Malcolm Almond

Malcolm Almond

Thanks to the respective "Snappers" who were there taking pictures.........

Well so much for being a driver, I've only navigated this year, but had some good results and the

Centenary Stages was no different

Paul Amey was looking for a co-driver so I stepped in to help guide him round the tricky woodlands of Twyford Wood at Colsterworth. (For the unknowing – its just off the A1 outside Grantham)

I was hoping for a finish there as the last time I navigated there retired SS1 through engine mount failure due to hitting a yump flat in 4th and breaking an engine mount on landing! So was looking to get at least a finish. It was my second time navigating in the car and Paul's 2nd event in the car but it was the first time sat next to each other – Quiz for you then: How did this happen?????

Paul was also looking for a finish too as last time he was there he retired SS1 with engine failure on his old trusty Lada. But this was to break both our ducks…….

Shame that we got held up 4 times on 3 different stages by cars but other than that it was a grand day!!! Had a whale of a time.

On to the rally –

SS1 - Went out on Forest tyres as the stages looked a bit slimy in places but they needed scrubbing in to take the edges off the blocks. Steady run to get used to the car and each other. Got caught and passed on first lap round, but it was still early and we were still waking up………..

SS2 - Decided to remain on the forest tyres and alter the brake bias, decreasing the force from the rear as the back end was locking up a bit too much under heavy breaking, and Twyford doesn't’t reward failure, it bites back!!!!

SS3 – Changed over to tarmac tyres, car felt a lot more stable and faster, just lost a little bit of time through the slippery bits through the back end of the venue. But still managed to get through ok. Passed a Lada which brought a tear to Paul’s eye as he used to rally one before the 205…….

SS4 – No major dramas, apart from a prat in a Sierra, turns out he had hit something and broke his suspension but still carried on, he looked like he was going to pull in on the main drag up the runway, but then pulled back out onto the track just was we were going to hit the brakes for the Open Hairpin Right. Back down the runway he held us up by not moving out or moving in front of us, with lights flashing and me stood on the horn there was no reason for him to not see us!!! EVENTUALLY he moved out the way, and be shot past him.

SS5 – There was a delay as a car had gone off and blocked the stage so there was a delay for us at the start, so gave him chance to fix it ? so he appeared again in front of us in the arrival que. We caught him and tried again to get passed but still he didn't’t move out the way, keeping blocking us from getting passed till he left it a bit wide and we nipped passed him. Thankfully but it cost us!!

SS6 – After a word with the CoC he went to have a chat to the lads in front and they let us passed in arrival so they didn't hold us up again. They didn’t catch us either so that’s a bonus!!! No dramas.

SS7 – Blooming Sierras again, caught another one up on stage, he had no brake lights and couldn’t drive it at all, ok in a straight line but corners slower right off and we tried several times to get passed but he just blocked us again and again, eventually we nipped passed and carried on, this had also cost us a lot of time this one. Thankfully for us he didn’t

SS8 – Going out on to the last stage the heavens opened and we dropped a bit of time due to the dry lines vanishing and becoming wet again. But we got round, and that’s all that counted!

Had a good battle with Car 49, she couldn’t half peddle it, but we didn’t do too bad considering we were in a standard engine and boxed car…….Finished 37th overall and 9th in Class 2……..

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