Rally Reports 1 2008

Two groups consisting of almost all Amman Members visited Ireland and Belgium in September for The Dick Bailey Stages (Wexford), and The Tour of Flanders. With wet and windy conditions and flooding on the way to Fishguard, the prospect of a rough crossing seemed likely. 'Mayor of Cwmgiedd' Cerith Davies’s face changed like a chameleon from yellow to grey to green until he finally projected his pre sailing lunch overboard, including his crystallised ginger (taken to stop him being sick).

On arrival, a trip to HQ for a programme and hints on where to watch from the Clerk of the Course himself were followed by a look at the bar menu and what was to be the saying of the weekend – “How Much”. The poor exchange rate saw Burger and Chips start at £12.

With a recent accident in Donegal the distance spectators were kept from the Stages was a little overcautious. However with a little searching some good spots were found. As expected the craic was fine with a “lock in” at the Undertakers pub followed by being dragged to the “Chocolate” Nightclub by the locals until 3AM. Smiley had an early start when he found Poteen for sale on the boat. When chucking out time came there were hundreds in the main street whose behaviour was remarkable (though Mrs. F was dancing along with the buskers). The young people were a credit to their town.

After watching the Top finishers being escorted to the podium by the local Garda for the Champagne spraying, Cerith parted with another £9 for two pints of Coke and it was time to head for the boat. We were treated to a smooth crossing. I hit the sack, set my alarm for work 3 hours later after an enjoyable full weekend.

Four days later we were loading up the Mike Fraynes Delica to head toward Dover for Belgium followed by Darren, Mat and Jonathan. Luckily sailing two and a half hours earlier than planned saved us from the chaos caused by the Channel Tunnel fire.

When the French and Belgians have roadworks they don’t mess about with traffic lights and “stop/go men”, They just shut the road. With Mat on the maps, Darren's group decided to ignore the signs and soldiered on successfully toward the border. We took the much longer scenic route. Roadworks and detour no. 2 caused us some concerned glances at the fuel gauge. The first glass of Leffe (strong Belgian beer) tasted good after that trip.

We again stayed in the beautiful square at Ypres but Griggsy said he preferred nearby Popperinge with its round Square!!

We had hoped to recce the stages but programmes weren’t available until late afternoon. Bumping into people in the Historic Rally Service Area was like a day out on Epynt as the event was a round of the HRCR British Historic Championship.

The recent poor weather delayed the harvesting of the sweetcorn which meant viewing of the stages was more restricted than in previous years. However the old favourites were up to their usual standard. The Industrial Park on the Zoning stage saw the cars do 4 spectacular laps. On the Sunday the underpass at Beveren echoed to the sounds of Porsches and BMW’s. Unfortunately this was cut short as Steve Hendy /Aled Davies hit a heavy concrete lamp post which collapsed onto the roof. A phone call from Aled confirmed that they were both were able to walk away from the incident but the Focus WRC was in a sorry state. The final spot visited was a jump over crossroads in darkness which sent the sparks flying. The group split up to watch at two different spots on this stage and were all treated to a beer by the friendly householders on the route.

The volume of alcohol consumed was slightly less than in Ireland mainly due to the beer being around 6 or 7% but it had the same effect especially when washed down with a couple of Jack Daniels. A few sessions ending at 3.30AM resulted in a few “no shows” for breakfast. Alcohol free Jayne Morgan was always the first up. Some new watering holes were found but most returned to the Times Bar at the end of the night. Last year Jonathan Oliver and John Moulding outstayed their welcome slightly when the owner approached them and said “Please, I want to go home now”. This year one person who I cannot name due to a threat of violence began undressing for bed 200yds from the hotel. All I can tell you is that it wasn’t Jayne.

With a couple more road closures and village one way systems to contend with, the trip was dubbed 'the Belgium Garage Door Tour' due to the amount of side streets visited. Mat diagnosed me with severe 'Mapraphobia' brought on by the constant heckling of Hale and Pace (Stephen Jones and Steven with a V Griggs) in the cheap seats at the back.

On the way back to the ferry, a Beer and Baccy stop and yet another closed road didn’t fail to get us to the ferry port on time. However the queue through Customs, Mat getting his bag X-Rayed and a Ticket mix up meant we were sailing within a few minutes of boarding.

Photo: Terry Frayne

Three Irish Escorts in Belgium!

Photo: Terry Frayne

New members Mark and Debbie Hickman travelled to Minehead for the Somerset Stages where Mark Navigated in Car 78, the PS Plant Hire Subaru of Paul Stevens from Sevenoaks. Their luck run out early when a big bang was followed by a lack of drive which was found to be caused by two driveshafts leaving the diff. With Service another couple of stages away they were resigned to just enjoying the day especially on the Porlock Tarmac Stage using gravel tyres. As a Club Championship contender, Mark at least ended the day with maximum points. Their next event is the Swansea Bay Rally. If anyone can help out with servicing please contact Mark at rallymental@yahoo.co.uk

Around 20 members travelled down to Talbenny, West Wales to compete, marshal and spectate on the Bob Shaw Memorial Stages organised by Pembrokeshire M.C. Bob was a popular figure on the Welsh Rallying scene who sadly passed away earlier this year. His wife Sue has set up a fund in his memory to support Withybush Hospital Chemotherapy Unit. Almost £300 was raised by her at the rally.

Alan “Gof” Williams was the highest seeded Club Member starting at 16 in his Sierra Cosworth, partnered by Gwendraeth’s Tracy Giddings. Alan was praying for rain to suit his four wheel drive machine. Although it didn’t materialise and despite mechanical problems whilst lying 5^th, they still achieved a Top 10 finish and claimed maximum Welsh Tarmac Championship points.

Leighton and Louise Waters brought their Toyota Starlet which suffered on the abrasive surface of the venue. An axle Rose Joint sheared on Stage 2 followed by prop-shaft failure on Stage 4. With no replacement for the bespoke part they were forced to retire.

Tony Derrick left Carlisle for Talbenny in the early hours after finishing first Citroen C2 and second Super 1600 on the Pirelli International. After a hose burst and they temporarily lost 3^rd and 4^th gear in the first half, he and driver Darren “Flash” Tancock were content with a finish in their Nova.

Nathan Davies swapped seats for the day to co-drive for James Tout. After a recent run of bad luck, James was delighted with a finish and valuable Championship points. Club Members manned the Main Control into service throughout the day and acted as Radio Car in the Stage. Dai Wilmer and Chairman Darren Morris picked up awards of a different kind for their efforts. Dai was elected “Marshal of the Day” by the organisers for tirelessly replacing tyre walls attacked by competitors. He collected bottles of whisky and vodka and a hat for his efforts. Darren picked up £20 in the Marshals' Prize draw.

In February Robert Tout was partnered by 16 year old daughter Laura at Pembrey on the Rali Cwm Gwendraeth. Rob put on a crowd pleasing display launching the car onto 2 wheels at one point. Laura, who has also co-driven for brother James has now done 4 events. James will compete on selected Welsh Tarmac Championship events this year in his Peugeot 106.

Four competitors recently competed under Amman on PTMC’s recent Tour of Epynt with mixed fortunes.

Seeded at number 4, Peter Lloyd finished the day in 3rd place in his Subaru WRC S9.

Robert Tout partnered by Carafit proprietor Dan Holley entered in their Touts of Ammanford Mitsubishi Evo 9. They lost first gear for 4 stages which mysteriously reappeared on Stage 9. This hampered their progress slightly with Rob also admitting to not finding his usual pace yet following his Manx accident. Despite this they still came 2^nd in Group N. The pair will compete on the Epynt Challenge and in the BTRDA National Tarmac Championship throughout 2008.

The red Mitsubishi Evo 8 of Kevin Davies partnered by “Red Kite Stages” Website creator Dylan Jenkins retired with clutch failure.

Mike Williams, the only Amman member to compete in a two wheel drive car, also unfortunately retired in his blue Escort RS.