Skoda Rally Blog

When you go on holiday, you always take longer to get things together than you would think. Even “just packing a bag” takes a while. So packing up a car, service van and everything we could possibly need took a bit longer than I expected, meaning that I didn’t leave Bournemouth until 11:30. I’d originally planned to get to Cardiff for 12…..

We left the van and rally car at a service station and went to Cardiff. First good thing was being able to flash a “Wales Rally GB” parking hanger at the car park guy and be ushered in. Next good thing was realising just how HUGE the Millennium Stadium really is – it’s massive. We arrived at the Rally HQ in the MS, and suddenly I didn’t feel so bad an unprepared – reason being it looked totally unfinished – piles of fax machines and equipment in the corridors, and general disarray. Signed for our box of stickers and rally passes, and it was at that point it really hit home.

I’m doing Wales Rally GB.

Whenever I’ve done anything, there has been a point where it’s really hit home, and this was it. I looked down into the stadium to see some guy washing the floor, realised how big it was, and that on Saturday night I’d be driving through there.

Off we went to the service area, Paul going ahead in the recce car, while I trundled along in the van, and the heavens opened. It was like the end of the world – the sky went black, and as I came round a corner and could see Port Talbot it looked like a scene from blade Runner, but more depressing – smoke drifting across the sky, a thousand little pinpoints of light and driving rain.

By the time I got to the service park it had stopped raining, but it was completely dark. Eventually I found where we should be, and then got moved to make sharing the generator easier, and then set up the “EZ UP” tent I’d bought from eBay last week. Sometimes when you buy things and don’t test them, they don’t work out. Not this one – it was up in a matter of minutes, couldn’t have been easier. Got the new tarpaulin (?3.50!) out, and then got the car on there, and arranged everything else. TIedowns and cable ties secured everything, and hopefully it’ll still be there tomorrow when we go to the service area after the first recce session.

A quick trip to the B&B (where, after many years of knowing Paul I have won a toss and come out better, getting the best room), then to an Indian where you get a full meal for ?7.50, Tescos, then back, ready for tomorrow’s recce session. That’s where it really starts.

One good thing – the pull cables arrived at the B&B before we did. THat should be everything. I hope.