First event draws near.

The first event in the new Roofing Rally Team 6R4 draws ever closer! The entry has been sent off, the new wheels have tyres fitted, even the fuel is ready. There's a tremendous feeling of anticipation in the team, the excitement is building daily. There's always extra nerves on the first event in a new car and I certainly don't expect this one to be any different. Whilst we won't be doing much more than a systems check at competitive speed we're certainly not intending on being slow.....

It's nice to know that our entry has arrived in Jersey, here's hoping we get a run on the closed road event. I'm lucky enough to have competed on the Jersey Rally about 5 times and can really recommend not only the stages but the whole event, as well as the island of Jersey itself.

Streetly Motor Club are having a game night this coming Wednesday and have created a virtual stage with a virtual 6R4 for people to drive ~ everywhere I look there are 6R4s! So much so that I even have a very limited run of Roofing Rally Team model 6R4s being made ~ very limited being 5!!

Eastern Bloc fun.

As I'm preparing to get back into a 6R4 again I got to thinking about other cars I've rallied in and I realised that some of the most fun I've had rallying has been in "unfashionable" Eastern Bloc cars.

I was lucky enough to experience Andy Corner's Skodaford which was great fun despite being a gearbox killer. We managed to win our class in the Heart of England Rally Championship that year but the resounding memory I have was from the Jersey Rally.

On the way to the ceremonial start we stopped for fuel and as we made our out of the tunnel the gearbox broke, we'd not even got to the start and retirement was staring us in the face! The service crew and Andy pulled out all the stops (and the gearbox too) and managed to get us to the start virtually seconds before we were due to leave. Andy was now really fired up and the rain started - could it get any worse? Well yes it could because the interior lights failed as we waited for the start of stage 1..... Those evening stages were the most sideways tarmac miles of my life, truly fantastic fun and crowd pleasing too.

My next brush with Communist automotive technology came in the AWMMC Road Rally Championship after we blew a hole in our Mini's diff. A quick trip into Edgbaston and we had a Russian red Lada for our next event! Whilst it wasn't the fastest it certainly proved to be pretty indestructible, surviving valve bounce all the way up Sweet Lamb's long hills as we did they daylight Eagle Rally. On any white we knew we could take time out of the Escorts, 205s and everything else, the little Lada could cope with the roughest conditions all night long, the seats were comfortable too and what a heater - on full blast we could turn the inside of the car into a sauna in seconds!!!
Neither is on par with a 6R4 but they were great fun to rally and proved to be successful silverware collectors. Rose tinted spectacles probably makes them a little more fun than they really were but I really enjoyed my events in both cars. The fun factor of each car was far greater that its performance but as I rally for enjoyment first and foremost I really didn't care. Not that I'd swap my seat in the 6R4 to get back in either car.....

Workmen and German.

I wonder if the phrase "urgent" exists in the vocab of workmen..... Judging by the Bohemian look (unfinished!!) to the study/office at home I suspect not! Hopefully it will all be sorted in time for my seasonal closed-road tarmac rally. I'm aiming to have this blog updated regularly from the event either directly or through texts to my wonderful wife.

This eductaional year has drawn to a close and already I'm planning my next year of German evening classes! It's not quite as adreneline filled as motorsport but I enjoy teaching and have done over the many years I've done it. If you have the urge to learn I could probably even do a distance learning course, although I find face-to-face (to quote a Siouxsie and the Banshees song) works better.

Ready to rumble.

The 6R4 is ready and I finally have my helmet! It's looking good for our first event in the new car. The team are waiting confirmation of entry then there will be information on here and Roofing Rallying's blog (here).

I'm still looking forward to rallying in the new 6R4, it will be interesting to see what differences are noticeable between the 2.5 and our old 2.8 ~ although the Cosworths have dimmed the memories slightly.

A nice photo.

A nice photo of the Escort, before it broke a driveshaft..... (Copyright EDP Photo News)

First impressions.

Well, I've seen our new rally car and it looks impressive.

Dodging the rain storms I managed to get a quick picture (below and on the team's site). There is a revised colour scheme planned and a few minor alterations to undertake but basically the car is ready to rally.
I'm looking forward to being in the new car, until you're not in a 6R4 you don't realise just how much you'll miss them! It will be nice to see people's reactions as we motor along in a rallying icon ~ we've always found the fans and public really enjoy seeing the 6R4, even on road sections and when we take it off the trailer!
Preparations are underway for our first rally in the new car, it will only be a small event that we'll use a shakedown and re-acclimatisation session. After that we'll be concentrating on preparing for a closed road event.