trackdayweapons

Found this one today, google video footage of the Nurburgring on an open day for the 70s, interesting viewing!

http://bridgetogantry.com/content/view/63/45/

Two days at the Autosport Show, nothing much changed from the last four years, just the usual girls, cars and techie bits.

All the photos in their glory can be seen over at Fluke - www.fluke-motorsport.co.uk/autosport_2007.php

Good friend, WRC mechanic, codriver for Rally Barbados 2006 and general all round drunkard Damian ‘Logic’ Yearwood took these shots on a visit to Prodrive…

And with the RWD Pug gone it was time to quickly find a replacement, the decision was made for a cheap year so time to look for a suitable Group N car and try this 4WD lark. Spied on www.racedandrallied.com was a suitable Group N Evo. A quick trip to Ireland to check it out and we’re now the owner of an ex Ralliart Mitsubishi Evo Challenge Car…

Full photos can be seen over at the Fluke site - www.fluke-motorsport.co.uk/temp/pics/evo/index.html.

With Rally Barbados 2007 fast approaching it’s time to get up to speed with 4WD, map this thing for VP109, nasty up the anti lag, fit a roof vent, get it stickered up and thrash the living crap out of it. This 4WD lark looks easy enough on tv and on the Xbox, surely it’s just the same in real life?

So, arrive full of confidence, ready to thrash through the rally. Car is now handling well, and we’re good to go. Through scrutineering and wait for stage one.

Stage 1, off we go, car feeling good and it’s a racetrack so nothing is difficult. A third of the way through the oil pressure warning flicks up on the Pi, oh great, look at reading and we’re about 20psi too low. Having put in another weeks worth of toil on the car and it still seems to be firing well we carry on regardless.

Out of the stage and the engine’s dumped about half a litre of oil. Pressure readings varying from 0psi to 40psi. Change sensors, decide “fuck it” afterall, it’s only a standardish engine, and head out for stage 2. Stuart (codriver) decides to take coat with him such is his faith in the engine…

Out to Stage 2, going well, catching and passing a few of the cars ahead but engine sounding progressively more tappety. Screw it, flat out anyway.

On the exit of the stage, sounding more and more like a deisel. So, do we grenade the engine properly or salvage it? Stupid question, I pack my coat into the car, Stuart straps on the fogs and we head out onto stage. Good start to the stage, pass the car ahead on the first lap (30s), coming into the hairpin left by the pits and the car squirms a little, it’s pretty obvious it’s on oil, er, it’s own oil… at that point the smoke in the cockpit becomes apparent. Ah. Uh-oh. Off to the side of the circuit when it’s safe, engine off, flashlight and the engine bay is nicely coated with it’s own oil. Great. Coats on, wait to limp back to the pits…

And engine is dead, car was sold in the next week to a nice bloke who’ll be dropping in a 1600 and doing 20 rounds in it in 2007 and so the search begins for a replacement car…