RMCHome

# The Chatsworth rally show took place over 29-30th Sept. We were out in force with a club stand showing our activities on both days with a few of the members vehicles on display. This was an excellent place to witness the nostalgia of past rally cars and stars with some awesome group B cars running the short stage in front of the main house. Hybrid cars were also on display to give us a taste of the future, the rally prepared Aston Martin Vantage GT and the Bowler Range Rover sounded great. Apart from a small migration of spiders into the gazebo it proved to be a fantastic weekend.

# Three crews from took part in the Oaks Trophy Archie and Richard finished 13th OA and 1st novice! Annette and Sasha finished 22nd (1st ladies/mixed crew - but we were the only one) and Jon and Mick finished 23rd. Excellent results for the club given the very strong entry list of almost 50.

# Club clothing has now arrived.

# Annette and Sasha were seeded 1st Novice in the Drystone Rally on 21st/22nd July. Jon and Mick were seeded in the expert category and the father/son Pashley duo competed in the Masters. Everyone finished!

# The Hope Show on 18th June was well attended by club members.

# Club members marshalled on the Dukeries Rally on 16th June.

# John has shared some photos of his trip to Sardinia to see the 2007 WRC.

# Annette and Sasha and John and Mick took part in the Danum Rally. Sasha and Annette were 11th OA, but John and Mick were 10th OA and 2nd Semi Expert - Well done boys! Thanks to Archi and Rich J for course closer car and Steve who was steward.

# 061 rally.....Sasha and Archie and Mick and John did the 061 rally - neither crew finished - better not to ask!!

# The Jackson Trophy ran on the 21st/22nd April. We had several crews out, Jon and Mick, Annette and Sasha, Archie and Richard and John and Neil. It was an excellent turn out for RMC and everyone finished - well done to all of you!

# Archie and Sasha, and Jon and Mick competed in VK Rally on 31stMarch/1st April March thanks again to our marshals that were out!

# Mick and Jon, and Annette and Sasha competed in Ryemoor Trophy Rally on 17th/18th March (see below).

# Club members went to Marshall on the Robin Hood Rally on 10th/11th March - an excellent day and night with good weather and some expertly made camp fires thanks to Neil!

# Archi and Sasha came 10th overall and 1st Novice in the Ribble Valley Trophy on 3rd/4th March. (first time that we have ever done any type of event together -so not a bad result!). Collecting our award on 11th April!

# Sasha and Annette finished the Bruce Robinson finishing 15th overall and 1st Novice! So both very pleased with the result. Thanks to everyone that marshalled (see the photos).

# Mick and Jon won an award for best in the Novice Class in the regional East Midlands Association of Motor Clubs Road Rally Championship - Congratulations!!

Mick and Jon receiving their award

# 2006/2007 navigational exercises are now finished. They have been very enjoyable and varied! Some guidelines for the organisers are underway and should be presented shortly for future events.

# The web site has now been up and running for about 1 year and we look forward for valuable contributions of fun events and info for 2007!

Some club members are going to Sweden in a few weeks - wrap up warm as it is -21 deg C at present!!

2007 navigational exercises are well underway and so far they have been very enjoyable and varied! Some guidelines for the organisers are underway and should be presented shortly for future events.

The web site has now been up and running for about 1 year and we look forward for valuable contributions of fun events and info for 2007!

Presentation Nights

2006

The Presentation night was held on 22nd April 2006.

_____________Best Newcomer___________

Sasha Heriot

____________Broken Camshaft___________

Steve Pashley

For parking between 2 trees on the VK rally, for developing air brakes and utilising the cars 'wings' as flaps!

Runners up:

Richard Johnson/Neil Proctor for incidents not really their fault!

Jon Hill for launching his Corsa into a Ford (water variety) with dire results!

__________Navigational Exercises__________

	DRIVER	NAVIGATOR
1st	Rob Lang	Jon Hill
2nd	John Hempshall	Steve Pashley
3rd	Richard Johnson	Mick Pears

________Overall Club Champion 2006________

Jon Hill

Runner up: Mick Pears

Congratulations to all the 2006 award winners!

Past Trips and Events

2006

Karting in April

Rally of Spain

Some club members went to Sweden to see one of the coldest stages of the WRC! See some photos from the event.

The club ran a stage on Rally GB - rumour has it that it was a 'refreshing' experience - however no report or photos as yet!

Summer Treasure Hunts - thanks go to the organisers who provided a leisurely drive on Sunday afternoons!

Trip to Prodrive - September 29th 2006 members of the RMC visited Prodrive.

Archie and Sasha went on holiday to Cyrpus (which incidentally coincided with WRC Cyprus!)

The club ran a stage on Rally GB - rumour has it that it was a 'refreshing' experience - however no report or photos as yet!

Summer Treasure Hunts - thanks go to the organisers who provided a leisurely drive on Sunday afternoons!

Drystone Rally - Several members of the club marshalled and Jon and Mick competed.

Trip to Prodrive - September 29th 2006 members of the RMC visited Prodrive.

Archie and Sasha went on holiday to Cyrpus (which incidentally coincided with WRC Cyprus!)

Karting in April

The venue albeit for a small circuit was a very enjoyable one to drive with addition of the 'bridge' to traverse. Some very dodgy tactics were employed by some drivers namely Mr Pashley Snr.
I would like to thank John Branch for organising the event and to lay down the gaunlet of asking where all the younger members were to offer some quality opposition (you know who you are !). The fastest laps of the evening were obtained by myself and Steve Emms who put in a slightly faster time of 2 one hundreths of a second. Pie and peas and a bottle of beer after helped finish the evening. New Karts are being currently purchased for Avago Karting in May and are offering a discount for the RMC if we book again. More info from John Branch.

By John Hempshall

P.S. I won!

Rally of Spain 06

The Rally Catalunya has been held for a number of years in the Catalan region of Spain based in Lloret de Mar. 2005 saw a move further south to the town of Salou, the route for this year was more compact and easier to get to with less driving time between stages and from the accomodation in Salou. The service area at Portaventura theme park was well worth the visit with loads of clothing stands and shops as well as the works teams workshops.

The stages are very spectator accessible unless the local 'plod' decide otherwise, they are very keen on how cars are parked at the roadside !
Again the Frenchman 'Loud' , 'Lerb', 'Loob' something like that showed his pace in the works backed Team Cronos Citreon Xsara, (Works entry really but they are French after all).
Marcus Gronholm now driving the Ford Focus also demonstrated the pace of the new car on tarmac. The local Spaniard Dani Sordo also put in a very good drive after moving up to a WRC drive from JWRC last year, again in a Citreon Xsara.
The weather was excellent for the time of year (March), which was switched from last year's event in October. Needless to say copious amounts of beer was consumed from around 8:30 am whilst waiting for the stage to start through to the early hours the folllowing morning.
Check out the Photo Gallery for more images taken this year and don't forget to join us next year !

Past Meeting Dates

AGM:

12th April 2007

Quarterly Meetings:

12th October 2006

12th July 2007

Ryemoor Trophy Rally

17th/18th March 2007

After winning last year, East Midlands Novice Night Rally Championship, Jon and myself were looking forward to this rally as this was our first round this year, due to missing the Bruce Robinson round in February due to being in Sweden watching the World Rally cars. Jon was looking forward to this round but also apprehensive because this was the rally from last year that we went through a 'ford' and smashed the engine on the first section. Our car number was 35 and our due start time would be 00:35 hrs. The weather was wet and windy.

All the plotting came in handout form with not too many map references so you could plot on the move. At the end of timecard 1, we had filled all relevant places with all code boards and signatures and also being on time.

On card 2 the plotting took us through the 'ford' but this time in the opposite direction. Jon was very worried as we approached the water but this time we took our time through the water and it didn't seem as deep! Jon was very relieved as we came out at the other side and we said that it wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be. At half way we handed time card 2 in but we had somehow missed IRTC 19 control and a code board.

Time card 3 didn't cause too many problems and we came back to the finish with the card full and only a couple of minutes down. Jon mentioned we had a couple of scary moments but I didn't notice because I was being sick out of the window and the door pocket! The finish provided us with a giant breakfast and a lovely pot of tea.

This event provided some classic rallying roads and was well organised - an excellent event!

Mick and Jon

Beaver Rally Experience

	It was dark, cold and late and we were just a 'little' bit nervous, but the first task was to get the car though sound check. "Rev the engine till you hit 6000 revs" Slight problem - we don't have rev counter! Anyway, with Annette's finely tuned ear, managed to hit the sweet notes and passed with flying colours... Next step - scrutineering (aka drive up onto a ramp and don't screw up whilst everyone else is watching!). This all went smoothly, and after signing on and drinking plenty of caffeine drinks we waited for out start time. With no pre-plot and just 1 timecard we were a bit apprehensive, but by watching the drivers before us we knew that we had to turn right out of the garage (that's your side Annette)! Now it was my turn to be challenged... Plotting on the move, giving directions (and smiling to the camera at the correct place)- nothing like I have ever done before, but at least we were finally on our way.
I was getting the hang of things, Annette was driving really well (with plenty of hand brake turns for the cameras) and we were even arriving at controls on schedule, then disaster.....we were about a quarter of the way round when we heard a noise. The sound was coming from the wheel. It got worse. We limped on trying to get as many control boards on the way, and we finally made it to the first petrol stop. A lost wheel nut was the verdict. So after a quick service stop, we were on our way again and things were looking good. So, although we lost some time, we managed to start the next section.
		Disaster 2. As you all know, some navigation is marked NAM (not as map) and of course, I was following the route exactly. Unfortunately the field we were to be diverted into was extremely muddy, and to put it plainly - we got stuck! (This also happens to very experienced crews so I'm told). It turned out that the code board had been moved to the roadside, but looking at the groove marks in the mud, we were not the first car to go through it. However - we ended up being the last and after much mud, pushing the car, more mud, heaving the car, even more mud, revving the car, we were towed out by the end of course car. Needless to say we were covered in mud (careful!) and thought we had no chance of finishing.
Once back on the road we went to the rejoin point in an attempt to start the next section. To our dismay, although we had the route, we did not have a time card. (The Beaver Rally was strangely organised so that timecards were presented at certain places on route - so if you missed the correct place which we were NOT told in advance, then no timecard and no finish.) We quickly realised this and managed to get hold of a card from two of our favourite marshals. We just hoped that it would be OK. Finally we were on track and having fun again. We made the rest of controls and made it back to the the finish for a hearty breakfast. We finished 33rd which was NOT last (I'd like to add) and just one place behind Jon and Mick (watch out boys!). I think I can speak for both of us that we found it a fantastic experience and lots of fun. If it could go wrong - it did, but I think we learnt so much in one road rally - we can't wait for the next one!

Sasha And Annette at the finish (don't ask what we're doing!)

WRC Cyprus 2006

Getting up stupidly early to satisfy the demand of our travelling companions was never going to be my favourite leg of our venture to Cyprus Rally '06. However the weather, people but mainly the event would bring some awesome rewards.

The Rally of Cyprus 2006 is set in the beautiful, awe inspiring Trodos mountains located to the North of Limmassol, the rally HQ and our base for a week. The close proximity of the mountains to Limmassol made the event very compact, with easy access to stages and the rally village. Due to the small population and access difficulties on to the island, the stages were not congested. The majority of locals speak Greek with exceptionally good English and are a relaxed and friendly bunch.

Early Wednesday a.m. we set out for Manchester airport thus following the usual herding routine of checking in along with all the other thousand odd travellers going "baah" in the sheep pens awaiting our escape to warmer climates. Having a hassle free flight we landed, then entered what could be described as an airport in Paphos and waited the now "customary" hour for the luggage.

A new found friend was about to be discovered.... the hire car of doom! Our booking was modified somewhat for the worse, a 998cc Nissan Micra Automatic of 2003 vintage in metallic baby pooh brown. "Four adults and luggage don't fit in a Micra", was my best attempt to gain the sympathy of the the Sixt employee, it worked but they had no other cars left at 10pm. Making a concession to swap later we manhandled various other cars clear in the Sixt pen and finally we managed to clear a path to our transport. This confirmed it was a Micra and was indeed crap. An uneventful journey to the resort of Limmassol with one sidelight for illumination, non-existent brakes and the musical tone of the gearbox boiling it's fluid brought us to our excellent accommodation for the week. So we called it a day seeking food and a couple of beers.

Shakedown, Service and Rally Village were our aims for the first days activities. Having successfully swapped the Micra for a 1200cc 3cyl Polo (sounded great) we headed off to service only to be denied entry as it was not yet open to the public and our best linguistic manipulation brought little reward other than where to buy our stage multi-pass and the fact that we had missed shakedown. Feeling a little deflated, a trip to the rally village on the seafront was the only other option.

"Oh dear", were our initial thoughts as very little was set up apart from the regulation Rally Merchandise stalls seen at all events globally, however we purchased our stage Multi-pass and the best and most informative programme ever printed - all for 15CYP. This had detailed maps and full directions to all stages noting points of entry and main spectator areas. This would be our bible for the forthcoming days and combined with our pre-purchased maps we would travel throughout the Trodos mountains unimpeded. Having made plans for the following day's stages to be visited we decided to have a wander round the town, and sought out some food and more beer.

The entry list was a little disappointing with 83 entries, as Cyprus 06 was not going to be a points scoring round for the JWRC or super 1600's. However the group N entry (Impreza & Lancer's) was strong with local competitors making up around 45% of the field. Unsurprisingly these guys were exceptionally competitive on home turf and a few upsets were expected from the top crews.

Most of the roads and tracks had been freshly re-graded by the Cyprus AA prior to the event, this resulted in a smoother surface but increased dust (next time we are taking masks or a full respirator)! They were of a light gravel coated nature, worn down to smoother gripping hard packed stones with beautiful flowing bends into some stupidly fast straights making for a fantastic spectacle. Due to the modern, compact nature of the event, If we had been able to get out of bed early enough we would have been able to visit either, 4 stages or 3 stages and service in one day, however, we opted for a little relaxation around the pool with a cooling beer in hand!

SS 3,Asinou-Nikitari & SS5 Xyliatos-Kapouras were our targeted spots for Leg 1; Setting off at a reasonable hour we arrived and parked at SS3 then walked a little of the stage to find our preferred spot. We were rewarded with some breath taking car control skills as the competitors slid past offering a birds eye view into the cabin watching them at work. What I could not believe were the risks taken by the crews making cuts over fresh air on mountain sides with sheer drops at over 80mph. SS 5 revealed much of the same travelling through some spectacular scenery and magical spectating opportunities conveniently located on sunny hillsides so we could top up our tans. We rounded off the day in traditional fashion seeking out some good food and ale rounding off an excellent day.

Leg 2 brought us deeper into the Trodos mountains, passing through some beautiful villages to reach our destinations for the day, SS11, Fioni-Koliina & SS13, Kellaki-Foinikaria. It proved difficult to pick a spot to view the stage as all would be rewarding but our choice was impeccable, a full view of the cars winding down the mountain at much pace. Here you could truly grasp the difference between a clubman and professional driver, one wrong move and that's it, game and life over! Here we saw the days casualties with bits of flailing bodywork and the odd ding here and there it became obvious that the pace was picking up.

SS13 we viewed from an outcrop of rocks looking over a hairpin entry and exit with a few glimpses of the route before and after. Yet again, we chose our spot wisely with a good long look at the crews hard at work. The only downside was the dust, on the second run through the stage the road had been swept clean from SS9 and the dust at the sides was intolerable when kicked up in volumous clouds taking minutes to disperse. It became more obvious to see different drivers styles and lines, with the top competitors taking similar lines through bends, balls out and fully sideways then down to the GpN chaps, some effectively driving like Miss Daisy (we reckoned our Polo would give them a sound thrashing - not!). Feeling quite satisfied with the days hard spectating we were only let down by the fact that our "dust tan" washed off down the plug hole! Our quest for good food continued and we were yet again not disappointed.

Click for Video of Solberg at SS13. (Large file)

Leg 3 found us at the Downtown Super Special stage. We had pre booked over t'internet our tickets for the stage costing 18CYP each!!!! I'm not so sure if this was worth while as the stage was run non-competitively after the second car, due to Danni Sordo stuffing his Xsara head first into a roundabout in true comedy fashion. Crammed into seats under the midday sun was too much for some but the drivers did not disappoint. Watching from the Old Post Office it was good to see that WRC drivers had not forgotten how to be flamboyant, Toni Gardimister getting the car into a full pendulum swing at 60mph+ on the approach to two close coupled square right turns was a dream watching him execute the intended manoeuvre perfectly drifting his Xsara sideways linking both corners. Peter & Henning Solberg did not disappoint with Chris Atkinson being nutter of the day showing an example of how to get a Scooby completely sideways on tarmac and bring it back (just).

So all in all we could have seen more, done more, but this was a holiday too. The next few days spent getting all beered out enjoying the hotels excellent swimming pool and facilities along with touring round some of Cyprus' better and worse tourist attractions. This made the experience even more worth it. To be done again? Well not next year as it is not an WRC event, but very likely in the not too distant future, finances depending.

Duration of visit - 20th to 27th Sept, flying from Manchester Airport to Paphos staying in Limmassol at the Atlantica hotel, Sixt hire car, all booked through first First Choice, which was cheaper than booking everything independently (as the flights are expensive), but couldn't argue with the price, given that this was intended as our summer holiday too! (2 people, flights, hotel (SC) and car hire, ~900 quid).

More photographs here.

By Archie

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