ABC Rallying - Test Day

Test Day - Saturday 1st March 2003

Following the Snowman Rally, the team weren't too happy with the handling of the car. As the full back suspension had been changed over the winter there were a few things which may have been causing the problems. To get a chance to try a few things the team arranged to visit the Scottish Forest Rally School for a spot of private testing. The stage was about a mile and a half long, there was then a turning area and you came back along the stage to the start line again. The first run was done to get a baseline for how the car was handling so that we could judge what effect any changes had. The back end of the car was still very unstable with it skipping from side to side as the speeds increased. We then decided to change the back springs to a slightly softer pair.
Sam removing the old springs and fitting the new ones
The new springs were fitted and we moved to a different stage. The stage was about the same length as the first one but it was a bit smoother and faster. This let us get a higher top speed which was were we wanting to check the handling of the car. After one run on the new springs we were much happier with the handling and after some fine tuning and a second run the car was handling as well as it had ever done.

It was a very successful day with us getting to the bottom of the handling problems which hampered us during the Snowman Rally.

Anyone interested in learning more about the rally school or booking out the forest for private testing can contact Tommy or Rhona Mackin on 01290 700601. Remember to mention the ABC Rallying web site when you phone.

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