Throckmorton Challenge

[Nigel 628]

I'll be interested to hear your views after the Fat Albert on the 27th, Michael; stages are very different to road rallies! In the first two years of running my TR4 with the o/d (as bought), I used it a lot on the road, very occasionally on road rallies, and simply never on the stages - apart from the road sections between stages! As I said before, I never had the time to even think of using it, this sort of driving is absolutely flat out to maximum revs all the time (like circuit racing) and messing about with overdrives as well is too complicated and distracting for my simple mind. Best of luck and do let us know how you get on!

 

I quite agree with Tony about the aural rev limiter, I have no problem doing that. Until I need to push the engine to within a whisker of it's safe limit on every gearchange for mile after mile, whilst wearing a crash helmet with the voice of my co-driver shouting the notes directly into both my earphones via the intercom. It's still just possible, but as we cannot use electronic rev counters, that leaves me with my wobbly and slow-to-respond original TR cable-driven rev counter to depend on - which I can't spare the time to look at anyway! The chances of over-revving the engine are far greater and potentially nearly as disastrous as missing a note...... ooops!!! Out with a blown engine, or taking it home in boxes? On fast tarmac especially, 100% concentration on the notes and the road is crucial. Frankly, I wouldn't like to push my TR much faster than it can manage in max revs in fourth on narrow, bumpy stages with 60's (50's?) brakes and suspension on 70 series tyres!!! At my age I've started to realise I'm no longer immortal.....

 

I think what Neil is suggesting is that stage rally driving is very different from any road events (as Ryan says), so until you've experienced recent historic events as the pretty serious competition they have developed into today (where the faster historic cars can beat many of the moderns) you won't know if an o/d is of use for them or not. Even if you find it indispensable for other uses. If you then find it still works for you......great! But I've got two TR4 o/d boxes I'm happy to sell.

 

Nigel

[Nigel 628]

...........but just to return to the original subject of this thread for a moment, it looks like this Saturday's Throckmorton has a rather disappointing entry for the Clubman's rally section. Just 30 crews out is about as low as it gets for a round of the HRCR Championship, especially compared with the 46 they had last year. Another indication of the recession maybe - there have been too many rallies of all types cancelled from lack of entries in the last couple of years.

 

After initiating this topic I'm surprised to find BST isn't entered: how come, Tony? With me at home too it remains to Ryan to be the sole TR representative in the Clubmans this year, but we will all be rooting for him to bring home the Championship win on Saturday! The very best of luck to Ryan and Lisa!

 

Nigel

[Tom Boyd]

Tony is on the list.....

 

http://www.heroevents.eu/Events/thethrockmortonchallenge/throckmorton_challenge_2012/entries/

[MichaelH]

Nigel - Thanks for your help and advice, particularly earlier this year when you advised on car preparation of stages, I take on board your comments. The car has O/D and after the 27th I will be able to tell you if it gets used at all

Certainly when I have been doing special tests on the HRCR road rallies such as Cerwent (an MOD property in Wales with about 30 miles of narrow twisty roads) I don't remember using the O/D. Come to think of it I don't remember an awful lot - apart from the brakes getting a bit limp

I would reassure all that I have harder pads in for the Fat Albert.

As before: Have fun on the Throckmorton- I am jumping on a plane to Spain to celebrate g/son's 6th birthday- jelly balloons and candles

I will follow the results thru the net

Regards

Michael

[Nigel 628]

Not for the HRCR Challenge National 'B' event though, Stiggy! HERO run the two events concurrently but they are separate events with separate results; the Clubmans is the more serious championship rally requiring an MSA competition licence and which Tony, Ryan and I were competing on last year..

 

Yes, I did Caerwent on last year's Leukaemia Rally, and it's the closest I've done to a special stage on a road rally. In fact I was a bit nervous - at those speeds I'm used to wearing flameproofs and helmet! The thought of others in standard cars with no roll cages etc..... I suppose they get away with it by putting in the odd plastic cone chicanes to bring the average speeds down. The stage rally people always treat the place with great respect and there have been quite a few cars written off there.

 

Enjoy Spain whilst the rest of us shiver in the wet!

 

Nigel

[kevin bryant]

Overdrive, just another gear surely? We use it all the time when sprinting and hill climbing rather than snatching 3rd gear. On most autotests though we are seldom going fast enough and stick to 1st and 2nd gear.

 

Stuck at home today with shingles when I should have been in the lakes on a mountain bike. The school kid that purported to be a "doctor" told me it's common in the run down over 50s. Great!

 

Run down and over 50 Kev

[MichaelH]

Shingles occurs at any age but tends to be worse the older you are

Hope you are better soon

Michael

[lesmcguffog]

Funny yesterday Suzanne in her Avenger was complaining, too quote "it either reving the T..s off the car in 2nd or changing to 3rd and it dies" the question was, can we fit a gear between 2nd and 3rd.

 

Weight penalty or gain a few seconds and save the engine

 

Nigel, after a day in a sauna yesterday (dave's viva - we used more water than petrol - cracked head suspected) now a light weight navigator!

 

Les

[Nigel 628]

So Howard Warren in one of those nasty ol' 911's takes the title - hard luck Ryan

 

Nigel

Edited October 14, 2012 by Nigel 628

[Tr4Tony]

Yes - very quick unfortunately, as were the others and the Tiger, and the Escort .... All driven well too so a fair fight on the tests and very fast indeed.

[Dazzer]

Well done to everyone for taking part I bet it was great fun just to blast round those tests again whatever the results.

 

The sting in the tail jogularity levelled things a bit last year. Did they run it again this year? There was talk it was to be made easier which they seem to think competitors wanted?

 

Well done Ryan for first in class and 4th overall... hell of a result.

 

Tony, first in class in the Clubmans event, a great result with so many cars in this section

 

Les, well done for 9th in the Viva 'Sauna' with David. Joanne and young Tyler in the rev the *** off Avenger 1st in class as well. Not forgetting John and David 3rd in the Escort.

 

Wondered why the split of National B and Clubman entries this year? Is it a tyre or technical thing or just fancied a change?

 

Cheers

Darren

[Ryan]

Another season finished. Great event on Saturday, great fun on the tests. We had a couple of niggles on the second loop of five tests but nothing topping the clutch fluid up couldn't sort. We then went quicker in the final five. Chas and Howard are very quick in the Porsches, someone told me Chas has spent 30k on his engine (if you can believe that). Not complaining though, it's good to have quick competition out there.

We finished behind Howard and John in the championship. Rally of the Tests next, should be fun, I've never done it before and there are quite a few TRs in the class, see you there cheers.