Competition Round-Up

Team Spirit Rally Sport Wyedean results:

77th Overall and 13th in class.

BTRDA Standings after 1 Round:
Peugeot Gold Star Overall: 19th with 11 points.
Peugeot Gold Star Class A7 Driver (Ellya) 9th.
Peugeot Gold Star Class A7 Co-Driver (Ian) 9th .

Highlights:
Stage two: we lost the clutch, due to a stretched cable, about a mile into the 5 mile stage, but still managed to catch a Seat Cupra Sport about a mile from the end. Unfortunately we couldn't get his attention to pass him. We also had a 'moment' at 90 mph when the car hit a pot hole sending us fish-tailing down the track, don't know how we managed to end up pointing the right way!
Stage six: sent about half a dozen spectators diving for cover as we had another 'moment' down a fast straight.
Stage seven: lost a few seconds when we spun on a chicane. Secondary throttle spring made a break for freedom, leaving us with a very spongy peddle.
Stage eight: we were cautious through the last mile or so, where there had been a lot of logging.
Stage nine: short sprint to the end of a most enjoyable day.
Next BTRDA event: Malcolm Wilson Stages, March 6th (Cumbria)

Phillipsons Make Dramatic Wyedean Return

Catherine and Richard were seeded car 36 which meant running car 17 on the road as the BTRDA Gold Star puts F2 cars first with the N4/A8/B Group cars running in a second batch.

This gave them good quality stages and also meant that there were still plenty of spectators around when they went past.

The Wyedean started in Coleford and they were quickly into the first stage.This was the first time in about a year that they had been on the maps and they really struggled with the first stage. However, it turned out that, that stage was notoriously "not as map" and everyone had problems.

The second stage was nearly the scene of their undoing as they hit a gatepost sideways and broke open the near side door.

They did not notice this at the time (Catherine was too busy holding the door shut) and arrived at the end of the stage with a loss of about 20 seconds. But then - gasp - no time cards! They were about to retire but a fine marshal put the time on a scrap of paper and signed it. At the next PC the marshal gave them his own photocopied sample set of cards and they were back in the running. A marshal at emergency service then gave them a road book, the crew tie-wrapped the door shut and they were ready to go again - with Jo Brand-style instructions from the rather tiny photocopied 1" maps in the road book.

But they can't really blame these for stalling comprehensively in the straw bale chicane on the "spectator" stage at the race course.

The only consolation was that this stage had the fewest spectators of them all, making them wonder who it was really there for.

Lunchtime service saw a complete, proper set of timecards from Rally HQ and the construction of a plastic window for Catherine, with a timecard-sized slit carefully cut in it, which caused much hilarity among the marshals all afternoon.

The Wyedean is a good-humoured rally with excellent and varied stages (with no big drops). It ran perfectly to time and they would recommend it to anyone in the club who would like to try forest rallying.

The good news was that they did not break a driveshaft CV joint as they had on virtually every event in the last 15 months.

The car may have appeared like an old maid on the uphill hairpins, but they finished 2nd in N3, 1st N3 in BTRDA, 12th Gold Star and 60th overall.

They can do better than that and will be out on the Vauxhall Rally of Wales to prove it!

Wug Utting and Nick Starkey are another SCC crew planning to contest the Vauxhall Rally of Wales on the 12th to 14th of March.

The Gliddons Somerset Stages will see a number of SCC crews in action, including Richard and Catherine Phillipson,in the Astra. Team Spirit Rallysport should be there in the Peugeot and also Mark Shoosmith in his newly acquired Group A Mazda 323.

Chris Morford will be looking after driver Alan Rennie and the Loxwood's LM3000 in the BRSCC Sportscar Championship this year. First event is currently Easter Monday at Brands Hatch, although if testing at Snetterton goes well an earlier event at Castle Combe may be contested. Chris is still trying to work out where the co-driver sits!!

Rallye Sunseeker Bits & Pieces

Roger Binyon & Catherine Phillipson had their diminutive Daihatsu Avanzo dubbed the 'flying washing machine' by commentator Robin Bradford, on Rallye sunseeker. They put in a tremendous performance to win class B9 and finish 40th Overall.

Tony Jardine and Kevin Piper found Dorset rather warmer than the Arctic and finished Rallye Sunseeker 9th in Class N4 and 26th Overall

Louise Goodman and Suzanne Emiliani finished 10th in Class A5 and 57th Overall in their Ford Ka. They also won the Mintex Championship Coupe des Dames.

Hefin Harries and Wayne Rogers in the CGU Vauxhall Astra finished 5th in Class N3 and 64th Overall.

Dick Slaughter partnered by Geoff Dearing had to retire after stage 8 with manifold problems.

John Blaber and Alan Jamieson went OTL after stage 7 when the engine management system failed.

Wug Utting had to retire the Quattro as transport for the Clerk of the Course when the engine expired. Rick Smith was transferred to the Focus driven by Chief Marshal Dave Walton. However numerous stops had to be made as this had been declared a 'no-smoking vehicle!'

Rally FM was on air for nine days and provided music, interviews with drivers and in depth information in the build up to the rally on the Saturday. On the day of the rally Gary Champion anchored the day long show bringing live reports and up to date results to listeners. One of the highlights was an in-car commentary live from a stage from driver Andrew Apperley as he tackled Ringwood North.

The awards ceremony was broadcast live from the Forestdale Suite at Rally HQ, the Wessex Hotel.

Leukaemia Research is the nominated charity of Rallye Sunseeker, supporters were selling programmes on both Friday at the Rally Show and from 06.45 am on the Saturday. The event will raise in excess of £1000 for this worthy cause.

Some 872 Officials, Marshals, Doctors and Rescue Crews 'signed on', on the day of the rally.

Hurn Post Office and Village Stores one of the retail outlets for the Official Programme had a good day – they sold out of sandwiches!!

Guests at Somerley Park not only had the opportunity to view the action but also to try their hand on the Pirelli simulator.

One puzzled co-driver couldn't find junction 45 in his road book on stage 4. It was explained to him that he had been looking at the split board for stages 4 & 5.