sarah
Chief Marshall
Posts: 79
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Post by sarah on Nov 21, 2008 1:12:26 GMT
Pfft! What am I, chopped liver?
Lancia for the wins! (<--- Multiple wins implied)
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Post by Nick McRae on Nov 21, 2008 11:28:20 GMT
I don't like liver Aha noo as good as you are - your still a rival
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sarah
Chief Marshall
Posts: 79
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Post by sarah on Nov 22, 2008 0:25:50 GMT
Ahh fair point.
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Post by Vivski on Nov 22, 2008 14:07:41 GMT
I'm quite sure that I have never seen a Triumph in action. Before my time and classics have never really been my thing. I must admit, my rallying passion is born out of a love of driving, not cars. Happy to be educated though. Thanks for the links.
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Post by Roo on Nov 23, 2008 2:39:08 GMT
Okay, we're ready to begin! I've added Curt to the Talbot Team to even the numbers a bit, he hasn't logged on for a while. Since Nick McRae was the first member to sign up, he has been assigned Number 1 and will start the rally first car on the road. Rally Monte Carlo results will be announced tomorrow. Good luck to all the competing teams!
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Post by mrdad on Nov 23, 2008 5:49:11 GMT
Go Datto... ;D Somewhat uncomfortable conditions for us Aussies - tarmac and snow - what a mixture!! - anyway, we'll give it a bash and see what happens... May the best Datsun team win.
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Post by Nick McRae on Nov 23, 2008 13:31:08 GMT
Oh yeah - number one . Hopefully can start off with a win!
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Post by Roo on Nov 24, 2008 5:32:08 GMT
A tricky start was to greet the competitors on Day 1, with the road surface constantly changing from dry tarmac to treacherous snow and ice. One driver did fall to the difficult conditions, and unfortunately for the Triumph Team it was their sole driver Vivski. The Australian had struggled through the first stage with the big V8 TR7, only to come unstuck on a patch of ice on the next. Surprisingly, the Japanese teams of Datsun and Toyota were the ones setting the pace, and not the Italian powerhouses of Fiat and Lancia, who ever odds on favourites to win the event. Datsun drivers Mitch and Len scored a 1-3 result on the opening stage, and although Len dropped back over the next few stages, Mitch would end the day in first place, a completely unexpected result. Lancia driver Bart had been vying for the outright lead with Mitch, put a puncture on the last stage of the day dropped the Belgian to third overall, allowing the Toyota of Mixa to grab second. Day 2 would see the battles continue in the mountains surrounding the city of Monaco. Stage 4 was completely dry with no ice on the road surface, and many drivers used the conditions to their advantage. Fiat driver Igor set a great time, moving up from fourth to second, while the BDA Escort was finally starting to show some aggression, with JJ following five seconds behind Igor on the stage claiming third overall. Bart was cursing himself after spinning on the stage, but was able to make up some of the time lost by setting the fastest time on the next, moving back into second place. Mitch’s Datsun was not as comfortable on the tarmac stages as the opposition, and although Mitch pushed as hard as possible, he would end the day down in seventh place. The last stage of Leg 2 was the infamous Col de Turini, run completely in the dark. The run up the hill was dry, but upon reaching the summit and beginning the descent, the road became very icy and very slippery. Many drivers chose to drive cautiously, but even a cautious approach didn’t save Len. On the descent down the mountain, his Datsun slid wide clouting a stone wall, breaking the car’s rear suspension, ending his rally. Will’s Celica also had an off-road excursion on the outside of a hairpin. Spectators were able to help the Englishman on his way again, but smoke from the exhaust indicated that the engine was far from healthy. Second fastest time by Bart allowed the Lancia driver to overtake Igor and reclaim the lead, but Bart was not the quickest driver over the Col. In what could only be described as a remarkable drive, Mixa stormed up the hill in the less-than-fancied Toyota, before sliding down the other side. With the car swinging from corner to corner like a clock’s pendulum, Mixa was almost a minute faster than anyone else, the time rocketing the Finn from seventh to second overall. The Italian teams were shocked at the time, and immediately lodged a protest with the event organisers. However, the time was found to be legitimate, leaving the Italians more than just a little concerned, with the Flying Finn only half a minute off the lead with only a day to go! The first stage of the final day proved that the Toyota/Mixa onslaught the night before had been no fluke, with Mixa immediately halving the gap to Bart. But Mixa was not the fastest driver on the stage. Roo, driving a Vauxhall Chevette, had made some setup changes overnight and they seemed to be paying off. The fastest time helped the Australian climb two places to sixth overall. The overnight repairs to Will’s Celica appeared to have been successful. However, half way through the stage, the smoke returned and although Will started the next stage, he only made it a couple of miles further before the engine finally packed it in. Will was not the only driver to retire on the second pass of the Col de Turini. Lancia driver Sarah was caught out by a patch of ice while braking, the Stratos ending up stranded in a ditch. The Col de Turini would not see a repeat of the Mixa heroics. Although fourth fastest on the stage, Bart was quicker still, opening up a 41 second gap with only one stage to go. Mary driving the Talbot Sunbeam appeared to enjoy the Col de Turini stages. Third fastest on both tests combined with a consistent performance resulted in Mary moving into a creditable fifth place, seven seconds clear of the hot-cold Datsun of Mitch, who took the stage win. The final stage of the rally saw many drivers back off to secure their positions, but many backed off a bit too much it seems. Mary and Nick McRae both lost around a minute and a half, while Nick’s team mate JJ was slower still. All three were too upset to talk to stage end reporters about the loss of time. Bart was slower than Mixa on the last stage, but did enough to claim a well deserved win. Mixa’s drive had been inspiring, and second place was a great result for the Toyota team. The final step on the podium was claimed by Fiat driver Igor, a great reward for a consistent and measured drive.
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Post by Mixa on Nov 24, 2008 10:37:37 GMT
What an awesome work there,Roo! Amazing results page and a really nice review of the RFC-Classics rd.1 !
What comes to the results a nice opener for the big and heavy,Toyota. Never thought to end up 2nd but its a good result after that disastrous start for day2. We just wasnt able to match the light and powerful Lancia in every kind of conditions. The first run throught the Turini was a surprise for sure even for myself.. Wasnt expecting that but it seems that we just maken a right tyre choice and our starting number was a bit better than with the front runners. At the 2nd lenght throught the Turini I tried at max but it was much more slippery and we lost some time there. Its good to continue from here and results seems to be quite mixed.. Seems to be coming a really tight season!
Just a shame what happened to Will there. A small off and then he got going again just to notice the fact that the engine given up. Would have been nice to get a good overall for the team but sometimes it seems that its not just possible. It seems that we have to promote the road going Celica a bit more at every country as we might get some spares for the spectators if nessessary (Escort drivers kept to do that a lot at 70´s)
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Post by mrdad on Nov 24, 2008 10:44:42 GMT
Yep, well done Roo for the work, and... well done to Bart and the Stratos. ...and especially to Mitch for finishing in his Datto Datto's and snow - do not mix or tears will be created... Roll on the next gravel rally.... then we'll see who is fastest...
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Post by JJ on Nov 24, 2008 11:13:22 GMT
Love that Roo, cheers Not the best rally in the end for the old RS1800 but I think from Round 3 onwards we can push harder. Let the BDA sing I say
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Post by Hurricane on Nov 24, 2008 17:31:31 GMT
Great job Roo, smashing review there! And a fantastic result for me to start off the season. Luckily I didn't let the spin on day 2 come to me. I tried to keep my cool throughout the rest of the rally and it payed off The Stratos worked perfectly and I see great things coming for this season! ;D
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Post by Nick McRae on Nov 24, 2008 21:41:33 GMT
The only thing not awesome about that post was my result
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Post by Roo on Nov 25, 2008 0:53:45 GMT
...as we might get some spares from the spectators if nessessary (Escort drivers did that a lot in the 70´s) Yes, a term more commonly known nowadays as "receiving outside assistance." ;D Thanks for the complements guys, I think I'm on a winner with the result boards, and a bit of looking around for some pics was a nice touch too I think. Although finding pictures of Toyota and Datsuns on tarmac was nearly impossible! (Sweden will be worse ) The Japanese teams really only focused on the rough gravel rallies where the strength of the cars gave them an edge over the otherwise quicker opposition.
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Post by Roo on Nov 26, 2008 3:49:30 GMT
The first day of Rally Sweden revealed warmer than expected conditions, resulting in less snow and ice on the roads than expected. In fact, the more open sections of road where there was little tree cover allowed the snow to almost completely melt, revealing muddy gravel for the competitors to deal with. Stage 1 was rather short in length, so it was expected that competitors would not be able to gain large amounts of time over their rivals. The first seven drivers on this stage were separated by only 11 seconds, with a three-way tie for third fastest time and a two-way tie for sixth. The surprising early leader was Roo, who seemed to enjoy the muddy conditions on the first stage. However Stage 2 represented the first “real” stage of the rally, and with a lot more snow and ice on the road, Roo would drop from first to last thanks to an encounter with a snow bank. Winning the stage was Triumph driver Vivski. The V8 powered TR7 and the fast, flowing nature of the stages proved to be an ideal combination, and the Australian would end the first day as the overall leader. The Datsuns were again performing strongly. Second fastest time for Mitch on Stage 2 and fastest time for Len on Stage 3 were encouraging signs for the team, and Len finished the first day in third overall. Consistent times by Fiat driver Igor would keep him at the pointy end of the field heading into Day 2, while a puncture on the last stage cost Toyota’s Mixa a lot of time. However, his pace fro earlier in the day would suggest that the Flying Finn would still be a chance heading into the second day. Day 2 dawned bright and sunny, and with a heavy fall of snow overnight, conditions were almost perfect for a day of rallying in the snow. A spin on the opening short stage for Vivski brought him back to the chasing pack, just three seconds ahead of Igor. Stage 5 saw the Triumph driver increase his lead again, but only by eight seconds as Igor was now charging hard in an attempt to catch the V8 TR7. The fast stage seemed to suit the Escorts, as JJ powered his way into third overall and Nick scoring fifth fastest time. The last stage of the day was run in the gathering darkness, so competitors were forced to fit extra driving lights. Many drivers spun on the difficult stage, with JJ, Bart and Will all lost their lights in snowbanks. Luigi’s rally came to an end about half way through the stage when his Fiat’s alternator gave up. Vivski and Igor both had their fair share of problems, but Igor was able to do enough to leapfrog Vivski to claim the overnight lead. Len and Nick were first and second on the stage, enabling Len to grab third and Nick fifth, while Curt had put some smiles on the faces of the Talbot team by ending the day fourth. Roo was able to steer away from the snowbanks for once, and set the fourth fastest time. The third and final day would see the battle for victory continue, with the top three separated by 25 seconds. Igor extended his lead after the first stage to over half a minute, while Len’s Datsun was now in danger of losing his spot on the podium due to a hard charging Mixa. The Ford team were pushing hard to make up for lost time, JJ fourth fastest, Nick third fastest. Nick’s time now meant that there was a three-way battle for third, the drivers only four seconds apart. The penultimate stage saw a number of interesting changes to the leaderboard. Igor set a cracking time to increase his lead to over two minutes with only a stage to go, while second fastest time propelled Mitch’s Datsun into the final podium position. Frowns were beginning to return on the faces of the Talbot team, after Curt reported engine dramas in the stage. The final stage saw even more drama. Curt’s engine gave up not far from the start and he was forced to retire in what was a sad way to end his rally. But not as sad as what was to happen next. With a lead of over two minutes, Igor set of into the stage with victory in his grasp. Disaster struck a few miles from the end of the stage, when Igor cut a corner a little too much, his front right wheel finding a rock buried beneath the snow. The Fiat rolled and landed back on its wheels, and with help from spectators, Igor was able to continue on to the finish. But with the front right wheel broken, progress was perilously slow. Vivski set a good time through the stage, and being second overall had the best chance to snatch the lead. But his chances were dashed by Datsun driver Mitch. After setting the second fastest time on the previous stage, Mitch repeated that performance and by finishing just under a minute ahead of Vivski, Mitch was able to record a remarkable victory. Vivski and Igor had to settle for the lower steps on the podium, both knowing that they had been so close, yet so far. Consistent stage times resulted in Mixa finishing fourth ahead of Len, while the two Ford drivers finished sixth and seventh. Rally Sweden was filled with fast sideways action and plenty of drama, and the battlelines are drawn for what promises to be an exciting season. Join us for the next action-packed round in Portugal, the first gravel rally of the season.
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