Following on from part 1 we have some more updates of how our crews managed over one the Isle of Man,
This time we start with Mark Turner and Bob Wiggins, a fairly new crew with it being both of their first time to the island, only Marks third time on notes and Bob’s first time calling in the dark. The first leg went well for the pair even though they had an issue with the kill switch on the second stage. Towards the end of the leg they felt they had got into a rhythm over the tricky stages feeling confident with the cars pace. The challenge came in leg two as they head into the dark, a first time for both. Mark held onto the car well when the back stepped out through a fast dip leaving them wondering how they got to the end of the stage but Bob said they felt a great sense of achievement after getting through the famous night stages unscathed. Saturday started consistent putting in some good stage times despite a late arrival due to unexpectedly having to get fuel and experiencing some traffic on the road. Showing excellent progress they held the second fastest stage time over 13, however their luck would change on 14 when they slid off the road through a hedge becoming stuck. They did manage to free the car, however it was too late to reach the next timing point meaning their rally was over. Both feeling they have unfinished business they intend to one day make the return. They both enjoyed the challenge and the adventure of the Manx and are very pleased with the great progress they made and quite rightly so.
Our third place R50 crew Kevin Ablitt and Graham Child were also out doing some learning as it was Grahams first time one the notes. But they took advantage on the recce and manged to get most of the stage miles covered off before the start on Friday. In Kevin’s own words they started off doing nothing special, taking it steady just getting into the swing of it and getting a feel for the car on stage. Their highlights came at the end of leg two blasting through Ellerslie and Little London on the night stages leaving them with a real high well after arriving back at service. Saturday morning started slowly with the cancellation of the first stages but they were back in their groove tackling the undulating stages later on in the day, the notes were working well and the pair were working well with the car. Switchback 2 they found to be hard going and Kevin reflected that he was glad they only crossed that stage once in the end. The rest of the day they opted not to take any risks and get the car to the end, they had made it this far so well and wanted to see the rally out. “to get 3rd R50 was fantastic for us, as the Manx was only our 3rd stage event with me driving and we got to spray champagne too, Fantastic” Safe to say another crew that thoroughly enjoyed the Manx in the Minis.
Guy and Julia two of our championship organisation team were out in Guys R53 for their second Manx rally, they had a fairly lucky stroke which could have been a disaster had they not caught it. A last minute decision to participate in the shake down meant that a leak in the fuel line came to light, giving them plenty of time for the service crew to fix it before the first stage on the Friday. They had an event free leg one, stage 8 they had a problem with their lights meaning they had no choice but to back off and lose time, however a helpful marshal assisted meaning they could push on the last stage and try to regain some lost time. A suspension failure at the end of stage 12 resulted a frantic final service, which had already been shortened due to earlier stage cancellations. This resulted in them going over their time slot by 5 minutes and incurring a 50 second penalty. They both very much enjoyed being part of the midfield battle, trading times with the Martins as well as George and Stephen over the course of the weekend. Not the ideal weekend for the pair but they had a great time none the less and I know they both love the social atmosphere the Minis bring just as much as the rallying itself.
The overall 2nd R50 crew Paul Green and Lucie Gutteridge were out on their first closed road event together and Pauls first closed road event since 2001. They started well finishing the 1st leg in 3rd position. The second leg however got a little interesting, they had problems with visibility due to windscreen misting up and then on the final stage Paul missed a “don’t cut” resulting in a punctured front and rear tyre, they had no choice but to stop and replace the front resulting in a stage max, but they made it to service. Mike and Oliver worked hard until 02:30 to get the car race ready for day 2. Starting day 2 with a few “moments” including a spin and an overshoot, they soon settled down to set some competitive times in later stages. Lucie said she had an amazing experience and it was a massive learning opportunity. They found it physically and mechanically demanding but are incredibly happy to have got the finish. Paul wanted to express his thanks to everyone who has supported and helped him to get to the Manx including his service crew who worked incredibly hard to keep him rallying and the lads at CS motorsport for getting the car set up.
I will be putting out another summary soon outlining how the remaining crews got on. Hopefully if you aren’t out rallying with us already this may be giving you a taste of what it is like to be a part of the Mini Rally Challenge.
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