ae86trueno
25-11-2008, 08:47 PM
Sorry everyone its a little long and sappy but here goes.
This year started off as a bit of an unknown, I had agreed with Mathew that this year we would concentrate on the Excel series Mathew Driving and me Navving, and then me just driving the odd rounds in between for sh#@s and giggles.
ROC comes around and I think gee wouldn’t it be fun to finally do an ARC round, so we make some minor performance mods to car to get some more speed and off we go. We have a ball and a surprise F16 win falls into my lap and I think great this is fun, let’s keep going !!! We find some resources, and enter QLD ARC. This is only the second big 2 day rally we have ever entered and the first rally outside NSW/ACT. I convince Steve to drive up and help service and off we go again, learning roads which we have never driven on before and only the 4th pace note event we have done. The car runs flawlessly (except for a bung starter) and we walk away with anther F16 win.
I have used up all my annual leave at work by this point, and have to wait until ROM before the next run.
ROM gets canned and at this point I get a little annoyed, as they replace it with the Tasmanian Tarmac challenge. I think great, this has just stuffed me up as we do the sums to see how much it’s going to cost to get over there and do a tarmac event. Again I bite the bullet as you only live once and enter, and I’m glad we did, as it was a great experience. It may look a little boring on the outside, but it was fun on the inside of the car even in the rain, although there were many butt clenching moments at high speed, that kept us in check on the black stuff. I had used up my entire rally budget attending the event and Mathew graciously chipped in a little more so we could get home in the end. While we didn’t bring home the trophy in the end I do not regret going as the skills gained down there are invaluable and made me a better driver.
On comes Coffs, the last ARC of the year, and I had already decided my last in the Sprinter, The Event did not start will with the heavens opening on Thursday and us becoming stuck in recce in the muddy conditions, and putting a small crack in the sump (mental note make sump guard for commodore) .
We were pushing as hard as I had ever driven the little corolla, and it showed in the times, but with 2 stages to go on Saturday the year came to a grinding halt with a broken 3rd gear. I was broken when it happened but looking back it was make or break time, and the speed we were traveling at the time, probably would have resulted in the car into a little ball, I suppose its fate in the end. We limp back to service and fish the metal out of the gearbox and resume Sunday without 3rd gear. With me having to keep more corner speed up and driving smoother, we actually bettered one of our Saturday stage times, so I was happy (ish) on Sunday and we got to the end which made it even more rewarding.
I was a little down for the week after as it was not the best way to end the season, but rallying goes on, and there will always be the next event.
In between the ARC events some of the other highlights were the Blue Range rally at the start of the year which was a great rally to get into the swing of things, Rally of Oberon and also the Myall Stages rally, where I had the wonderful Kate in the silly seat and we got you your first trophy :D , plus the entire Excel Championship, where I was navving for Mathew who is starting to show some good speed and maturity as a driver, with his first P2 and round win at Bay stages. It was also good that I was able to take out the Excel Navigators title, next year you will get yours Mathew.
So now to the thank you part.
To Steve for servicing all over the country when you could, your can do, we’ll get it fixed attitude will serve you well when you finally finish off you rally car
My parents and my sister Rachel for making lunches and getting drinks, servicing and keeping Mathew and I going with support at the events they could make it to.
Mozza, Craig Brooks and Isaac and all the service crew from Tasmania, we really couldn’t have done the event without the support from these great locals in Tassi.
Kate for doing a good job filling in at Myall, a champion navigator who will go far, you certainly showed Mathew and I a thing or two.
And now to Mathew who has sat beside me all year, and for the last 7, hopefully we will have many more rally adventures together, and I hope that Taking the Australian F16 and P2 Co driver Title makes up for having to listen to me whine all day.
And a double congratulations for Mathew being selected in the CAMS Rally Driver Development program for 2009, I hope you enjoyed the ride this year,
And lastly thanks for all the support from the entire rally community in NSW and ACT, through everyone kind words, on the forums and at events, it’s
great to be part of a this wonderful community.
The adventure has only just begun :clap:
Ben.
This year started off as a bit of an unknown, I had agreed with Mathew that this year we would concentrate on the Excel series Mathew Driving and me Navving, and then me just driving the odd rounds in between for sh#@s and giggles.
ROC comes around and I think gee wouldn’t it be fun to finally do an ARC round, so we make some minor performance mods to car to get some more speed and off we go. We have a ball and a surprise F16 win falls into my lap and I think great this is fun, let’s keep going !!! We find some resources, and enter QLD ARC. This is only the second big 2 day rally we have ever entered and the first rally outside NSW/ACT. I convince Steve to drive up and help service and off we go again, learning roads which we have never driven on before and only the 4th pace note event we have done. The car runs flawlessly (except for a bung starter) and we walk away with anther F16 win.
I have used up all my annual leave at work by this point, and have to wait until ROM before the next run.
ROM gets canned and at this point I get a little annoyed, as they replace it with the Tasmanian Tarmac challenge. I think great, this has just stuffed me up as we do the sums to see how much it’s going to cost to get over there and do a tarmac event. Again I bite the bullet as you only live once and enter, and I’m glad we did, as it was a great experience. It may look a little boring on the outside, but it was fun on the inside of the car even in the rain, although there were many butt clenching moments at high speed, that kept us in check on the black stuff. I had used up my entire rally budget attending the event and Mathew graciously chipped in a little more so we could get home in the end. While we didn’t bring home the trophy in the end I do not regret going as the skills gained down there are invaluable and made me a better driver.
On comes Coffs, the last ARC of the year, and I had already decided my last in the Sprinter, The Event did not start will with the heavens opening on Thursday and us becoming stuck in recce in the muddy conditions, and putting a small crack in the sump (mental note make sump guard for commodore) .
We were pushing as hard as I had ever driven the little corolla, and it showed in the times, but with 2 stages to go on Saturday the year came to a grinding halt with a broken 3rd gear. I was broken when it happened but looking back it was make or break time, and the speed we were traveling at the time, probably would have resulted in the car into a little ball, I suppose its fate in the end. We limp back to service and fish the metal out of the gearbox and resume Sunday without 3rd gear. With me having to keep more corner speed up and driving smoother, we actually bettered one of our Saturday stage times, so I was happy (ish) on Sunday and we got to the end which made it even more rewarding.
I was a little down for the week after as it was not the best way to end the season, but rallying goes on, and there will always be the next event.
In between the ARC events some of the other highlights were the Blue Range rally at the start of the year which was a great rally to get into the swing of things, Rally of Oberon and also the Myall Stages rally, where I had the wonderful Kate in the silly seat and we got you your first trophy :D , plus the entire Excel Championship, where I was navving for Mathew who is starting to show some good speed and maturity as a driver, with his first P2 and round win at Bay stages. It was also good that I was able to take out the Excel Navigators title, next year you will get yours Mathew.
So now to the thank you part.
To Steve for servicing all over the country when you could, your can do, we’ll get it fixed attitude will serve you well when you finally finish off you rally car
My parents and my sister Rachel for making lunches and getting drinks, servicing and keeping Mathew and I going with support at the events they could make it to.
Mozza, Craig Brooks and Isaac and all the service crew from Tasmania, we really couldn’t have done the event without the support from these great locals in Tassi.
Kate for doing a good job filling in at Myall, a champion navigator who will go far, you certainly showed Mathew and I a thing or two.
And now to Mathew who has sat beside me all year, and for the last 7, hopefully we will have many more rally adventures together, and I hope that Taking the Australian F16 and P2 Co driver Title makes up for having to listen to me whine all day.
And a double congratulations for Mathew being selected in the CAMS Rally Driver Development program for 2009, I hope you enjoyed the ride this year,
And lastly thanks for all the support from the entire rally community in NSW and ACT, through everyone kind words, on the forums and at events, it’s
great to be part of a this wonderful community.
The adventure has only just begun :clap:
Ben.