Skoda Rally Blog

Looking at the calendar for the year’s events (this was way back in January), I noticed that there was a pretty big gap between Somerset Stages and Newton Abbot Audi, meaning I wouldn’t get much of a chance to play on gravel in the months between April and October – basically, 6 months off. So when I found out that the Tempest Rallysprint was on in August, I thought it was ideal to keep things going. However, it’s a cheap event too – ?99 for the day, and it doesn’t involve a navigator, strangely enough. And because I’d sold the Shogun, there was no trailer option either. So it’s a good job I’d got the Skoda up and running reasonably well, and I set off for Bramley camp (north of Basingstoke) on Sunday morning, bright and early. And it was bright – a really nice, clear day.

Got there OK, and set everything up in the service area, which was a massive, flat piece of concrete, with everyone’s spaces marked out in paint – ideal, and probably the best service area I’ve been in! Little or no servicing to do – not much in the way of spares, and I spent 10 minutes just looking under the bonnet and checking everything. All was well. Got scrutineered and signed on, and then it was time for the convoy runs. Because you have no navigator, there were two low-speed convoy runs, so you get an idea of the stage. As I had a spare seat, I took Tony (usually someone else’s Nav) round, as otherwise he’d not have seen the stage, and it turned out to be handy as he called the corners as we went round twice (at low speed), so it made them a bit easier to remember – most handy, that.

Then it was time for the two ‘practice’ runs. These were timed, but the times wouldn’t count for the final results. The 40 cars were split into 2 groups of 20, and each group run in what really amounted to reverse seeding, so naturally I was first in my group, and the only other guy in my class (Andres Claridge) was first in his. I had worried a bit about being caught, but it turned out there was no need – after all, it was only a 2.8 mile stage…..

The stage layout was great – you started off in the woods on some tarmac, and had many dips and turns, and it was quite fun and yet challenging at the same time – there were a few corners that you could easily get wrong enough to slow you down without ripping a wheel off, but having said that there were also bits of concrete and so on lying about that would definitely end the day if you paid them a visit. So I avoided that. About 1/3 of the way through, there was a 90 right which was right by the service area – the RWD boys had been putting on a good show, but I just understeered my way round there, and then down hill (into 4th), and then a tight 90 left, and over another brow that became a jump as the day wore on. Then there was a fun, slippy, muddy section that led over a small hump-backed bridge, and you could definitely get (a) some good air and (b) it totally wrong there – the road leading up to it would take the car off into the bushes, so you had to be careful there. Then it opened up some more, and became gravel, although the gravel was pretty hard-packed, and not the forestry-type open stuff that I was expecting. Still, managed to pull some good handbrake action, and have a good time in the process.

My times got better over the first three runs – 4:17, 4:11 and 4:08. That actually put me ahead of a 2 litre XR2i, a 1.6 205 GTi, a Sunbeam, a couple of Mk.2 Escorts and most importantly Andres! I had spoken to the photographers at lunchtime, and they told me they were at the bridge now, and so on the next run I decided to go for it on the places I’d felt I was slow and was sure I’d made some good time. I also got some good air on the bridge – it really hit the ground hard, although it was probably barely off the ground. I drew up to the finish control, convinced I’d nailed it and I’d be in the 4:05 area……. and I was slower – 4:09! I was convinced I’d gone better, but clearly not! So, I waited to see what Andres would do – he’d pretty much been 4 seconds slower than me all day, and the last run I waited to see his time – 4:21. It turned out he’d overshot the 90 left after the high speed run, so that was it! I’d won my class!

I decided after that I’d take it reasonably easy on the last run – not totally back off, ‘cos that would probably be more likely to make me bin it, but not go 100%. I had a good, smooth run, and even backed off on the jump. And managed a 4:06! That was good enough to get me back in front of a couple of the other cars, and within a second of a couple of much bigger ones. Great stuff. Packed everything into the back of the Skoda, and had to collect my award! Then drove home, hot, thirsty, and grinning like a fool. What a great way to spend a Sunday.