Close But No Cigar

There was just over 1 second in it at one point. From ACP and myself to Travis Pastrana it couldn't have been much closer. With Tanner in his increasingly rapid Evo X another handful of seconds behind us, it was flat out, nothing else would do.

Stage start in the NorthWest. Mountains, sunshine and tough competition.....!

Ken Block had already sufferd the effects of a punture and retired with broken suspension, but then we lost a rear tyre, spun and had no choice but to limp to the end of the stage. That, as they say, was effectively that.

There we have it, 100% flat out for 2 days and missed the podioum by less than 3 seconds. However those that kept up that pace and didn't get dramas thouroughly deserved their champagne.

Although it was a very hot and dusty rally, a big enough cut on that corner and you got wet...

As I reported previously, that was the first of a string of events over the next month. A tough one to start at that. Although we didnt bring home the points we wanted, I did bring back some sunburn and jet lag as per usual.

Im back home now, and trying to stay awake to get back in to UK time ASAP for this weekend. I head up north tomorrow, ready to start the recce for the Jim Clark Rally on Thursday.

Then, just as soon as i've got back into GMT, its off to Canada and to the Rocky Mountain Rally in this car

In just 24hrs i'll be back to the British Championship and some classic tarmac roads with Kris Hall in the Fiesta ST. Bring it on.

Here and Now!

Last couple of weeks have been fairly plain and straightforward really, no travelling and not much to report! But heres a brief update anyway.

- Leaving my phone in the hotel in Belgium wasn't my smartest move, still not recieved it and they promised they sent it back. Right.

- Instructing at the London Rally School kept me out of trouble for a few days. I find it good fun to share my experience and point people in the right direction down a stage!

- Im starting to build the wiring harness for an 2009 Impreza Turbo Diesel 24hr Endurance race car. Yes, you read it right, an oil burner. It will have the WRC body work and do over 170mph so its no ordinary old smoker.

- Almost had a last minute rush to the Isle of Man, not to compete but to lend a hand to a recently injured friend. Will save the competing over there until the International rally in a couple of months.

-Watched my first full 90minutes of football in well over a year. Arsenal lost. Dammit.

- My plans for the next few weeks are pretty crazy and I think there are two possible approaches. Plan every detail; each flight, every different rule and regulation ( at least 3 different championships in 4 weeks); every tyre option and fuel level, every hotel for each different city and country, every stage recce'd, notes made and car set-up needed, and so on. Or just kind of go with the flow, make sure I make the first plane and let it all happen!!!

Hmm, best re-fill the printer.... 4 international rallies, 4 weekends.....here we go.

Either way, pics and write ups on here!!! Soon!!!

Last 7 days!

Fantastic. As the bow door of the boat opens, we instantly need the wipers and headlights. Well at least I know the captain has brought us home and not made some giant navigational error and ended up in Spain. I would normally be able to tell we are home as the sight of the white cliffs can signify that we are nowhere else but Dover. However, today it’s not just raining sideways, but the fog is giving us 50m visibility so no cliffs today as far as I’m concerned. I’m definitely home!

It’s been another amazing week or so since the Olympus Rally and I must have covered some serious mileage using planes, boats, buses, road cars, recce cars, rally cars and even a bike at one point (ok I’ll admit that was in a brief gap between planes, it didn’t really get me anywhere but tired out...)

This place served great ice cream. One of the plus sides on the recce!

However I can officially report that the Renault Clio R3 Maxi was the most fun I’ve had in a while. I mean, the open class 4wd cars are fast, don’t get me wrong. Knocking on the door of 340hp and 500 ft/lbs of torque means that the cars are doing 120+mph between the trees without thinking about it, and if things go wrong it all happens rather fast. But there’s nothing quite like a full GpA style car. With all the major bits solidly mounted to the shell, no noise limits, sequential flat-shift gearboxes and rev-limits set somewhere around 8500rpm, its one hell of a ride. And that’s before you hear what sounds like someone sitting in the boot firing a shotgun each time you pull the next gear with your right foot firmly buried on the boards.

Pre-start. There were 200 rally cars in here.....

Last weekends’ Rally Wallonie in Belgium was round one of the West European Trophy that this year incorporates the Clio R3 Trophy. Co-driving for Tom Walster, we were the UK contingent amongst a great turn out of crews. I counted entries from; Belgium, France, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Ireland and the UK and I’m sure there’s one I’m missing!

Based on my experience with single make series’, which is fairly extensive I suppose, I figured there would be a couple of extremely fast drivers setting the pace, there were. Then a handful of fast drivers setting times close together and fighting for 3rd, 4th, 5th places and so on. There were. Next, I figured there would be a couple of drivers ‘learning the ropes’ so to speak, or getting problems or crashing or whatever, either way there’s always a few that don’t have the pace. How wrong was I?!!!!

You had to drive 100% and get everything right just to be within a country mile of anyone. After the first super special run around a castle, (at night, featuring 2 laps on dirt around a football pitch, followed by a 3km downhill run on cobble stones that I imagine were laid for nothing more than horse-drawn vehicles to travel and had the grip of a net full of eels) in front of thousands of very enthusiastic Belgian rally fans we had set 3rd fastest time in the Clio’s. Happy with that. But things hadn’t even started.


Day 1 and the first time Tom had properly driven the R3 in full tarmac trim. Although he was no stranger to the grey stuff, we didn’t yet have set-up he was fully confident in so the first few stages soon gave us a few ideas of things to change and also an idea of the pace of our competitors. Big smiles and some serious learning over the morning saw the rain arrive and immediately that was it, back to square one. By the middle of the second day and after just one spin, 5hrs of sleep and what felt like a hundred tyre changes competed during pretty tight road sections, we had a great set up for the damp conditions. Then it dried out again....ha.


Parc Ferme, the Corolla of Francois Duval closest

Yes yes I know, I should have remembered which country we were in....it’s been a while since I was in Belgium but I do remember watching Layer Cake for the first time whilst (not) working at a test track with Red Bull Racing. We were meant to be aero testing parts for the 2005 F1 car but in reality we should have been racing jet skis around the track.....

So there we have it, 2 days of figuring out the car, getting a set-up sorted, trying not to throw it off the wet and extremely slippy roads and laughing all the way at how much fun these cars really are. It was great to do another rally in Europe and with a solid 6th place finish after various dramas but no real mistakes, it was a relief to head back to the ferry with the car and crew in one piece.

Over and out.

Back In One Piece

A few pictures from the last adventure; having arrived home last night after a mad 3 weeks or so i'm having a day at home trying to relax..! As I managed to leave my phone in the hotel in Belgium, it looks to be a peaceful day! They say i'll get it back, but I won't hold my breath! I'll write more later today but this will do for now...

The Clio in the pre-start area at Rallye Wallonie, Belgium.

The view from the top of the castle. Jambes, Belgium.

Podium in Washington State, just hours before the hectic sprint 6000 miles back to Europe

No Time, But....

....after 2 night flights and a mad dash back home, I have 40 mins before leaving to make the 12pm boat across to France. Drive onto Belgium and arrive at the rally tonight to finish plans for tomorrows recce.....

All go this week!

No time to spare

Another very tough battle with Block, Pastrana and Foust saw us take 2nd overall at Olympus rally. Times were so close and we tied to the tenth of a second both on individual stages and at one point for position with Travis.... Thats how it should be....

Lost 3rd and 4th gear for the last 2 stages which ultimately meant that we couldnt take any time from Travis. However ACP drove very well and even averaged 78mph on the final stage with just 3 gears....

So, I sprayed the champagne in South Bend, Washington. Grabed a ride with one of our crew back to rally HQ, shower, change and jump in the rental/recce car and drove to Seattle. Plane to New York (dont remember much of that...!), short flight to Boston and here I am. With 6hrs until my flight back to London, where I get home and have 2 hrs before leaving for Belgium. Recce starts wednesday!

Pic Update!

One of the many items on display at the Brooklyn Tavern...!

Practice start in testing yesterday

Quick Update!

Busy 36hrs so far in the north west. After arriving last night and driving to the hotel, we were up early and heading into the forests for a few hours testing. As I mentioned, I really like the Oregon/Washington part of the country and part of it might be as the forests and landscapes very closely resemble the forests at home. Tall straight pine trees, thousands of them, and that constant feeling that its about to rain, I think that must be why I felt at home...!

Successful test this morning finished off with a late lunch at the Brooklyn Tavern. A 1920's forestry workers bar, the kind of place you just don't see anymore, it was great!

No real dramas with the car but you know the best bit of the day? Home cooked food by yet more friendly and hospitable Americans; the type that you meet one day, figure out a common interest, and get an invite to treat their place as your own the next. Nice.

Roads are great from what i've seen and heard so far. Technical stages, real forest roads; narrow, blind, flowing and hard to make good pacenotes on!

Easy day tomorrow now the official shakedown has been cancelled,

Next update after recce. But as I write this im very much looking forward to getting out there on saturday morning and going flat out.

Olympus Rally Pre-View!

It was around this time, just a couple of years ago, that I was on a flight back from Seattle to London. Nothing too out of the ordinary with that. As with the 300 or so other passengers, I had plenty of time to think; except I doubt anyone else on that flight had the same thoughts as me. All that occupied my mind was the fact I had just let an overall rally victory slip away, by less than 5 seconds.

Almost 200 competitive kilometers, two full days of incredible stages, amazing scenery and intense competition and the difference came down to less time than it takes to read a reasonable length sentance.

But, that is the way it should be, isn't it? I do this job ultimately to succeed and to achieve the very best performance and result at each and every rally. So when a victory is so close, the flight home seems an awful lot longer.

So here we are, Olympus Rally 2009. Having moved the 2008 rally away from some of the bext stages in the USA (in my opinion), to gravel roads more akin to highways stretching over fields, hills, valleys and occasionaly passing the odd residence, I think the feeling is it will be nice to get back into the forests. This year the event moves about as far west as you can get in the USA,
based in a town called Aberdeen in Washington State, and im very much looking forward to getting out there.

This will be the second time co-driving for Canadian Andrew Comrie-Picard in his open class Mitsubish Evo9. After a great result on round 2 of the series we'll be looking to improve on our second place. That very goal in itself doesn't leave much room for error. Everything has to be perfect; the car, the mechanics, the pace notes, me, and of course the driver.

So incase you havn't already realised, it doesn't just happen. The pace is fast and our competitors are about as prepared as you can get. With a factory Subaru team fielding two cars driven by a guy who has won the most gutsy event of the year, 3 times. And by another driver who can double backflip a motorcross bike, its never easy. Then theres a new Evo 10, this time the driver feels at home performing stunts in hollywood movies and with back-to-back Formula Drift titles in hand, you could say he's competent. As if that wasn't enough, a very highly rated Polish driver will surely feature in the top few stagetimes.

Numerous other drivers are there to grab any advantage they can and with the pace of the new Super Production class, they have to be ones to watch.

So with that said, do we change our approach? Take a different game plan to the table? Try something slightly more risky? No, we do what we do best. Make a good set of notes and drive as fast as we can to them. And may the best team win.

Flight leaves in 3 hours!

Kris Hall and I on round 1 of the British Rally Championship.

The damage sustained from hitting a gatepost sideways at over 90mph is quite well hidden in this picture! Kris did the decent thing and hardly lifted the throttle as the post hit the car just infront of the rear wheel....

Thanks to Songasport once again for the photo....

Still here..!

For all the messages of 'Where on earth are you?' and 'If you are somewhere interesting or doing something cool, tell us about it!', I thank you.

Fact is, i've been at home for a while, working and playing as always and the time just kind of passed. More to the point, lots of time passed!

So, in a nutshell. I've competed on the second round of the Fiesta Sport Trophy, picked up a puncture and finished 4th...I spent a day filming a new video for the London Rally School, soon to be online at www.rally-school.com. I'm exited to see the result as we spent a full day trying to get it looking good for just over a minute of film...

Got a run in the new Renault Sport R3, mind you it was on gravel, not the cars preferred surface I fear. Do you need to stop and change front tyres halfway through a stage? Yes. But, on a smooth , flowing stage it will be FAST!

Heading out to round 3 of the Rally America series in a few days. This one is in the Pacific North West, not far from Seattle and about as far west as you can go in North America! It's a part of the country I really like spending time in. That said, there'll be no time to take in the scenery, we have one goal, to improve on our 2nd place at the last event. It wont be easy, but we'll be giving it everything in the NOS energy drink supported Evo! And i'll be trying to get updates on here as often as I can.

After the event, I miss the post event party to fly straight back home and head to Belgium for round 1 of the West European Trophy. In, you guessed it, the Clio R3. I can't wait to see how this car is going to perform on the European tarmac, I have a feeling it will be very impressive.

So, that was the nutshell, next update soon.....honest.....

Champagne, Twice In 7 Days?

In one not so easy week and the small matter of 4000miles and a different continent, my second place in Missouri set me up well for the taste of champagne just 7 days later. Not a feat i've achieved in a while.

The entire drive home from Cumbria this past Sunday required a delicate balance of foglights, sunglasses, and wipers as the famous British weather once again did it's best to confuse the hell out of it's inhabitants. However, having got to the end of two rather chaotic but hugely fun and eventful weeks, I had no reason to rush to the snow showers awaiting me.

Finishing up as the leading Fiesta in the first round of the championship, the Malcom Wilson Rally, was really not where we expected to be after the events of just 24hrs previous. After taking some time out of our main rivals on the first couple of stages and holding a 20+ second lead, we suffered a car problem and my initial thoughts of 'that's it, all over' were proven wrong after cruel luck struck not only Kris Hall and I but our main comepetitors as well. They way things went, typically un-predictable what with it being Rallying, ended up with us needing to go flat out for the final 3 stages to re-take the lead. Long story short, we did and it was alright on the night, but it wont quite as straight forward next time im sure.

Heres to a competitive year and plenty more action in the 2009 Fiesta SportTrophy.

Pictures thanks to Gary at www.Songasport.co.uk