS speedometer in the car and this was the fastest stage of the weekend reaching 91 mph.

The next stage was Sweet Lamb.  We had a very clear run through here with no real dramas.  We caught the 2 cars running in front of us but they were really good and moved out of the way straight away.

The next stage was Dyfi, another classic Welsh forest stage. This one again went fine and we caught a couple of cars but no problems to speak of.

Only 2 stages to go and the next one was Gartheiniog across the road from Dyfi. It was a bit looser in here but we had another clean run.

The last stage of the rally was Dyfnant and was only 5 miles long. We didn’t take any risks but had a good run and set the 20th quickest time through here.

We then had a 2 hour road section back to Deeside to complete the rally.  When we got back to Deeside we were showing as having a 3 minute time penalty.  We queried this and it got removed as it was a mistake.

We made it over the finish ramp to finish 30th overall and 5th in class.

And that was it over for another year. 30th overall was a good result and the stages were really good.

A huge thanks to everyone that helped especially David and Sam for servicing. Thanks to Alan and Mark at ProTec for slotting us in and making the time to get the car running properly. Thanks to Anthony for the loan of an intercom for Saturday after we broke the cable on Friday.

The event started from Castle Douglas.  The morning got off to a slightly stressful start when the car wouldn’t start first thing due to a flat battery. After attaching the jump leads it started first time but it wasn’t the calm start we had hoped for.

After going over the ceremonial start ramp at Threeve Gardens we were off towards the first stage using part of the Raiders road forest drive near Clatteringshaws.  It was a steady start for the first couple of miles as we both got back into the swing of things after the outing on the Scottish in May.  After that things went very well with a nice flowing stage and we found some decent pace towards the end of the stage.  We ended the stage 42nd overall.

Black Loch was the next stage.  Again things were going well until about 2 miles in and we slid a bit wide on a tight left hander. There was a bridge just after the corner and the car slid over the edge and then went into the ditch after that.  It plugged into the soft ground and then tipped onto its side.

We manged to get out ok but the car was stuck fast and the suspension looked to be quite badly damaged. That was us till everyone had gone through and the recovery unit came and pulled the car back onto its wheels and then out of the ditch.  The car was driving under its own power but wasn’t handling too well, we toured through to the end of the stage and then made it along the road to the service area.

Thanks to George and his recovery crew for getting us back onto our wheels and thanks to Michelle and Alan for walking up from the previous junction to make sure we were ok.

Not the best end to the day but it was good fun while it lasted.  Now a bit of work ahead to get the car ready for Wales Rally GB in October but fingers crossed its not too serious.

Thanks to David, Samantha and Connor for helping us out over the weekend.

Gordon has now moved to Yorkshire so its not just so far to come back to Scotland.  The team entered the Scottish rally which would be the first event in Scotland for 5 years.

Start line – photo by Brian Alexander

The event started from Lockerbie Lorry Park and we away nice and early at 8:15 in the morning.  The weather had been very dry in the lead up to the event so a lot of dust was expected.

The first stage was Twiglees and we made a steady start as this was the first rally for 7 months.  No real problems but every now and again we would get caught in a dust cloud as there was very little wind and it was struggling to clear in some sections.  The stage was also quite loose which made it quite a challenge to go in a straight line.  At the end we were 16th fastest which was respectable if unspectacular.

Stage 2 was Castle Oer just across the road. Dust was again likely to be a problem, however the car in front of us had gone off at the second junction and the car in front of him had gone off at junction 3. This meant we had a 3 minute gap to the car in front and visibility was perfect. We were able to push on the stage and it was all going well until a 90 left hand bend and the back end of the car came round too quick and the car spun and stalled.  It took a while to get going as we had to get the car started and then do a 3 point turn so probably 30 seconds or so lost.  Shortly after we came into a right hand junction and Gordon misheard the note and set the car up for going left.  So another small spin and 10 seconds lost. Only 25th quickest through the stage dropping us to 18th overall.

We then had a regroup and then back to Twiglees for a second run through.  The wind had picked up and the dust was clearing much quicker so it didn’t cause any problems on this run.  All was going well until about 3 miles from the end.  We were going over a particularly rough patch and trying to keep the car neat and tidy however when trying to dodge a big rock the car stepped sideways and we punctured a rear tyre. That made things difficult for the last section as we could only go half speed along the straights due to the unpredictable handling. 22nd quickest was all we could manage.

Stage 4 was another run through Castle Oer.  It was over almost as soon as it began.  The driveshaft broke off the start line and we decided to park up at the next junction.  Once all the cars had gone through we rejoined in front of the closing car and made it out and then back to service.  The plan was to get it repaired and complete the last 2 stages. However once back in service we discovered it was too badly damaged and couldn’t be repaired.

Unfortunate to end the rally like that but it was enjoyable while it lasted.

Thanks to Brian and David for helping out with the servicing.

Wales Rally GB had been the target for this year with the events at the Woodpecker and the Trackrod to make sure the car and the crew were ready to tackle an event of this size.  This had been a long term aim of the team having grown up watching rally GB long before we bought the first rally car. The chance to finally compete was too good to pass up. Unfortunately the budget wouldn’t quite stretch to the full international event but the 2 day national event was still something to really look forward to.

The full team were back together for this event with Sam taking the opportunity to have a holiday (!!) and helping out with the servicing.

In true ABC Rallying fashion things weren’t going too smoothly in the lead up to the event. The gearbox had been rebuilt since the Trackrod and some damage was discovered on the pinion on the output shaft.  A new shaft was required which delayed the rebuild and it was the Wednesday before the event before the box was back in the car. Unfortunately there was a small problem preventing 1st, 2nd and reverse from being selected. The gear cluster had to come back out and the selectors were reset which seemed to fix the problem.

This delayed the first road test until Thursday and the handling wasn’t perfect once the car was out on the road. Some more work to change the suspension geometry and get the car handling properly.

Another late night for Mr Black meaning his holiday wasn’t very relaxing but the car was almost ready and a few hours work in the morning and it was finished off and loaded onto the trailer.

Sam and Brian took the car straight to Deeside for scrutineering and David, Gordon and Ian made a quick stop at Demon Tweeks in Wrexham for a new crash helmet. The team were the last crew to present the car for scrutineering but it passed with no issues and we were set for the start.

Although we weren’t doing any competitive mileage until Saturday we had to take the car to Chester to take it over the ceremonial start ramp.

The atmosphere was fantastic with the streets full of spectators and the excitement really starting to build for the weekend ahead.

The rest of Friday night was spent in the service area at Deeside which was the site of the Rally Village. It was fascinating to see how the professionals go rallying.

Finally Saturday morning came and we started the event proper.  The first stage was a quick blast around Cholmondeley Castle, a short spectator special.  We took no chances in here and were ultra cautious still setting a respectable 35th overall.

Onto the first gravel stage at Aberhirnant. It was fairly slippy but the car and driver were going well.  We caught a car in the stage who got out of the way very quickly and caught another car just as we got to the finish line. No real moments and everything went very smoothly.

A clip from Aberhirnant (start at 12:25 if the clip doesn’t start there automatically) – uploaded by Daniel Austen to YouTube.

The next stage was Dyfnant and we had a great run through here. The car was very well balanced and was handling beautifully.  About 3 miles from the end the handling went funny and there were some bad noises under braking.  Gordon suspected a puncture and we continued to the end and then examined the damage.  Unfortunately it wasn’t a puncture but some sort of suspension problem as the front wheels were pointing in quite different directions.

Passing the Beetle on Dyfnant – Video posted by Anne Howells on Facebook

We headed down the road section to get to the refueling point and then stopped in a layby to get a better look at the damage.  Unfortunately the problem was terminal and the mount holding the tie bar had sheared off completely.  We made some repairs to allow us to drive it back to Deeside but it wouldn’t have been safe to continue on the stages.

Sam and Simon met us at Deeside and got to work replacing the broken part.  They were soon joined by Brian and David and we got it completed and the car re-scrutineered allowing us to re-start on Sunday morning.

Saturday evening was spent watching the WRC cars booking in to the time control after they had completed the night stages.

Sunday was a fairly short day with 3 short stages to complete the rally.  We were running under rally 2 rules meaning we were carrying some time penalties for missing 2 stages on the previous day.  This had dropped us down the order but wouldn’t stop us having fun and enjoying the day.

The first Sunday stage was Gwydir. Sitting at the start Gordon recalled that he had done the stage before in the 2016 Cambrian rally.  He had overshot a junction and ended up down a fire break in the forest.  About halfway through the stage we hit a sudden square right and overshot slightly having a slight spin and stalling the car. At the end Gordon announced that it was the same corner he had overshot last year.  Everything else went well and although a few seconds were lost it was still a good time.

The next stage was Alwyn. The stage went perfectly and was our best time of the weekend setting 19th quickest time.

We then had a short regroup and onto the final stage Brenig. This again went very well right until the last corner. Gordon misheard a note and missed a tight right hander meaning we ran up a banking and stalled. There were a few tense moments as we wondered if there was any damage but we quickly got going and across the finish line.

We then had the last road section back to the ceremonial finish in Llandudno. Again there was a great atmosphere with lots of spectators out to see the rally cars completing the rally.

We got to the end even although we had to use rally 2 to get there but it was still great to get to the end.  The overall result wasn’t spectacular due to missing the 2 stages but the car showed real potential and could have been top 25 if we had had a clean run on the 2 stages we missed. That’s rallying and overall it was a really enjoyable event with great stages and just being part of an event of this stature was an amazing experience.  The stages were really busy with spectators and it was great to see so many saltires out on display.

Full Results

Results ignoring the 2 missed stages

Full results service provided by TCS http://results.djames.org.uk/results/index.php?e=500

Huge thanks to everyone who helped us get there.  In particular to Sam Black for spending so much time on the spanners when he was meant to be on holiday.  Thanks also to Brian, David and Simon for their assistance over the weekend keeping the car going.