Wyedean Rally 2008 – Adie Williams

Another Wyedean Rally has come and gone, always good to see so many people that you’ve not seen for a few months at scrutineering and the start, and great to see so many club members out rallying some for the first time.

Stage 1- Started off quite well in Chepstow park, went off the boil a little in the midsection after the car snapped violently one way and posted a 16th fasted time not to bad for a starter.

Stage 2 – Serridge - was great, we built up quite a speed coming up on to the tarmac road and then continued on at the same pace until the end setting 10th fastest time.

Stage 3 - Sallowvallets – went off the boil a bit here again, had a spin, I knew a quick time here was anything up to six and a half minutes so a 6.43 was a bit disappointing for us, but we were still going and had 3 more classic stages to attack.

Stage 4 – Racecourse - a little blast before service was just all it was. Great to see us 9th overall on the results sheet

Service – we had Dorian Rees Motorsport running the car, worked on the car for a full hour and had a great lunch in the Greenergy motor home with Nigel Griffiths and Josh Burton.

Stage 5 – Speech House – avoided the nasty one right at the start and seemed fine until the hairpin left before the impossible, we managed to spin and stall and the engine, it would then not start for 20 seconds. Within 2 miles the power went off and temp hit the roof. We stopped at the bottom of spruce ride and cooled the engine, the next car came through and then nothing due to the accident, a little worrying as I thought it would have been Dave and Graham, but all was well even with the Irish boys who crashed (tantamount to a properly built rally car again)

Once the engine had cooled we took the car back to Chepstow for the ‘if’ ‘ahhs’ and ‘buts’ storey again!!! Robin Hood next – the engines already out, as it’s early March in Mansfield, and also Saturday night to see all the historic’s and hopefully Stig in the dark.

Great to see so many people out watching the sport on such a nice day, and thank-you to all the unsung heroes again who allow us to go rallying like the marshals who didn’t get to see any stage rallying all day, the passage control guys and the boys in the club who are there every year doing the important jobs like radio’s, extinguishers, signs, service areas organisation and such.

Adie Williams Car 27

Dukeries Rainy Report – Adie Williams

No you did read it correct, after a four hour drive to Nottingham Southwell racecourse with Captain and Nigel in extreme driving conditions (Bob had already gone on ahead and got the car checked) we arrived to find the place running in water.

The two hour road section to the Rainbow Hill stage had been cancelled and an extra loop put back in to Portland to make up some stage mileage, which we were not to bothered about.

All back to the hotel for a few pints and a meal as it was starting to get late and these old drivers need their sleep!!!We set off for the racecourse in the morning telling Mark Satin and all his team that there is usually a good breakfast at the start and no need to bother to wait for the Premier Lodge breakfast to open.

When we arrived I could not believe the amount of standing water, the buildings and rally cars left from the night before were completely marooned in the now lake! No MC1 and no Breakfast – sorry Mark

MC1 was now out on the road so off we go,

1st stage Blidworth was hellish slippy we were wide on at least two corners before going off into the scenery on a square left towards the finish – not to surprised to find we were 21st after that one.

Stage 2 Clipstone North was a little better but still not quick enough stalled on the second corner and spun again facing the wrong way only 18 fastest.

Stage 3 Clipstone South started to get better no mistakes and a good run gave us third fastest time and moved us up the standings.

Stage 4 Portland a quick splash of fuel in auxiliary service before we went in put us into lateness and I started to panic when we drove past the entrance to the stage as the arrows were blocked by spectator cars, calm down!!! - the start a tricky right left right junction quarter of a mile went smooth this time and the only real trouble was taking part of the chicane out on the one mile straight! The time was not that special but we are still going.

On to service this is now one and a half hours due to the cancelled Rainbow Hill stage, time for a quick chat with the sponsor and fellow Skoda dealer Jon Atherton and a bit of banter with Jimmy Christie and Davie (it’s was nice to be beating them for a change). Had a nice gesture from the Wyedean winner of a cash donation for the David Williamson fund – can’t stop thanking people for what we all achieved

Captain and Nigel had plenty of time so they changed the front tyres and driveshaft that had shed a boot and even had time to wash the car after.

Back to Clipstone 12 miles of rallying great stuff – Best stage I’ve done in a long while no mistakes and flat over the spectator crest’s before the square right which we only just get around before the long straight flat out again fantastic rallying, after the finish the Brown brother’s Mitsubishi was smoking badly with a fire they were now out and had been in front of us so that moved us up a place for sure. We set fifth fastest time and it felt like.

Last stage back to Portland, it was all going well until towards the end when we span and stalled again loosing a good ten seconds.

The car ran faultlessly after the engine rebuild but we should in hindsight started with fresh tyres on the front and changed the diff settings to suit the conditions more but we are still learning about the thing!

10th on a BTRDA round is always a good result, forty seconds would have put us third and I can’t help thinking what would have been without the spins and stalls.

Looks like Sweet Lamb for the Gill Gwynne and the Woodpecker next…………..

Adie Williams

Robin Hood Forest Stages – Adie Williams

We made our way north for the annual Lindholme Motor club Robin Hood stages, set off with Nigel Jenkins and Captain on the Saturday, arrived scrutineered and signed on all ok. Went out and watched the Historic’s on Saturday night which made a change, it’s a long time since I’ve seen a rally in the dark, great to see the lights and the old cars at night. After the pre-rally banter Sunday morning we set off for the first loop of stages, started well second overall after the first, dropped back a little after the next two, stage five was cancelled and we arrived at service in 4th place.

A quick check Nigel changed a steering arm and Captain tried to sort the melting front covers on the engine, the exhaust manifold was leaking and staring to melt everything plastics within a 12” radius.

Back up to Clipstone South and North great stages flat over crest and crest and crest 120mph stuff brilliant, Bob not to happy with the handling and noticed the diff pressures reading zero. At the next service the boys tried everything to get a reading but no luck so we fitted some new rubber on the rear and hoped we wouldn’t loose too much time.

Back to Birklands we get to the end and equal the bogey time so we can’t be going too bad, just the two Clipstone stages again now after the first the temperatures now at 120 due to the manifold problem so Bob checks our time with the car behind to see if it’s worth going on, we are two seconds up, as it’s only 50 yards straight into the next stage we pull up and use our lateness to cool the engine, a couple of lads are there on push bikes and give us their water bottles we pour onto the intercooler which does the trick and we set off into the last stage. At the end we see Donovan Jenkin parked up he’s broken a shaft and was in front of us so we think we could now have moved up to 3rd.

We get to the finish and find we are in fact 2nd car six as incurred a time penalty and we wait for the results to become final and collect our awards. A great day’s motorsport not trouble free but lady luck was on our side for a change.

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Adie Williams – Telford Winter Stages

Well this is going to be short!

Managed to get a late entry to do the TWS Rally at sweet lamb complex the week after the Wyedean, Bob got Dave Jenkins keen on as well, Paul and Rob Drew already had signed up so the Forest boys were on tour.

After a bit of debate we all set off Abergavenny way, (Rob Drew being a typical old Forrester and Ray Jenkins not knowing the Hereford way) we had to pick Graham Cox up in Berry Hill and came across the Drew’s having a pee stop in the middle of the Monmouth bridge! We then started convoy sort of fashion to sweet lamb, Dave had already gone in the camper the night before. All vehicles checked and signed on ready to go, picked up the route notes, there’s a lot of bends in sweet lamb, but the junctions looked well numbered, so we will see.

Stage 1 - the car seemed fine Bob was happy with the traction out of the corners and the handling but it still seemed a bit scrappy, I had a “you’re on your own” moment for about half a mile to the next junction and the tarmac at the end on the stage was very slippy and we seemed to be very slow.

Stage 2 - We could see the cars at the first Mickey Mouse junction both the cars in front seemed to go off Bob said “I won’t do that” but we did, backwards, we seemed to get going again quite quickly, up through the water splash, plenty of water in the car, and out over the top of the stage out of the bowl – the banging noise half way in resulted in immediate retirement - a front driveshaft failure.

The tow truck took us back to the service area and we checked the times, second overall after the first was a bit encouraging because we new we could have gone a lot quicker. Dave and Graham didn’t last long either losing third gear on stage two and retiring soon after, so it was just left to Paul and Rob drew to show the reliability and pace in the Mk2 Escort, coming home in 17th place.

The Robin Hood and the Astra Stages are next on the agenda, let’s hope we do better there or it could be ‘hasta la vista baby’!!