We had the first road event of the NI Night Rally Challenge on the 2nd March and it went really well. Davy McElroy organised a great event for Newry and District Motor Club and I felt that the route was pitched perfectly for the beginner crews that we are trying to encourage. It was mostly good roads with just a couple of twisties thrown in to give them a flavour of what a "normal" navigation rally is like. To keep things as simple as possible we ran the full route as a preplot. This allowed us to check that all the crews had the correct route before they started and they could concentrate on just finding the correct roads when they where out in the car.
Everyone that I talked to said they really enjoyed the rally and are keen to take part in the next one, which is exactly what we were hoping for.
We had three new crews from the South West College which was brilliant to see. College students are exactly the type of competitors we are looking for so hopefully we can build on the three crews we got and possibly encourage a rivalry between the NI colleges to bring out some new young people.
The next event of the NI NRC will been organised by Cookstown Motor Club on the 30th March.
I was helping out on the night and was doing tail sweep in the Nova. I had a great night buzzing about the countryside but I was only getting into the swing of it when the route was finished. It gave me a real taste for nav rallying again and I can hardly wait to get back out competing again. I just hope that some of this years traditional navigation rallies get enough entries to run.
Showing posts with label Davy McElroy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Davy McElroy. Show all posts
Monday, 19 March 2012
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
ANICC Prize Giving 2011
Saturday just past was the annual ANICC prize giving dinner. As Rachel and I had come 2nd in our class in the 2011 nav' rally championship we were there to collect our trophies. But not only did we get our trophies, we also got a free dinner, happy days, there isn't much I like more than a free feed. It was a good nights craic, the food was good, I got a few pints and I had a bit of banter with Neil and Andy.
Although Davy and Clive beat us in the championship by a single point I feel pretty good about how the year went. We won more events than anyone else and we had 3 wins from 4 starts, that's a good record in anyone book.
There will be no nav' rally championship in 2012 as we are running a beginners challenge to hopefully bring some new faces into the sport. I'm quite heavily involved in organising the challenge so I'll have more details about it later.
2011 Championship Points
Although Davy and Clive beat us in the championship by a single point I feel pretty good about how the year went. We won more events than anyone else and we had 3 wins from 4 starts, that's a good record in anyone book.
There will be no nav' rally championship in 2012 as we are running a beginners challenge to hopefully bring some new faces into the sport. I'm quite heavily involved in organising the challenge so I'll have more details about it later.
2011 Championship Points
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
Firecracker Nav Rally 2011
Well that is the championship over for another year with the Firecracker Rally on Friday night having been the last round.
It was a good night for trying out my new tyres as it was dry and clear and the Class 2 championship had already been decided. There had been heavy rain in the days leading up to the event so from TCB to TCD had been scrapped due to flooding and so we had a relaxed section instead. This suited me fine as it meant I had a chance to explain to the following crews why I had been driving so slowly!
I wasn't getting on at all well with my new tyres. I had no feeling from the front of the car or from the brakes so I was being extra super cautious in the corners. I've heard that there is a releasing agent used at the factory to get them out of their moulds and it takes a few miles to scrub it off but it's not something I've ever noticed before. I have to say though that by the end of the night either the tyres improved greatly or I had just got used to them because I though they were working great. On the few dirty sections of road it definitely felt like they were biting in harder and giving me good grip. All in all I'm very pleased with my new Quatrac 3's.
We were getting on pretty well, there where a some tricky sections and Rachel was deciphering the instruction quickly, but Andy and Neil where right with us all night. We swapped road positions several times but it wasn't until they missed a junction, leading to a wrong approach and a couple of missed secrets that we could put some space between them and us. Once we seen that they had made a mistake we knew if we kept it clean for the rest of the night they couldn't catch us.
The navigation for the second half of the rally seemed to be easier and we didn't need to push too hard but we did get caught out when the road turned 90 right after a crest and we carried straight on up a farm lane. We were leading a convoy of 4 cars at that point and 3 of us went up the lane before we got stopped. My panic braking knocked off the shelf above my peddles and it was hanging down round my feet which make it very difficult to drive but I get it wedged back into place somehow and we didn't lose too much time.
At the end of the night we were 1st in class 2 which makes it 3 class wins from 4 starts this year, a record I'm very proud off. The only one that let us down was getting stuck in that field in Tyrone on the Erne Safari. We pulled the championship back to make it look like it was tighter than it really was with Davy and Clive beating us by a single point in the end. I had great fun at the nav rallies this year and with more wins than anyone else I feel pretty confident we would be in a good position for the 2012 championship.
Before the next outing I need to look at removing the shelf above the pedals and relocating the switches that are mounted on it. I need adjust the exhaust to stop if touching the body as it is making a terrible racket and I need to reattach my rear view mirror as it has fallen off.
Firecracker Results
It was a good night for trying out my new tyres as it was dry and clear and the Class 2 championship had already been decided. There had been heavy rain in the days leading up to the event so from TCB to TCD had been scrapped due to flooding and so we had a relaxed section instead. This suited me fine as it meant I had a chance to explain to the following crews why I had been driving so slowly!
I wasn't getting on at all well with my new tyres. I had no feeling from the front of the car or from the brakes so I was being extra super cautious in the corners. I've heard that there is a releasing agent used at the factory to get them out of their moulds and it takes a few miles to scrub it off but it's not something I've ever noticed before. I have to say though that by the end of the night either the tyres improved greatly or I had just got used to them because I though they were working great. On the few dirty sections of road it definitely felt like they were biting in harder and giving me good grip. All in all I'm very pleased with my new Quatrac 3's.
We were getting on pretty well, there where a some tricky sections and Rachel was deciphering the instruction quickly, but Andy and Neil where right with us all night. We swapped road positions several times but it wasn't until they missed a junction, leading to a wrong approach and a couple of missed secrets that we could put some space between them and us. Once we seen that they had made a mistake we knew if we kept it clean for the rest of the night they couldn't catch us.
The navigation for the second half of the rally seemed to be easier and we didn't need to push too hard but we did get caught out when the road turned 90 right after a crest and we carried straight on up a farm lane. We were leading a convoy of 4 cars at that point and 3 of us went up the lane before we got stopped. My panic braking knocked off the shelf above my peddles and it was hanging down round my feet which make it very difficult to drive but I get it wedged back into place somehow and we didn't lose too much time.
At the end of the night we were 1st in class 2 which makes it 3 class wins from 4 starts this year, a record I'm very proud off. The only one that let us down was getting stuck in that field in Tyrone on the Erne Safari. We pulled the championship back to make it look like it was tighter than it really was with Davy and Clive beating us by a single point in the end. I had great fun at the nav rallies this year and with more wins than anyone else I feel pretty confident we would be in a good position for the 2012 championship.
Before the next outing I need to look at removing the shelf above the pedals and relocating the switches that are mounted on it. I need adjust the exhaust to stop if touching the body as it is making a terrible racket and I need to reattach my rear view mirror as it has fallen off.
Firecracker Results
Friday, 2 September 2011
Moonraker Nav Rally 2011
I'm not supposed to be in front of the computer right now. I should be out competing in Dungannon Motor Clubs Moonraker Rally but unfortunately it was cancelled due to lack of entries. DMC usually get a good entry for their rally as they run a popular rally school, so the fact that even they couldn't get enough crews to make the event viable is a very bad sign for Navigation rallying in general.
Entry numbers were down towards the end of last years championship and it was decided that if 2011 was also a bad year then there would be no championship in 2012, which looks very much like it is going to happen. I have been talking to Davy McElroy who runs Newry and District Motor Clubs Circuit of Down Navigation Rally and he didn't seem optimistic about the chances of it running either. Bad times ahead for Navigation rallying.
The Moonraker being cancelled is even more disappointing because I've spent a lot of time over the last few weeks getting the Nova ready for it. Got some new spotlights fitted and my rally timer installed, all ready to get stuck into the second half of the championship. I'm now left in the situation where the championship that I built my car for doesn't exist anymore, not sure what I'm going to do. There are a few more Lanes rallies popping up on the calender so I can do those as the car is now, but to do anything else I'm going to need to get the Nova log booked. That's not a big problem because I have most of the bits to get it up to spec but it's the extras that will require a bit of money. I'll need to upgrade my competition licence and get a rally suit and helmet. I think that will have to wait till next year.
Entry numbers were down towards the end of last years championship and it was decided that if 2011 was also a bad year then there would be no championship in 2012, which looks very much like it is going to happen. I have been talking to Davy McElroy who runs Newry and District Motor Clubs Circuit of Down Navigation Rally and he didn't seem optimistic about the chances of it running either. Bad times ahead for Navigation rallying.
The Moonraker being cancelled is even more disappointing because I've spent a lot of time over the last few weeks getting the Nova ready for it. Got some new spotlights fitted and my rally timer installed, all ready to get stuck into the second half of the championship. I'm now left in the situation where the championship that I built my car for doesn't exist anymore, not sure what I'm going to do. There are a few more Lanes rallies popping up on the calender so I can do those as the car is now, but to do anything else I'm going to need to get the Nova log booked. That's not a big problem because I have most of the bits to get it up to spec but it's the extras that will require a bit of money. I'll need to upgrade my competition licence and get a rally suit and helmet. I think that will have to wait till next year.
Sunday, 31 July 2011
Lurgan Park Rally 2011
Rachel and I went along to the Lurgan Park Rally yesterday, it's only 2 miles up the road so it would have been rude not to really. I've been going to the rally since I was a child, my Dad would take us every year so it's almost a family tradition. As you would imagine the weather makes or breaks the event so we were lucky this year with some lovely sunshine, it's not often we got two sunny Saturdays in a row to enjoy some motorsport.
We got there on time to see the first stage which was just as well as I wanted to see Clive Latimer and Davy McElroy in action and they broke down in their Mini Clubman on the second stage. At least we got to see their only run of the day.
The highlight of the rally as far as I was concerned were the retro machines that Slowly Sideways Ireland had brought along. Beautiful looking and sounding cars, and the drivers were really going for it. I love how they all sound different, from the V6 of the 6R4, to the in-line 5 of the Audi, to the flat 6's in the Porsche's and the V8's in the TR7 and Jimmy McRae's 5.0 Firenza Can-Am, brilliant.
This Avenger rally car even had an Avenger service car to complete the period look:
Nicely turned out Nova engine bay:
Results:
http://www.anicc.org.uk/Resources/Documents/20110730_NAMC_LurganPark_Results.pdf
Slowly Sideways Ireland:
http://www.slowlysidewaysireland.com/
We got there on time to see the first stage which was just as well as I wanted to see Clive Latimer and Davy McElroy in action and they broke down in their Mini Clubman on the second stage. At least we got to see their only run of the day.
The highlight of the rally as far as I was concerned were the retro machines that Slowly Sideways Ireland had brought along. Beautiful looking and sounding cars, and the drivers were really going for it. I love how they all sound different, from the V6 of the 6R4, to the in-line 5 of the Audi, to the flat 6's in the Porsche's and the V8's in the TR7 and Jimmy McRae's 5.0 Firenza Can-Am, brilliant.
This Avenger rally car even had an Avenger service car to complete the period look:
Nicely turned out Nova engine bay:
Results:
http://www.anicc.org.uk/Resources/Documents/20110730_NAMC_LurganPark_Results.pdf
Slowly Sideways Ireland:
http://www.slowlysidewaysireland.com/
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
Bone Shaker Rally 2011
Omagh Motor Club had their Bone Shaker rally on Friday night. It was a great event and we managed to come away with 1st in class, which is a huge relief after our poor result on the previous round of the championship. Last years Class 2 Champions Neil Anderson and Andy Hughes were competing for the first time this year and were debuting their new rally car, however their recently purchased enduro spec 106 was almost their downfall as poor quality wiring meant that the car wouldn't start again after a stall and it cost them over 15 minutes getting it going again. We had a pretty clean run and Rachel had thought the instructions were easier than they had been in Enniskillen but it turned out to be a high scoring rally for everyone. Luckily for us Davy McElroy and Clive Latimer made a few errors to finished 3rd so we were able to take a few points back on them in the championship.
My Passat estate daily driver was once again called upon to double up as my rally car and it performed fairly well. I've removed the rear window tints and added a rear wiper so for the first time I could see where I'd been and I'd added uprated headlight bulbs to help me see where I was going. The new bulbs are some 130/90w "Ring Sport" jobs that I got from eBay for £15 and are a great improvement, especially on dip. The bulbs produce a lot more light but it doesn't travel any further so I still felt like I couldn't see as far as I needed to, but the junctions were easier to spot. As well as lighting the other main car issue on the night was a major lack of grip. It stayed dry for the rally but it had rained fairly hard about an hour before we started so the roads were wet. It seemed like every time I touched the brakes they locked the wheels and as a result I had to be extra cautious. Maybe that was for the best though as I managed to stay out of the fields this time.
That is us into the Nav rally summer break and the next event isn't until the 2nd September. I hope to have the Nova rebuilt by then so hopefully the Bone Shaker was the Passat's last rally. I'm pleased that it got to go out on a high, Passat estate - class winning rally car.
http://www.anicc.org.uk/Resources/Documents/20110415_OMC_BoneshakerRally_Results.pdf
My Passat estate daily driver was once again called upon to double up as my rally car and it performed fairly well. I've removed the rear window tints and added a rear wiper so for the first time I could see where I'd been and I'd added uprated headlight bulbs to help me see where I was going. The new bulbs are some 130/90w "Ring Sport" jobs that I got from eBay for £15 and are a great improvement, especially on dip. The bulbs produce a lot more light but it doesn't travel any further so I still felt like I couldn't see as far as I needed to, but the junctions were easier to spot. As well as lighting the other main car issue on the night was a major lack of grip. It stayed dry for the rally but it had rained fairly hard about an hour before we started so the roads were wet. It seemed like every time I touched the brakes they locked the wheels and as a result I had to be extra cautious. Maybe that was for the best though as I managed to stay out of the fields this time.
That is us into the Nav rally summer break and the next event isn't until the 2nd September. I hope to have the Nova rebuilt by then so hopefully the Bone Shaker was the Passat's last rally. I'm pleased that it got to go out on a high, Passat estate - class winning rally car.
http://www.anicc.org.uk/Resources/Documents/20110415_OMC_BoneshakerRally_Results.pdf
Saturday, 26 March 2011
Donaldson Fuels Nav Rally 2011
Unfortunately last nights round of the NI navigation rally championship was cancelled due to a lack of entries. I didn't do the rally last year but it seems to be the general feeling from people that I've talked to that the event was not well run and this may be the cause of the low number of entries for this year. Hopefully this will be the last event to be cancelled as we haven't scored well on the 2 rounds that have run and with fewer events left it's going to be hard to catch Davy McElroy/Clive Latimer who have won the class on both times.
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